A Coffee Haven, Wicklow Street, Dublin – 79

This impressionistic acrylic painting captures a rainy evening on Wicklow Street, with warm café light spilling out beneath an orange awning. It illuminates the seated couple and catches small highlights on the people passing by.

It is one of my earlier acrylics, from a time when I used plenty of dark shadows and silhouettes, particularly in my city scenes. Those darker areas helped the light stand out, while the wet pavement gave me room to introduce colour through the reflections.

I wanted to capture the simple pleasure of sitting over a hot coffee, watching people pass and letting the world go by. The couple have their own little haven beneath the awning, with the busy street just beyond.

Explore more of my Dublin paintings and prints.