“River Town Rollercoaster” is an original oil painting of Dubuque, IA. I setup to paint this piece en plein air along Loras Blvd at the top of the hill. While this painting is of this particular street in this particular town, it shows a phenomenon true in many river towns. Most towns along the Mississippi/St. Croix river valley are built on very steep hills. Throughout time, the river carved its way down to where it’s at now, calmly heading south. In doing so, the river left behind steep bluffs that are challenging to build towns along. The natives of Dubuque say that Loras Blvd can get slippery after a fresh snow in winter. But if you’re on a sled, it could make for a very fun time! Hence the name, “River Town Rollercoaster”.