Outdoor Street Scene

Prix de West participant

Sonya Terpening's framed watercolor on paper painting titled 'Outdoor Street Scene' captures a calm scene outside of a cafe. The dining table depicted in the work becomes the focal point when observing this piece, as it is placed in the foreground and captures the eye with a vivid blue table cloth; on the table are four glasses placed upside-down and what appears to be a sugar and salt shaker. Terpening's realistic style is exemplified in her depiction of the table; the blue cloth's folds and wrinkles, and the heavy use of shadows and lighting on the table cloth, chairs, and glasses all contribute to the realistic qualities of the piece. The table is positioned on a red brick sidewalk/street directly outside of the cafe, which is also brick but painted white. The cafe door is glass but framed with a presumably wooden green border, which also borders the large glass window that looks out to the table on the street. The green used for the structure and the blue of the table cloth are the two most vivid colors represented, capturing the observer's eye and creating a cool toned color scheme throughout the work. Through the door's glass and the large window, the viewer can see a white curtain pulled to the side and a table with a white cloth and what appears to be a lantern. This invites the viewer into the scene and creates a sense of personal space by allowing the observer to imagine the rest of the cafe and place themselves in the scene. The artist incorporates a beautiful depiction of stained glass into the work, hanging just above the table inside of the restaurant. By doing this, Terpening alludes to the importance of aesthetic qualities within public spaces such as restaurants or street corners, creating an inviting composition.

Sonya Terpening is an artist who had always known she wanted to be a painter from the time she was a young girl. In junior high she began studying with professional artists and eventually received her art degree from Oklahoma State University. She gives credit to the Midwest for her artistic inspiration, having both lived in Texas and Oklahoma, and has had many works in permanent collections and museums, such as The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and
The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma.