Neighbourhood Analysis - Chinatown

Vancouver has a pretty large Asian population and a distinct Chinatown neighborhood. This area has long been special to me. My first two studios were located in Chinatown, and my current one is just outside the area, in Japantown.

There is a distinct neighborhood structure in Vancouver that is emphasized by characteristics such as building motifs, street marker posts, language, etc.

In Chinatown, the street posts are amazing. They have metal dragons built into them, and the lights themselves are encased in lantern structures. Not only that, but the graffiti comes in different languages, and the major colours are red and purple.

These characteristics were essential to one of my latest street sign paintings, titled Main and Pender, which is referential of the intersection where I photographed the original image I painted.

The graffiti and stickers are somewhat embellished for the sake of reflecting the feel of the neighborhood. I am really fond of painting those components into the works I make and the little details really pull the piece together.

I haven't worked in this colour palette in some time, and I'm glad I did. Red is such a powerful colour, that you really learn some interesting ways to offset the strength it brings. I honed that particular aspect of my colour knowledge through this painting, thats for sure!