From the Archives: Summer Day at Oak Street Beach

I made this painting in the summer of 2013, while sitting on Oak Street Beach in Chicago. I was surprised when I moved to Chicago that our city has beaches. Of course, I knew that Chicago has a lakefront, what I didn’t imagine was that the lakefront is dotted with beaches, with sand, and in the summer, sunbathers, beach umbrellas, paleta carts, beach bars, teenagers hanging out, and all that one would expect to find at a “beach.” Though I’m frequent visitor to the lake for bike rides, walks and picnics, I rarely “go to the beach.” I did spend afternoon there last summer with some friends. I made this painting on that occasion. It was a challenge to try to capture the crowds of people, in constant motion around us and the dynamic nature of the scene. As you may guess from the painting I made, I was particularly taken with the vibrant blue umbrellas.