No. 433: Cinderella

"Cinderella" by Tom Wills, watercolor and ink, February 2019. SOLD

Click on each photo to enlarge.

The Mill Creek Park Suspension Bridge in  Youngstown -- the Silver Bridge or Cinderella Bridge --since the late 1800s has been the scene of many first kisses, engagements, photos and, true, paintings.  It's a unique and well-preserved historic structure that draws the eye and breath and fires fancies.

I was asked at the start of 2019 if I would paint this bridge, for an April wedding!

Politano/Steines wedding

The bridge certainly is a complex contraption of girders, wires, block and concrete. Indeed the bridge does appear suspended someplace outside of reality.

The park's literature explains that the 1895-erected Suspension Bridge carries Valley Drive across Mill Creek to connect the east and west sides of Mill Creek Park. "Following the wishes of Volney Rogers to create fanciful park entrances, Charles Fowler of the Youngstown Bridge Co. designed the structure.

"The Suspension Bridge is the oldest of six bridges in Mill Creek Park. It measures 86 feet long and 32 feet wide and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976."

In the summer and fall of 2007, with input from the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, Youngstown State University, the Ohio Historic Preservation Office and additional agencies, the Suspension Bridge went through a major rehabilitation.

I accepted the project with some trepidation. First I would have to draw the bridge, and then draw over it with ink, and finally paint over the ink and pencil marks. And those wires and trees would surely be a challenge!

Things started out alright with this rough watercolor wash over the ink. The basic colors followed the tree line and grass edge, and I knew where the bridge and its base would go, as well as the pavement and walkway in the foreground.

But as the bridge came together, the tree line became a train wreck. Too dark, too "Wizard of Oz" rather than Walt Disney. Fixing this took some thought.

Fortunately a tiny paint brush and some white, yellow and brown dots. smudges and splotches did the trick -- and it is a trick of the eye -- creating the illusion of sunlight and moisture on tree leaves.  This lightened the woods up substantially though I kept tinkering with them right up to the end.

Next came the intricate tasks of filling in the bridge and its railings. Again the fine brush was used, and a bit more ink, and three days of patience.

I set about "building" the bridge deck after the bridge suspension was complete. It's set upon beams and blocks and adorned with intricate trim.


Next came the supporting blocks and the grasses along the walkway. The grasses are another illusion: Six colors of paint applied with a small brush to again create the illusion of sunlight, many plants and wind.

Last to be done were the walkway and the pavement. Though these are mostly white, gray and brown the foremost pavement is another illusion: If you look closely, it's purple! Have you ever looked at sun-baked paving? It's anything but black.

This was a monster of a project and I'm satisfied with the result. I found the right frame with a matching mat and it looks like a good fit!

I thought a lot about making prints of this piece but settled against it. I've always said to "Consider an Original." That has meant there is always just one work. This "Cinderella" painting, then, can be no different.
Like the original bridge, since 1895, there can be just one.