this ornate building that frames a view of the saint john river valley should be home to wealth. the setting, the detail and the scale make it visually stunning and that puzzles me. it is an older structure, but the twin doors and exterior rear staircase testify that even when new, this was a home for average families.

i began drawing the image with the intention of using the decorative elements of the architecture like a frame for the dramatic sense of space created by the steep driveway and the abrupt appearance of the distant shore. somehow that translated into a slight bulging of the central space, and a tipping away of the building. i adjusted the major lines, however that outward pressure still remains.