Denver Ave. at Dusk

"Denver St. at Dusk" / pastel / 9x12

Denver Ave. is in the heart of North Portland's Kenton neighborhood, just a few blocks from my house. I loved this dusky winter scene with its grey neutrals and smudgy neon signs. The tiny twinkle lights in the trees add a warm and cheerful note to an otherwise cool scene. One of the most exciting visual features of Denver Ave. is the way it's paved using an Ultra Thin White Topping technique  that is ideally suited for resurfacing old asphalt. Although it looks like the street surface is made of tiles or concrete blocks, it's actually a thin layer of concrete that, when set, has had score joints cut into it with a saw. The spacing is at closer intervals than usual which gives the illusion of tiles.  One of my previous careers was in public works and I still get excited about infrastructure! The street surface and storm drains on Denver Ave. are really something to behold and if you live in Portland I invite you to come take a look.