Tuesday, September 20, 2016

"The Painter Who Puts Tme in its Place"

This article was published today in the Huffington Post blog. The writer, Nancy Ruhling, has extended her scope past Astoria to include Long Island City characters :-).

Sharon Florin stars in “Astoria Characters: The Painter Who Puts Time in its Place.”

http://huff.to/2cYDPr1

Link to article

Among the photos accompanying the article is a painting on my easel that I had just started working on over the summer. The finished painting is of the old Stern Brothers Department store, now a Home Depot, located on 23rd Street off Sixth Avenue, steps away from the bomb explosion last Saturday evening. So many of the buildings and places I've painted have disappeared, glad this was not one of them. Capturing my city as it changes and disappears, either deliberately or due to a random act, has guided my artistic journey.

PS: This will also appear in the print and digital versions of the Long Island City Journal, a free weekly that comes out on Wednesday afternoon/Thursday morning. Link to article.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Bruce in New York/New Jersey 2016

Bruce #1_2016
Oil on panel
8x8 inches


Bruce #2_2016
Oil on panel
8x8 inches


This is a BIG month for Mr. Springsteen - record-breaking concerts, an upcoming article in Vanity Fair, yet another birthday and the long awaited autobiography, "Born To Run". Many people have been forwarding me articles as they know I'm a long-time fan :-).

I've been reading about the 4-hour long concerts in New Jersey opening with New York Serenade, the first Springsteen song I'd ever heard. It was 1975 and I was listening to Allison Steele, the Nightbird on WNEW-FM. I've been a fan ever since.

In honor of all the Bruce news I'm sharing two new paintings that are fresh off the easel, each 8x8 inches, oil on panel. A good friend of mine goes to many concerts in the New York, New Jersey area, and he kindly tells me all about them along with sharing some of his photos. There is really no way to capture the excitement of the live show, a truly amazing experience. I had to content myself with playing the music while painting and I look forward to reading the upcoming book. Long live the man and his music.