America the Beautiful
- Dan
- Nov 18
- 2 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
An Ink Portrait of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC
I remember visiting Washington, D.C. when I was about 10 and seeing these remarkable buildings in person for the first time. It was like a dream, standing in places I had only ever seen in pictures and drawings. It felt as if I had stepped out of the page and could feel the years of craftsmanship, even the hands of the artisans themselves, just on the other side of the stone. I think those dreamlike memories first inspired me to apply my own craft to a representation of the Capitol building.
Architecture has become my go-to subject over the last few years, partly because its lines and subtle curves translate well to ink pen drawings. These buildings also occupy a place in our subconscious as locations that are important to us, as places where we grew up, dreamed, and sometimes left behind. Historic buildings in particular are part of our collective history, but I recognize they can be complex subject matter.
I know many have become jaded by modern politics, particularly by the behavior of the men and women who occupy these halls of government. But these buildings represent more than the representatives who work there. They represent history, legacy, and hopefully the best intentions for a nation in which freedom reigns. I wanted to show this building as a symbol of a free nation, with people who, on their best days, work together to make a better and more free tomorrow.
I finished this piece in the spring of 2024, early in an election year. Everything on the news was one person or party trying to tear the other down. One thing nobody was talking about was how they were going to build the country up. I don't know if an America like that could exist in reality, but I know it can exist in our dreams for the future. So I'll stay optimistic and keep dreaming for now.
Maybe this piece can find a home with someone who needs a regular reminder to keep dreaming of what could be.
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