ARISEN
"We happened upon this soaring and dilapidated space in Budapest while travelling, squeezing through an askew sheet of plywood covering a doorway to find an abandoned shopping galleria (Párisi Udvar, built in 1817.) The richness of architectural detail and the fact it was abandoned were bewildering. The building has now been purchased by a luxury hotel and undergone a renaissance, restored to its former glory. My goal with this painting was to create an atmosphere of mystery, timelessness, and a sense of hope in rebuilding. I am experimenting here with contrasting precise detail with completely abstract passages which suggest steam rising to the top reaches of the stained glass cupola. Sun optimistically streams through the glass leading the eye upwards from the dark reaches of the gritty street level."