Monday, March 13, 2023

Chinatown Balloons I and II


Chinatown Balloons II
Oil on panel
12x12 inches
 
Spent a delightful Fall 2022 afternoon wandering around Chinatown with two friends. The weather was perfect, great light and a terrific opportunity to take photographs. I ended up with 3 painting ideas and this is the 2nd of the 3 paintings I've planned to paint. The older buildings were brightened up with the green fire escapes and those bright yellow and green balloons.

In 2020 after the NYC lockdown due to the pandemic, Chinatown was a ghost town. A few years later I was glad to see that the streets and restaurants were once again busy, crowded and coming back to life.

And here is the first of the 3 Chinatown paintings. Just started working on the 3rd painting and look forward to sharing it here soon.

Chinatown Balloons I
Oil on panel
12x12 inches


Saturday, January 28, 2023

A Tale of Two Bridges

 

Wall Street
Oil on canvas
28x52 inches
Sold

This first painting, Wall Street, depicts a downtown scene featuring the Brooklyn Bridge and was commissioned by an art dealer for a client back in 1983, 40 years ago! The other day I received an email inquiry from a gentleman who buys the contents of storage units and this painting was included in one of his recent purchases. Asking for information about this painting, I dug back into my files and provided the following information. Sold in 1983 to a company in North Carolina it remained there until the company relocated. It was sold to another collector who had it hanging in her son's room for many years. She wrote to me when she retired and relocated in 2007 asking for information. Fast forward to 2023, it was discovered safely stored in a storage unit and thankfully has found a new home. The gentleman who contacted  wrote: We find all types of things but this is 1 of the best items we have seen and will be in our personal collection, it is our pleasure and the painting is captivating! I'm very happy this painting has held up well and will continue to be enjoyed by this new collector.

Now on to the second painting, 59th Street Bridge Reflections II. Painted in 2014 it depicts reflections of the 59th Street Bridge (renamed the Ed Koch Bridge although most people still refer to it by its former name). After being exhibited in several gallery shows I listed it on the saatchiart.com site. Lo and behold, I received an email telling me the painting had just sold. Packed, shipped and received by a new collector in South Africa last week.

59th Street Bridge Reflections II
Oil on canvas
24x42 inches
Sold

Once my paintings are sold and leave my studio they take on a life of their own. They might have one or more collectors and tend to travel far more than I do. I'm always happy when I hear about their whereabouts and know that many of them will live on long after I am gone. Hence, the tale of two bridges.