Thursday, July 26, 2012

A painting for summer

"Coney Island Daughters"
Oil on canvas
24 x 36 inches


Didn't want the month to go by without posting a new painting. Just finished this one yesterday and while it's drying I'll see if it needs more tweaking, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Last year I took the subway to Coney Island with 2 friends. As a child I spent many happy Sundays there with my Dad and brother, eating lunch at Nathan's and playing skeeball at Playland, but it has been many years since I've been back. Not much is left of the Coney Island of my youth. I had painted a small study last year and thought this subject of the boardwalk and the summer feel of a concession at the beach would work well on a larger scale. There was talk that this scene was slated for demolition, but they received a reprieve for another year. While working on this painting, I could almost smell those franks grilling, that sticky sweet cotton candy and the fresh lemonade, along with the feel of gentle sea breezes. Ah, summer in the city...