We are getting ready to move back to the city for a while, so today’s post is a clear symptom of my building excitement at being a Manhattanite again!

This is the energy-filled painting series Cityscapes by Valerio D’Ospina. Some people love the country, or the forest, or the jungle, or the desert. Some people (sensibly) cover their walls with tranquil scenes of hills and cows and flowers. I like and admire those things, too, but I’m less into the bucolic and more into… what’s the opposite of bucolic? Bubonic? Anyway, I’m a city girl all the way, and D’Ospina totally gets it.

“I am often compelled by feeling immersed in a massive environment, being reminded of how small we all are and how big everything else is… It fascinates me to stand in front of such immense buildings and structures, …knowing that these awe-inspiring monumental things exist only because we made them. It’s humbling yet empowering and a large part of what stirs inside of me while I work.”

While it’s pretty common to see paintings that do a good job of capturing the feel of the country or the seaside, I think it takes a particular talent to capture the vitality and grit and speed of a city. I’m sure not all of you will find these beautiful, but I can’t get enough.

All images property of Valerio D’Ospina.