Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Virtual Paintout in Eureka, California

(click on image to enlarge)

The Bank of Eureka & the Savings Bank of Humboldt
Watercolour and crayon
©2011 Charlene Brown

The Virtual Paintout is in Eureka this month.  Eureka means ‘I have found it!’ and is the motto of the state of California. It refers to the discovery of gold in California, so I’ve selected a bank as the subject of my painting.
Actually, I’ll admit I didn’t even realize the Museum on the left was a bank until I noticed the original name on the front of the building while having a close-up look in Google Streetview. There’s a tree covering the last few letters, so I had to consult the History & Business Directory of Humboldt County 1890-1 (also on Google, of course) to determine for sure what the last few letters were.  Making that massive name the title of the painting was quite a bit easier than trying to get it on to the front of the building in the painting itself.