Allied Artists of America 100th Annual Exhibition

LIC Looking Northwest
Oil on canvas
11 x 14 inches
Sold

Last Saturday I attended the 100th Annual Exhibition of the Allied Artists of America. The exhibition took place at the venerable National Arts Club in Gramercy Park. Large turnout for a large show. This annual highlights the work of artists working in a primarily realist manner and the quality of work was quite good. As was pointed out by one of the speakers during the afternoon's awards ceremony, fewer and fewer of these types of exhibits are being held in respected institutions, sad to say. Galleries continue to struggle and close and opportunities for artists to show their work dwindles. As I read about the record breaking auction results of the past week - millions going for a Francis Bacon and an Andy Warhol - I realized that had nothing to do with me as a working artist, or with any of the other artists I know. Just imagine how those many millions of dollars could have been spent on supporting the arts and artists of today.

I was delighted when the President of the Allied Artists came up to me during the reception and presented me with a check for my painting, LIC Looking Northwest. It had been sold - a sale totally unexpected and very welcome. I'm glad that groups such as Allied are still around - 100 years is a real achievement!

Exploring Manhattan's Murray Hill

Hot off the presses. I just received my copies of a new book by Alfred and Joyce Pommer, "Exploring Manhattan's Murray Hill" for which I created several paintings and pen and ink drawings which appear throughout the book. I enjoyed exploring this historic Manhattan neighborhood and picked up a lot of new information on the history along with some interesting tidbits.

Murray Hill - Sniffen Court
Oil on canvas
6 x 9 inches

One of the paintings is of Sniffen Court, located on East 36th Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues. Originally constructed as stables for the nearby mansions, they were converted to residences and are a charming little enclave not far from the skyscrapers a few short blocks away. One of many notable people who populated the Murray Hill area was the sculptor Malvina Hoffman, who maintained a studio in Sniffen Court and lived nearby.

Pen and Ink drawing of Malvina Hoffman

The Old Penn Station - 50 years ago

Sharing this photo of the iconic and gone old Pennsylvania Station. Fifty years ago today it was demolished. Grand Central almost met the same fate, but thankfully it was saved from the wrecking ball. I continue to paint New York and its architecture as it is constantly changing - and disappearing. My hope is that these beautiful, iconic and still useful buildings will find new life. I was too young and not yet a painter when this building was torn down, so I've never painted it. Thanks to folks like the New York City Landmarks Commission, some of New York's treasures will not disappear.

For an article and some wonderful photos of the old Pennsylvania Station, click here.

A little New York in fabric

Thought you might enjoy seeing another creative venture. In addition to painting the New York urban landscape for many years I've now taken up quilting too. Just had to make some NYC-themed pillows and wall hangings, being the home-grown New Yorker that I am. Having a great time finding fabrics and then thinking about what I can do with them. I've just started an Etsy shop to show/sell my fabric artworks and hope you will stop by and take a peek.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/sjfstudio

A Queensboro View

Queensboro Slice
Oil on panel
6x6 inches

This small oil painting study is a view from the elevated train platform of the #7 Queensboro Plaza stop. A nice vantage point for some sweeping vistas of industrial New York.

This might turn into a larger painting, it has all the right ingredients.

Loew's Valencia Theater and More!

This past week-end started off Friday evening. I met a friend to see the play, "The Winslow Boy," and having some time beforehand, we went to sit in Bryant Park to watch the crowd of square dancers, bopping to the fiddlers and the caller's directions. A beautiful fall evening in midtown.

Saturday found me heading out to Jamaica, Queens, to tour the former Valencia movie theater, now a tabernacle church. It has been lovingly restored by the congregants and the interiors are something else. I met up with 3 childhood friends and we shared memories and laughter. Sister Forbes led a rousing program, talking about the history of the Valencia and detailing the work that went into its restoration. I am always so happy when an older building is brought back to life and not abandoned, especially one such as over-the-top as this 1929 terra cotta movie palace.

Our reunion didn't stop there though, as we headed off to have lunch at the original Ben's Deli on Queen's Blvd. in Rego Park. Corned beef, pastrami and turkey sandwiches, Dr. Brown's sodas and a potato knish. The trip down memory lane continued on as we headed over to Forest Park in Woodhaven, to check out the landmarked carousel that has happily found a new owner and was up and running after several years. It's a beauty, and there are not many of them around anymore. Forest Park is a very "woodsy" area, and a nature preserve is there, just steps from heavily trafficked Woodhaven Blvd. It was a quiet and contemplative spot in the middle of the city's hubbub.

Not finished yet, we headed over to the Richmond Hill Library to check out the WPA murals. Sadly, the library was closed on Saturday. Due to budget cuts? Or due to the fact that kids do their research these days online in front of their computers at home, making the brick and mortar libraries not the places they once were. Jahn's Ice Cream Parlour across the street, another favorite childhood destination, has been closed for several years, so we headed over to Eddie's Sweet Shoppe on Metropolitan Avenue. The store has been around for close to 100 years, and walking inside is walking into the past, as little has changed.



It was back to Queens on Sunday as I attended the funeral service of my friend's Dad. Not many left from his generation. I gathered with other friends from childhood and we shared yet more memories. Then it was off to lunch at Lenny's Clam Bar on Crossbay Blvd. This was the road leading to the Rockaways, and I traveled it every week-end in the summer as a kid as I headed out to the beach.

Subwayed it back to Manhattan after a very full week-end. Having taken a bunch of photos on Saturday, I am hoping share a painting or two in the future from this week-ends events. Is it any wonder why I love my hometown?

The Changing of Little Italy

The annual Feast of San Gennaro in what is left of Little Italy has begun it's 2013 season. Will it survive the gentrification of the neighborhood in years to come? An interesting blog post in Jeremiah's Vanishing New York written a few years ago explores the topic. A look at the history of this tradition and its future - or not. Here is a link.

"Mulberry Street Reflections"
Oil on canvas
12 x 9 inches
Sold

"The Feast of San Gennaro"
Oil on canvas
30 x 36 inches

Two of my paintings of the Festival and the neighborhood. My painting, "The Feast of San Gennaro" was used as the cover image for a sociology textbook, "Society Myths and Realities, An Introduction to Sociology" by Alex Thio, published in 2007 and then again when the book was reprinted. In the crowd scene depicted in the painting, there are many people portrayed, different ages and from different ethnic backgrounds. This is what New York is and has always been. But, year by year the face of the city is changing and neighborhoods are losing much of their diversity - that which made New York such a vibrant place like no other.