Here’s a watercolor I just finished….It’s my rendition of Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Built in the 1949 it is the quintessential glass box–architecture pared down to its simplest modern essence. A metal and glass rectangle–the only privacy concession is a circular brick element within which houses a bathroom. 
Pretty crazy stuff–but I love it ! Imagine living there with the trees, grass and nature on full display just outside the glass–the peaceful nature always right there seemingly at arm’s length ! There’s something both shocking and inspiring about this pure and simple structure. You can hear people say: “I couldn’t live in that fishbowl !” “Natural light and lots of glass–I love that part, but totally impractical to live in”….Why not ? I guess that’s the architect and purist in me–I don’t see a big problem. I love it, and I could imagine myself being very happy living there….This is one of my favorite works of art….It’s one of a dozen or so architectural works that are most inspiring to me–and were very formative in my early passions for architecture….The watercolor painting was fun to do also….it’s a simple palette: Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine, Burnt Siena, and Black….That’s it ! I chose to backlight the house because it shows off the transparency and the oneness with nature. Dappled light from the surrounding trees and s few white highlights here and there to accentuate the geometric clarity of the metal-framed box. The glass has some transparent and some reflective qualities, but is largely neutral. Kind of a meditative mood about it–it’s a peaceful and quiet architectural thought put into reality by the architect. I’m not a huge Philip Johnson fan, but with this particular house, I think he nailed it….for me, the best work he ever did….Thanks for reading this–and for enjoying the watercolor !
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