Hot Metal bridge views

Saturday was unexpectedly and unseasonably warm, so we went for a long walk, with lots of other walkers and bike riders taking advantage of the weather, the weekend, and vacation. Part way across the Monongahela River on the Hot Metal bridge, I let the others continue and stayed behind to draw. First I looked downriver toward the Pittsburgh skyline and the Birmingham bridge, as framed by the Hot Metal bridge's criss-cross trusswork. I used a brush pen and water brushes, and everything felt smudgy and industrial, even though the air was clear and the sky blue. In the late nineteenth century, this bridge was a rail link between plants on opposite sides of the river - it shuttled train cars full of molten metal from a furnace on one side to a rolling mill across the river. Now it has been re-conditioned and is dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists only - part of a network of bike routes connecting different parts of the city. (A near-twin carries regular car traffic.)



Looking upstream, I noticed how quiet the river was, and decided to explore that view with pen and ink. I'm glad to have gotten outside, as a cold front came through today, and we are back to winter winds and weather again.