SJF New York Art

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Mystery solved...almost

"Abstract Reflections"
Oil on canvas
24 x 24 inches

The mystery of where this subject was taken has been bothering me as I usually can identify the buildings and sites I paint. So, I went back into my iPhoto files - and I had a lot of photos to look through - but methinks the mystery is almost solved. I took the photo that this painting is based on in December of 2009 and believe it is a building on Fifth Avenue, not far from Bergdorf Goodman. My suspicion is that it might be a reflection of St. Patrick's Cathedral, but maybe not. The only thing to do now is to head back to midtown and look around. As I've been immersed in reading the Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell series of books by author Laurie R. King for the last few months, I'm in full-blown detective mode. Hopefully the answer to the location of this painting will soon be found.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Abstraction in the city

"Abstract Reflections"
Oil on canvas
24 x 24 inches

Just finished this painting that for some reason took a long time to complete. Sometimes paintings just flow, sometimes it's just work to see them through to the end. The results are usually fine, it's just getting there sometimes. But once I start a painting, I'm determined to finish it. I honestly do not know where this photo used for this painting was taken. I liked the abstraction of the building reflection and this is indeed more abstract than usual, hence the title. Glad to have this one behind me, now on to the others that have patiently waited to have their turn on the easel.

Monday, January 23, 2012

The Woolworth Building

"Woolworth Fragment #1"
Oil on canvas
6 x 8 inches
Sold

"Woolworth Fragment #2"
Oil on canvas
6 x 8 inches
Sold

"Woolworth Fragment #3"
Oil on canvas
6 x 8 inches
Sold

I was going through some older slides today and came across these three paintings of the Woolworth Building. Several years ago, an artist friend suggested I try painting sections of a building. I thought it an interesting idea and decided to use the Woolworth Building as an experiment. These three paintings were done from a photo that I took and then divided into 3 sections. I still want to tackle a big painting of this wonderful building and I've taken many photographs over the years. All of the detailing on the facade is a tad intimidating which is why I've yet to do a painting. But, one day...

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Paramount Reflections Revisited

"Paramount Reflections II"
Oil on canvas
24 x 24 inches

Fresh on the easel, a painting of the Paramount Building on 43rd Street and 7th Avenue. This particular building had millions of viewers focused on it during the New Year's Eve festivities, as it is located smack dab in the Times Square area, the "heart of the world." Having done a small study of this subject several months ago and having sold it in an eBay auction, I decided to work the idea up into a larger painting.

Starting off the New Year with several paintings blocked in and ready to go. These have been tough economic times for artists and I'm curious to see if things start to turn around this year. I'll keep on painting with hopes that the year 2012 will be a good one.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday Season and New Year

The paints on my palette and I hope to create some beautiful new work in 2012.

For all of the followers of this blog, best wishes for a peaceful, healthy and happy holiday season. May the new year be a good one for us all.

Monday, December 12, 2011

What does "EP" stand for?

"Vesey I"
Oil on canvas
24 x 30 inches

That was the question I had since doing two paintings of the facade of 20 Vesey Street. I posted the question to Tom, writer of the daily blog, A Daytonian in Manhattan. He went into Sherlock Holmes mode and discovered a fascinating history behind the facade of this beautiful, Art Nouveau inspired architectural gem. For all of you architectural historians out there, click on this link to read all about it.

"Vesey II"
Oil on canvas
30 x 24 inches

And the initals EP on the iron work stand for the Evening Post, mystery solved. Thanks Tom for all of the research and an answer to my question.