​trains ships planes  Railroad Ship Airplane  paintings by Chris Jenkins

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American Artist Chris Jenkins.

railroad train painting

I am an American artist who specializes in paintings of  transportation machines.  I retired from the freight railroad industry after a 34 year career, so I am familiar with my favorite subject matter.  I paint primarily in oil.  I am  a founding member of the American Society of Railway artists, an associate member of the Oil Painters of America, and an associate member of the  the Allied Artists of America, Inc.  I am listed in AskArt's Bluebook of American Artists.

You will find my work in publications, on checks, Christmas cards, and other items. My painting of  a Lehigh Valley Alco Century unit

 was published as a picture puzzle and is available on line from several sources.    One of my paintings was included in an article in the  February 2016 edition of Railfan & Railroad Magazine, and another was published as the front cover of the second quarter 2016 edition of the The Keystone magazine, published by the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society.  The Erie Lackawanna Historical Society published my painting Super Power at Scranton as the back cover of the 4th quarter 2011 issue of their publication, The Diamond.   Several of my paintings appeared in articles in the November 2011 and January 2012 editions of American Art Collector Magazine.  You will find my advertisement in the recent issues of Classic Trains Magazine.

Painting ships, trains or airplanes requires several elements, including accurate proportions, extensive use of perspective, and enough detail to make the subject convincing, but not cluttered.   The setting should be accurate, and extensive research is often required.

I paint primarily in oil, although I do paint some watercolors as well.
I usually begin an oil painting by making pencil sketches of the subject from different angles.  Once I am confident that I have a sound plan, I create a more detailed sketch, and add appropriate shading with a range of pencils.
Then, with the sketch available for reference, I begin by making a monochrome  under painting on colored canvas.    Often, I don't find it necessary to make a detailed drawing on the canvas...a few tick marks or outlines will do the job once I have made all the sketches on paper.   I then add layers of color, usually in several stages, working from top to bottom of the painting.  Details and lettering are added last.   Because oil dries slowly, many months often elapse between the initial steps and the completion of a painting.


My watercolor painting also begins with a sketch, and from there I go directly to painting in color, adding additional layers as needed.


I  can be reached by email at trainsshipsplanes@comcast.net

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