The East Village

Another changing neighborhood

"13th Street"
Oil on canvas
48 x 36 inches
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This rainy morning found me heading over to Utrecht to pick up some art supplies. I headed south on 2nd Avenue and turned up 13th Street. I passed by a building that I had been commissioned to paint back in the rock 'n roll '80's by a collector who was in real estate and owned this apartment building. As I passed by I noticed that the site is still very much as it was back then, the only difference being that several new stores occupy the commercial spaces on the street level. With so many changes in the city over the years, I'm glad to see some buildings standing just as they were when I painted them.


"2nd Avenue"
Oil on canvas
24 x 30 inches
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2nd Avenue in the East Village has gone through many changes over the years. So many great places, lot's of mom and pop stores to be found. The 2nd Avenue Deli, Love Saves the Day and Kiev, a restaurant profiled in Jeremiah's Vanishing New York blog, were personal favorites and I miss them. Here is a painting I did in the early '80's. A little nostalgia on a rainy Wednesday in May.

Professional Artist Magazine, May 2011

"Alwyn Court"
Oil on canvas
30 x 36 inches

The May issue of Professional Artist magazine contains an article "Alternative Spaces in Manhattan," pp. 22-25, by Renée Phillips. Among the venues discussed is the Durst Corporation's lobby spaces. I had an exhibit in one of their buildings several years ago and it was a wonderful experience.


"59th Street Bridge Reflections"
Oil on canvas
36 x 30 inches
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The article mentions my show as well reproductions of two of the paintings that appeared in the exhibit. I was delighted to receive a call from an artist friend telling me she had gotten the magazine and lo and behold, there were my paintings. Nice publicity and I'll be curious to see if anyone gets in touch with me as a result of the article. You never know.

Battle-Axe Gleason Lived Here

Historic block boasts politico's former home

"LIC/Dan's House"
Oil on canvas
14 x 11 inches
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Several months ago Dan, a new collector of some of my Long Island City-themed paintings, commissioned me to do a painting of his home on 45th Avenue, the area's historic block. While discussing the commission, Dan mentioned that his home had once been owned by a former mayor of Long Island City, Patrick Gleason. I did a little google search and found that this Irish immigrant had come to America, fought in the Civil War (today being the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the war), made a fortune and got involved in politics. He was LIC's mayor before incorporation into the City of Greater New York in 1898. From some accounts, Gleason was a politician in the Boss Tweed style and was not well-liked by many. However, he was considered a friend to the common man and is the person responsible for P.S. 1, his legacy to the community's children. P.S. 1 continues on today, refurbished and home to a thriving contemporary art scene, a branch of MoMA.

It is always so interesting to learn about the history of a building. Not only did I enjoy working on the wrought-iron and brick facade, I imagined the meetings and deal-making that might have taken place inside back in the late 1800's. Dan picked up the painting last week and was very pleased with the finished commission. The block boasts many wonderful buildings and I just might do another painting or two someday.

LIC Twilight View

"LIC/21st Street Twilight"
Oil on canvas
12 x 9 inches

For the past few months I have been working on several small scale paintings and catching up with ideas that I've had for awhile and wanted to experiment with. After completing a commission of a Long Island City night scene last Fall, I decided this was a subject that I could really delve into. I had blocked in this painting 2 years ago and set it aside and decided now would be the time to tackle it. The painting went smoothly and quickly and it was a joy to work on this one. This is a view at the crossroads of 21st Street and Jackson Avenue. P.S. 1 and the Big Allis smokestacks are visible, along with the factories in the area. The sky cast a grayish/purple hue and the lights had just started to twinkle at that hour of the early evening. I plan to continue exploring this subject and hope to share a few more of these night scenes.

On another note, I just finished reading Steve Martin's "An Object of Beauty", his glimpse into the art world and its players - the dealers, the artists, the collectors. Pretty interesting read and would recommend this book.

Triangle 100th Anniversary

March commemorating the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire


Today is the anniversary of one of the most tragic events in New York City's history.

People gathered at Union Square Park this morning, many of them family members, holding aloft 146 shirtwaists with a name attached.

Among the many events planned to mark this day, was a march down Broadway, starting at Union Square Park and ending at the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place.

I went to see the exhibit "Art • Memory • Place" at the Grey Art Gallery this week. The exhibit was fascinating and is located in the very same building where the factory had been located 100 years ago.

The Asch Building, now called the Brown Building and part of NYU, was the site of the fire. Many of the workers were young women, Jewish and Italian immigrants.

The event spurred outrage about workplace safety.

Many changes were enacted as a result of this tragedy, but 100 years later, unions then and now are still at odds over many issues.

Today's blog post does not share my paintings of the city but photos I took this morning remembering the Triangle Fire event. As the history of the city is so entwined with my art, I wanted to share this remembrance with you today.

SMSU Exhibit

Final weeks




Thought I'd share some installation photos of my exhibit at Southwest Minnesota State University Art Museum in Marshall, MN. I haven't traveled out to Minnesota to see the show but all accounts I've received are that they are happy with the exhibit.

The local paper, the Marshall Independent wrote an article on the show as well. Here's the link

I have been busy finishing up a commissioned painting for a collector and have been working on several new paintings. Happy first day of SPRING! It's been a long, hard winter and I'm looking forward to spending more hours in the studio now that daylight savings has kicked in.

Selling New York...art

Art on the small screen

"G.E."
Oil on canvas
30 x 24 inches

Last Fall I had an exhibit of my paintings in Warburg's Tribeca real estate office. They have an ongoing program of showcasing artists works. My friend Leslie who works at that location made the introduction and that is how that opportunity came about. I also found out that the HDTV program, "Selling New York" was featuring a broker from that office on the second season.

Long story short, a film crew was at the opening reception in September, busily filming away and the recent episode, "Big City Dreams" had a clip from the reception. The storyline of the episode featured a musician and an artist looking at real estate, hence the tie-in with the art reception at Warburg. The clip is a short one, and several of my paintings can be seen. The surprising thing is that I've received several emails and calls from friends asking if those were my paintings on television. It reminded me of the time I was watching an episode of "Law & Order" one evening, when an elevator door opened and there was my friend Denis with a newspaper in hand. After seeing my paintings on the small screen I have a better understanding of how my friends who do background work on film and tv must feel when they catch a fleeting image of themselves onscreen.

The episodes are repeated, so if you want to get a peek at some outrageously expensive New York real estate, here's your chance. You might even catch a fleeting glimpse of an original "Florin" too!


Photo of realtor Deborah Lupard, Warburg's chief, the artist looking to relocate and my painting "G.E." featured on the episode "Big City Dreams" on HDTV's "Selling New York." Note: Photographs on the left are not mine.