Susan K. D'Alessio

I’ve become a tourist in my own neighborhood, looking at familiar sights in new ways. Having painted abstractly for many years, I habitually see contrasting lights and darks, repeat patterns and varying colors. All hold potential for use as subject matter in my cityscape paintings.

I am struck by the image of a brilliant sunlit facade of a house accented by the dark triangle of shadow cast by an awning or ornate brickwork or the repetition of line in a window blind. Studying two identical houses side by side, I’m intrigued by how each owner has subtly altered the original design to suit their own taste, replacing a window, adding a window box. And I love the quirkiness of contrasting doorways with the jumble of street signs, parked cars, and sidewalk trees.

When I find a scene that especially attracts me, I set up my chair and easel nearby and I work out a composition. Using a viewfinder and the photo editing mode on my cellphone, I sketch the basic layout in pencil. A photo of the subject also serves as reference if I need to add touches to the painting later in my studio—or to include a car that moved after I began painting. Working outdoors “plein aire” encourages me to work spontaneously.

The night scenes require a a different way of working. In these I’m guided by a photograph taken of a dramatic scene I’ve encountered unexpectedly during a nighttime walk. The intensity of this image and my emotional response to it stays with me throughout the slower methodical process of working using ink and gouache as well as watercolor.

Painting enriches my life. It gives me a focus and keeps me connected to the variety and vitality of the life and people of the Passyunk Square neighborhood of Philadelphia where I live. Through this work I hope to inspire others to slow down, to see and truly look at and appreciate the beauty and uniqueness in the world around them.