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Lunch at Capitol Square, Madison, Wisconsin captures a familiar downtown rhythm: the mix of civic grandeur and everyday calm that defines life around the Wisconsin State Capitol. Painted in a vibrant, post-impressionist style, this 11x14 oil on canvas looks down a stretch of the Capitol Square where a small coffee shop anchors the foreground and the gleaming dome of the Capitol rises in the distance.
The composition balances intimacy and monumentality. The warm, sunlit tones of the storefront create a cozy contrast to the cool stone and architectural weight of the Capitol. The scene feels lived-in—not staged. It could be a weekday lunch break, a quiet weekend morning, or the kind of moment you pass by a hundred times without realizing it’s worth painting.
My approach here leans into color and movement. The brushwork is loose, expressive, and full of energy. Rather than capturing strict realism, I focused on the feeling of the place—the way the light hits the sidewalk, the hint of trees, the human scale of a capital city that still feels like a hometown.
Whether you’ve visited Madison, live in the city, or just appreciate architecture-meets-daily-life scenes, this painting speaks to the intersection of civic pride and everyday ritual. It's not just about a building—it’s about the people who move through it, past it, around it.