Silvercup Studios

Bread and Film

"LIC/Silvercup Studios"
Oil on canvas
10 x 10 inches
Sold

Today I share another painting in my recent Long Island City series, the Silvercup Studios, home of some great television and film production. Before it was converted to sound stages for the entertainment industry, Silvercup was a big commercial bakery and I am old enough to remember driving over the 59th Street bridge in the evening enveloped by the wonderful smell of freshly baking bread. When I walk around LIC today, sometimes in the late afternoon, I can still catch a whiff of baking bread, leading me to believe that there are still commercial bakeries in the neighborhood.

One of my favorite programs, "The Sopranos" was filmed at Silvercup and I had an "almost" thrill during the last season of filming. A location scout had come up to the studio thinking that my large windows might work for an upcoming scene that was in the planning stages. Although my space was not used, I did eventually see the segment as described. Ah, what could have been. I still have his business card with the show's logo tacked up on my bulletin board.

There have been a lot of rumors circulating about the Silvercup Studios area being developed into retail and living spaces, but with the economy floundering like a fish out of water these days, I'm pretty sure any development plans are on hold and it might be years before anything comes of these rumors. It's "wait and see in L.I.C." Ah, I just couldn't resist.