Sept 15, 2016. Oil on canvas. 15 x 20cm

Russia St. Petersburg. 瑞皮諾 涅夫斯基大街

The first hotel we landed Russia was Hotel Moscow in St. Petersburg. That was not a bad hotel. Breakfast was great. Lobby was spacious and it was located in the middle of the city, on the busiest shopping and business street, Alexandra Nevskogo.  

For the first 5 days all schedule was tight we our art group had failed to do more than 1 plein air painting. Therefore I tried to get up at 6 to find myself chances to paint. 

The closest spot being area near hotel. The 3rd piece of work was done at the corridor of my hotel floor. I looked the street and was attracted by the Soviet Russuan style buildings.

Things had been improving in St. Petersburg. Some quite large scale shopping centres were opened in the last few years making the city align international outlook. Yet I was amused that on our planet, there was a great nationality which treasured art, culture, history, heritage more than economic and political reforms. That was why in the process of modernisation, Russia still preserved a great deal of old goodies which were important assets of mankind. Salute to Russia. Salute to communism which made this possible.

I had been sleeping very little to maximise chance to paint.Condition for work was not great. Morning breeze was freezing. Light was poor. And the heavy window kept hitting my painting box whenever a sudden wind blowed.