45th Road Courthouse Square

Cha cha cha changes

"LIC/Strong Triangle"
Oil on canvas
15 x 30 inches

I passed by this corner yesterday and the scene differs dramatically from the painting. The area is now a construction site with work being done on the #7 Flushing Line. The staircase has been dismantled and moved to the other side of the street. The greenery of the Strong Triangle has all but disappeared and the Court Square Diner has a bright new facade. Back in the '80's I would stop into the diner every so often would see the artist Romare Bearden there. His studio was in the neighborhood back then. This scene represents a microcosm of the LIC neighborhood - a diner, P.S. 1 (or Number One as the oldtimer's would say), the #7 train, construction...yep, life in the 'hood.