Just Another Dog Day Afternoon

Just Another Dog Day Afternoon
Oil on panel
8x8 inches
SOLD

Well, the heat wave has hit NYC with temps in the real feel area of over 100 degrees. Hazy, Hot and Humid, not my favorite weather combination.

This new painting captures a summer in the city scene. A storefront festooned with blooms, beautifying a restaurant facade on 23rd Street. A guy taking a break, sitting at an outdoor table checking his messages on his phone. His dog taking a breather on the sidewalk. I think this painting just about sums things up.

Trying to stay cool, staying put with the A/C on as I wait for a break in the weather. Stay safe everyone, stay hydrated and we'll get through this.

Blooming on Fifth

 

Blooming on Fifth
Oil on panel
6x6 inches
SOLD

Walking around the city this Spring I found myself noticing how many storefronts and restaurant outdoor seating areas had added the touch of beautiful, flowering plants and blooms to their facades. It certainly made for a colorful season of hope and renewal after the gray and dreary days of a NYC during a pandemic. 

These windows stopped me in my tracks when I saw them on Fifth Avenue and immediately brought a smile to my face. Spreading a little cheer with this colorful and happy NYC streetscape.

NYC Ranked Choice Voting

 

View from 14th Street
Oil on canvas
12x9 inches

This is a big election year for New York City with a host of candidates running for mayor and various offices in city government. A new twist has been added - ranked choice voting - where voters can rank their candidates in order of preference. We'll have to see how that all works out.

A public service campaign has used the work of artists to help get the word out. Delighted my painting was used in this effort. I never know where my paintings will end up, part of the thrill of getting the work out there.

For more information: Link

 #FYEYERCV, @f.y.eye_ny

Brunch at Chez Josephine

 

Brunch at Chez Josephine
Oil on panel
8x8 inches
SOLD

Chez Josephine is a delightful eatery on 42nd Street's Theater Row where friends and I have gathered to enjoy celebratory and leisurely birthday brunches. The restaurant was founded by one of Josephine Baker's children and continues on with another family member and former busboy. The interior is splendid. Paintings, photographs and various ephemera depicting the iconic Josephine adorn the multicolored walls, a piano sits in the middle of the space, chandelier's and wall scones cast warm glows all to create a welcoming atmosphere to enjoy the attentive service and very tasty food.

As everyone is aware, the theater district was very hard hit due to the pandemic with theater's closed and restaurants in the area struggling to survive and hold on until the day when the show must go on. I'm hopeful that Chez Josephine can weather the hard times and continue to be a mainstay in the theater district and where I can continue to meet with friends for future celebrations.

Waiting at the Moynihan Train Hall

 

Waiting at the New Penn
Oil on panel
6x6 inches
SOLD

A new small study of one of the waiting areas in the new Moynihan Train Hall, Penn Station's newest addition. Definitely one of my more "Hopperesque" paintings. I tried to capture the feeling of waiting, in this case for a train. The new waiting area is a very pleasant place to wait with nice light from the tall windows, comfortable seating arrangements and plenty of space. Not sure how long this will stay as nice as it is now, but it is definitely a step up from most of the waiting rooms I've seen.

A SoHo Facade

 

A SoHo Facade
8x8 inches
Oil on panel
SOLD

This new painting captures the facade of a venerable former SoHo  building on Mercer Street. Once a busy factory it is now home to exclusive loft dwellings and high-end retail. The warm red brick and aging Rosenbluth Bros. sign along with high windows (with reflections of course) make for an inviting glimpse into the neighborhood's past.

Back in the 1980's and early 90's I was a member of the NoHo Gallery on Mercer Street. An artist's cooperative gallery, one of the many galleries that populated the area back then, it was a busy and exciting area. Lot's of art and artists, restaurants, shopping, close to subways - a bustling place. These days I rarely find myself wandering around the area as it has become a destination for wealthy shoppers with many exclusive stores. Most of the galleries have moved on, many relocating to Chelsea and now migrating once again, this time to Tribeca and the Lower East Side. Neighborhoods keep changing, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Still, I am always happy to see the older buildings rehabbed and finding new ways to stay viable and avoiding the wrecking ball.

New Penn Station Impressions I

 

Penn Station Impressions I
6x6 inches
Oil on panel

The new Moynihan Pennsylvania Station opened to the public several months ago after many years of back and forth debates and construction. Although it will never replace the beautiful and iconic McKim, Mead and White Pennsylvania Station that was so thoughtlessly demolished in the 1960's, it is a welcome and much improved addition to the existing Penn Station complex.

 

McKim, Mead and White Pennsylvania Station

What struck me most on entering was the light-filled space with many types of surfaces and reflections creating a welcoming and airy transit hub. The Farley Post Office which occupies a section of the building is now under much needed restoration as well.

This small painting study strives to capture my initial impression of the new station and I plan to continue exploring this architecturally exciting space in several more paintings.