I’m very pleased to finally share this commission with you today. ‘Sunset Over Zug’ has been pretty epic presence in my lockdown experience. We worked on the sketch and the composition for the painting back in February, but then everything shutdown in March and I found myself rather short on studio time as the kids took priority. It was slow progress and certainly not the speed I’m used to. But by stealing extra evening hours the piece eventually came to life!
The scene over Zug is something i’ve painted a few times now. Each time it has been possible to find new aspects and angles to play with. On this particular commission we took an imagined position just in front of the Zytturm, the viewpoint tilting down to the street and the quay. The view then carries on over the Old Town, showing the rolling fields between Zug and Oberwil. The background is then dominated by the peaks of Rigi and Pilatus.
The details were constructed from multiple references, photos from the client, maps and even google earth. I’ve also built up quite a reference library of my own for Zug from my many visits to the city.
But perhaps the most important aspect was the painterly skyscape… my attempt to capture the sunset behind Pilatus. The way the sun descends behind those peaks is well known for producing stunning horizon colours. Every sunset appears to have something unique about it so there was license to play with more vibrant shades.
Here’s a little walk around of the painting that I recorded for the client so they could get a feel for the piece before shipping. I really enjoyed playing with the composition to try and move the eye around the canvas… I certainly think we managed to get lots in the painting without overcrowding it. The final dimensions were 104 x 74cm (41 x 29”), created with acrylic and ink, and presented within a custom white floater frame.
The piece has now made it’s way across the Atlantic and is very much at home in New England. A huge thank you to Lindsay and her family for commissioning this scene.
