This painting dates back to my illustration days at Parsons School of Design. I was taking Painting 101, a class taught by the late, great Robert Levering. As I began to get comfortable with the materials, I experimented with more aggressive color in my creations. For years I painted with an overly saturated palette; people had blue shadows, orangish skin, and bright red noses and ears. “Bob” made the comment that I was making my subjects look as if they were suffering from a cold, yet he kept pushing me to have fun and keep experimenting.

Originally I had planned on painting in a full train station in the background, but I actually prefer it without. It now gives a bit more mystery as to where these two are waiting, and if they’re perhaps related. Sisters, maybe?

In the Waiting Room
Acrylic on canvas
16 x 20 inches
Painted 1995 by Matt Cauley