A Different Vibe

"Splash ! " 12x 9 oil on panel

     I have had the good fortune to live in three of the world's greatest cities, New York, Washington DC and Paris. Each has it's own distinctive look and personality. I love all three. My life in Paris was many years ago and I find I am too far removed to paint it from memory and don't feel right creating work from old photos. I would need to visit and renew my relationship with the city before painting it. However, New York and Washington are a different story. I have been living in Washington DC since 1974 and it is the city I paint most often because I am right here. This is now my hometown but it is not the first city I called home.  I grew up in Northern New Jersey just  a 20 minute drive from NYC. We were the only family members NOT living in New York and I was considered the "country cousin". I am sure I traveled over the George Washington Bridge over a thousand times between family visits, good times in the city with friends, shopping trips and later working there. I still feel like I am going home when I visit.. Therefore it is with familiarity that I can paint that city.
     The painting above which I have titled "Splash" is a painting of 8th Avenue in the upper 50's. For those not familiar with NYC that description means it is on the West Side and upper 50's refers to the cross streets between 55th and 59th streets. New York is drawn on a grid. I used to live on West 61st Street and this view is what I saw when I walked from my apartment down 8th Avenue to 57th Street where I used to visit some of my favorite galleries. Rain, particularly at night really makes the city sparkle and so I decided to make that the subject on this familiar stretch of the city.

AUCTION UPDATE; "When the Clouds Parted" sold at auction at the Salmagundi Club this afternoon!