There is something very paintable about a train station — the grand architecture, the contrast of outside light with interior darkness, and the appeal to the traveler in all of us.

When we were in Europe, we traveled by train several times. I would have liked to paint at any of the stations, but the guards with machine guns in Paris made me feel a bit hesitant to pull out the sketchbook or snap a photo. The security in London was also too tight to feel comfortable. However, Amsterdam seems pretty relaxed in all things and a few reference photos and sketchy notes went unnoticed.