Subte Life

I painted a piece for a community art exhibition called “Connecting the Dots.” Each participant received an 8-inch circular canvas and randomly chose a card with a color on it to be the dominant color in the piece. I got green.

We could use whatever materials we wanted and interpret the theme however we wanted.

Here’s my finished piece, titled “Subte Life.”

The lines on the canvas are the subway system map in Bueno Aires, Argentina, where I studied abroad in college and used public transportation daily. The subway connects all the parts of the city. Everyone who uses the subway is connected throughout the day.

I wanted shapes to fill the spaces between map lines, and circles were appropriate for the “Connecting the Dots” theme. The smaller circles represent more crowded areas of the city. Larger circles represent areas that are more spread out. (Generally speaking—I didn’t base it on city data.)

Process photos

I painted the whole canvas in pale mint green for the background color.

I used tracing paper to transfer the subway lines to the canvas. Then I traced circle stencils in different sizes.

I painted the dark green circles first, so I could make sure I alternated shades of green between segments.

I ended up doing 3 to 4 coats on the dark green circles. For some reason, the paint was streaky and the background showed through until I painted over each circle multiple times. The lighter green circles only needed 2 to 3 coats.

Exhibition info

The exhibition includes over 60 works. It’s on display in October at curio, a gallery and art supply shop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

You can see images of the exhibition on curio’s Instagram page. If you’re near Lancaster, go see it in person!