Edward Hopper and Union Station

I noted last Thursday that Edward Hopper would have had a field day at Portland's Union Station.

Something in my exterior shot (left) evoked Hopper's street scenes.

Subsequent e-mail discussions with and encouragement from my typewriter colleague Steve Brannon back in Richmond, Virginia, led me to explore the photo more closely.

I think I may have found a Hopperesque vignette hidden in the photo's grid. Cranking up the contrast and cropping to draw attention to the human figures have produced a stark, voyeuristic image (below) that to me is derivative of the great American realist.

Waiting at the station for the train to come in

The Seattle-to-Portland Amtrak train bearing my mother-in-law was running late, even later than the announced late arrival time.

With time to kill and my trusty Olympus Stylus Verve in my pocket, I decided to make a portrait of grand old Union Station.

It really begs for Edward Hopper's brush and palette.


The clock above the ticket counter runs on Amtrak time.


A "whistle-stop campaign" coach lacked only bunting and a candidate.




















I basked in the glow of the station's neon and its reflection on the marble walls. "Railway Media" are DVD players and movies ("Happy Feet" and "Casino Royale") you can rent so you or your kids aren't forced to watch the boring scenery.

















Trains eventually do arrive and depart. All ABOARD!