The Players Club

Fabled haunt on Gramercy Park

"The Players Club"
Oil on canvas panel
6 x 6 inches

A haunt of folks in the arts, the Players Club has a long and illustrious history. Nesteld on 20th Street facing Gramercy Park, it's rooms have seen the likes of well-known figures in the world of theater, art, literature and more. In need of some repair, its faded glory still sits proudly in this historic neighborhood of New York.

This sis the third small painting being offered in an eBay auction. To bid please click this link.

The Paramount of Times Square

"Paramount Reflections II" (study)
Oil on canvas panel
6 x 6 inches

Here is the second in the group of small paintings that I will be offering on eBay. This painting is of the Paramount Building on 43rd Street and 7th Avenue in the Times Square area. The rooftop clock and globe are a well-known sight. This building has a rich history and the theater hosted many well-known acts over the years. I've painted this building in the past and decided a return visit was in order.

Reflections of buildings in other buildings is an ongoing subject of choice and I'm very happy with this small study. Planning on doing a larger painting in the future.

If you would like to bid on this painting, click here.

This painting has been SOLD.

The Metropolitan Museum

A favorite NYC haunt

"Saturday Met"
Oil on canvas panel
6 x 6 inches

I have been working on a number of small-scale paintings over the past few months and will be offering a some of them on eBay auctions in the coming weeks.Curious to see what results, if any, occur and I hope you'll take a look.

Today's painting is a small study of the interior of one of my favorite places, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was looking down on the main lobby which was alive with people and color. This small study might become a larger painting at some point.

If you would like to bid on this painting, click this link.

10th Anniversary of 9/11

One week and fast approaching...


"Union Square Memorial #1"
Oil on canvas
24 x 36 inches

With the tenth anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, the work of artists who created work will be on view in many venues, big and small. Here are just a few with links for more information.

My 3 memorial paintings of 9/11 will be on view in a comprehensive exhibition hosted by the University of Pennsylvania at Berks in Reading, PA. The Freyberger Gallery, the Yocoum Institute of Arts Education and the Jewish Federation of Reading will each have one of these artworks. The 40 artists selected work in a variety of mediums and the exhibition is sure to evoke many memories and feelings about that fateful event. Here is a link for some more info.


9/11 Memorial Block for "Embodied Light: 9-11 in 2011" at the Educational Alliance, Sept. 9 - Nov. 23, 2011.

Another exhibition of interest created by my studio mate and friend Tobi Kahn is Embodied Light: 9-11 in 2011 at the Educational Alliance in downtown Manhattan, not far from Ground Zero. Tobi has created a sculptural installation of memorial lamps, shrines, a floor installation and charity boxes. In addition he handed out 220 blocks to people that he knew - artists, writers, friends and others - and asked them to share their memories of 9/11. These 220 blocks, a block for each of the 110 floors in the two buildings, create a powerful statement. I watched as they arrived at the studio and was fascinated by their variety and feeling. When I was given my block I knew I wanted to honor the memory of artist Andy Jurinko, who passed away this year. His loft on Cedar Street was in the closest residential building to the Twin Towers and pieces of the planes landed in his home. He and his wife Pat escaped and spent months reclaiming their home, dressed in hazmat suits and exposed to lord knows what. The blocks will be moved around and stacked, constantly changing by those who view them. A book accompanies the exhibition and a Facebook page has been created where you can see more of the blocks at the Embodied Light page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Embodied-Light-9-11-in-2011/225177864182820

My friend and fellow artist Donna Levinstone's powerful pastel work created in the aftermath of 9/11 is featured in BORO Magazine. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Embodied-Light-9-11-in-2011/225177864182820

This upcoming week will be a week of media deluge of the events and aftermath of 9/11. Some New Yorker's are fleeing town, not wanting to be here on the anniversary. I want to be here, the city of my birth, to remember and reflect on this unforgettable event in my city's history.

Up on the roof in LIC

Clouds galore

"LIC Rooftop 2011"
Oil on canvas
9 x 12 inches

Every so often I head up to the roof of the studio to check out the change in the landscape in Long Island City. When I first arrived in 1980 I had a clear view to the East River and the skyscrapers of Manhattan. With all the development in the intervening years, I now see only glimpses of that view, in between the condos and rentals that now dot the waterside. If you look closely a bit of the U.N. building is visible. Work is being done on the facade now and it's interesting to watch the progress. I loved the sky the day I took this photo and hurried up to the roof with my camera. This painting is the result.

The streets radiating away from the river still retain many of the small scale homes and commercial and manufacturing buildings the neighborhood is known for. Every so often though, in the middle of a block, a new 3 or 4 story building has sprung up. The architect Frank Lloyd Wright believed a building should fit seamlessly in with the environment surrounding it. With the exception of the Guggenheim Museum, I think he followed that credo with magnificent results. Can't say that is what is happening in Long Island City these days though.

Union Square in cooler climes

Snowy thoughts on a summer's day

"Union Square Snow"
Oil on linen
14 x 11 inches
SOLD

It is a hot, sultry and steamy summer's day in the baked apple so I thought I'd share this "cool" painting with you. It is a new one, recently off the easel. I was looking north from 14th Street. The iconic towers of the Met Life building and Empire State building can be seen in the distance, along with the charming 17th Street Barnes & Noble building. The dark tower on 23rd Street is new construction that has run into some trouble and is sitting vacant, its future uncertain in these uncertain times.

In the foreground is Union Square Park, decked out in inches of snowfall. Lot's of folks out enjoying the winter wonderland. I have to admit, I'd much prefer being bundled up and traipsing through a snowy park today instead of swealtering in the summer's heat and humidity. But, winter will come soon enough and then I know I'll be wishing for warmer days.

Stay cool, wherever you are.

The art of the self-portrait

Self-Portrait
Oil on canvas
6x6 inches
2011
I've been working on small-scaled paintings this summer that are very detailed. Having finished one recently, I couldn't just jump into the next one so I took a break and headed over to one of New York's greatest treasures, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Spending an afternoon strolling through the galleries, I revisited some of my favorite paintings. One artist's work I wanted to see more than anything was Rembrandt's self-portraits. I don't know what it is, but his work takes my breath away. There is such soul in his work, aside from his mastery of paint, brush and light. When I got back to the studio the next day, I set up a small panel and mirror on my easel and once again attempted a self-portrait.

I have used myself as a subject, as many artists have, with varying degrees of success. This painting was the result and I think I did manage to capture a likeness. I admire those who paint portraits and although I attempt them every now and again, I am by no means a portrait painter. After finishing this piece I thought it would be interesting to pull out some older self-portraits, just to see how they have changed over the years.



Self-Portrait
Oil on canvas
2006
I think this is my favorite of the self-portraits I've done. Being fascinated with reflections I captured my reflection in a window display on Madison Avenue. I like the abstraction, yet this is me, artist with camera.



Self-Portrait
Oil on canvas
1980's
Traveling back to the 1980's, this self-portrait is done in the style of my Art Student League days. I studied with several instructors over the years, and David Leffel's class was the last one I attended. He was a student of Frank Mason, and the approach was classical, the light hitting the side of the face. Now you can see why I admire Rembrandt? He WAS the master of chiaroscuro painting, that capturing of light and dark and creating the feel of three dimensions with paint.


Self-Portrait
Oil on canvas
Early 1970's
This last painting was done in the early 1970's while in college. An early attempt at self-portrait. I've come a long way since then. I know I have digressed from this blog's main subject, so now back to painting portraits of New York!