Pete's Tavern on Irving Place

O'Henry wrote and ate here

"Pete's Tavern"
Oil on canvas
24 x 24 inches

Another new painting in the hopper for the upcoming Fall exhibit in Chelsea at the Franklin 54 Gallery. Pete's Tavern is located on Irving Place, a street running from 14th to 20th Streets. A cozy haunt in Gramercy Park, Pete's has a nice, old-timey wooden bar with the restaurant located in the back rooms. Black wooden booths, tiles on the floor and numerous photos on the walls create a nice ambiance. The noted writer O'Henry lived in the area and frequented this restaurant often, sitting in a booth and and working on his stories. As I walk by Pete's Tavern fairly often, I wanted to try to capture it on canvas. It's been around a long time and I can't imagine the corner of 18th Street without it.

Meeting with the other two artists in the show this week and our catalogue project is almost complete. I'm very happy that we were able to capture this collaborative effort in print and I know we have a very interesting exhibit on our hands. As an added plus, Alfred Pommer, a popular New York City tour guide, will be conducting a "walking tour" in the gallery as a special event. He'll talk about the places depicted in the artworks hanging on the gallery walls and it will be a great introduction to these neighborhoods, should folks want to then hit the streets and see the actual places on their own. I'll post more details about this event soon.