I painted the “The Freedom Train” after seeing a tiny 3”x5”
postcard rendering of Monet’s “Le Train dans La Neige”.
Deeply moved by what the work evoked within me, I was inspired to create my own train painting.

Trains have always fascinated me. They can be symbolic of myriad things: freedom, adventure, grave danger, romance, and more.

As a child, I often travelled via train from Toronto, Canada, to visit beloved family in Chicago. This was pure magic for me!

As I have suggested, there are profoundly painful, historical happenings that can be associated with trains. There was the remarkable Underground Railroad, which could not avail itself of the safety, convenience, and comfort of physical trains. As well, there was the unspeakable horror of the Nazi Holocaust, whereby innocent people were transported to death camps via cattle trains.

In my mind's eye and heart, passenger trains intended for touring, vacationing, and travelling to desired destinations, represent freedom of the spirit. They create possibilities for human connection, and provide calm spaces for viewing and being amazed by the glories of our natural kingdom. Trains in and of themselves clearly house no harm.