Chelsea Building, New York City

"Chelsea Fire Escapes"  Acrylic 14x14"  Click for Info

Lately I am working with old paintings that were started but never finished. In this case I barely got the painting going when apparently life got in the way and it got shuffled to some uncommon place, not to be seen for years. Who knows what reference I was using, a sketch? a photo? whatever, it's gone. It can be freeing to work out of my head when no reference is available, and give myself permission to make fresh decisions about how to make the piece work. I decided to work in a triad color scheme - tried and true red, yellow and blue.

Crosswalk at Franklin Street, NYC

"Crosswalk" Acrylic  10x10"  Click for Info

"Crosswalk" Acrylic  10x10"  Click for Info

Way back in August of '2000, I sat at Franklin Street in Tribeca, sketching the view, thinking I might do a painting of it. I never did, but recently ran across the photo and sketches (below). I decided to give it a try, and to my surprise the painting took on a colorful life of its own.

 

23rd Street Watertowers, NYC

"23rd Street Watertowers" Mixed Media 15x15" SOLD

33rd Street Watertowers, NYC

"33rd Street Watertowers"  Acrylic  15x15"  SOLD

New York City Watertowers

Harlem Watertowers  Acrylic, 14x18"   SOLD

The water towers of New York are such a city icon, I find them an irresistible subject to play with. Lately I've been teaching and learning some cool new techniques for abstraction, and really enjoying it.

New York State of Mind

"New York State of Mind"  Acrylic 8x10"  Click to buy

Rooftop View of Chrysler Building

"Rooftop Party"  Acrylic on Panel  8x8" (sold)

Sometimes painting can start to seem too left-brained and serious ... when that happens I like to pull out the stops and just play with color, shapes and textures. This was one of those anything goes paintings. If it looks like I had fun ... I did!

Window Shopping in NYC

"Window Shopping"  16x20" Acrylic  Purchase Info

I stuck the little pooch in at the last minute, maybe because my last painting had one... yes, the finishing touch!

The Guy Walk

"The Guy Walk"  16x20"  Acrylic on Canvas  SOLD

While I was painting this I totally assumed the dog was a male, and had this title in my head from the start. Why, I don't know, it just felt like a "guy moment" in the city.  

NYC Canal Street Pretzel Vendor

"Canal Street Pretzel Vendor"  Acrylic  12x12"  Buy it Now

The biggest challenge to this piece was cleaning it up - too many cars, signs, people, just too much clutter. I'd way rather clean up a painting than my studio!

There are a few spots left in my upcoming "Loosen Up" workshop in Cary, NC - we will be grooving out freely (with paint) ... here is the info  Loosen Up! March 14-17, 2014 Cary, NC

Midtown Showers in NYC

"Midtown Showers"  Acrylic 8x8"  Click to View

Dreary but colorful ... a typical rainy day scene in the city

I'm really excited about my upcoming workshops ... I will be demonstrating methods for loosening up with acrylics or oils. We will be painting cityscapes, still lifes and more!

Painting Fast, Loose and Bold (in acrylics and oils) Carmel Visual Arts, Carmel,California February 19-21, 2014

Loosen Up! March 14-17, 2014 Cary, NC, March 14-17, 2014

Painting the NYC Urban Landscapes, May 19-23, 2014

J Train Blues

J Train Blues  Oil  8x10" Click to view

How to create a (potential) flop:  Wait till the painting is done and then realize there is no focal point. Then decide what image would make a good focal point, and realize you don't have it. Then look for that exact specific image, at the correct angle, and realize you are looking for a needle in a haystack. Then spend a bunch of time to create the specific image without decent reference and try to figure out what it would look like, and what size it should be, and what the lighting would be, and hope like hell it looks like it works in the scene. Prepare to cry in your beer...
Lesson learned...I got myself in a pickle, then luckily managed to get out. It was a lotta work.

Next time: think first, plan a little, nail down the focal point, finish the painting, and then ... drink the beer

Chelsea Hipster

Chelsea Hipster  6x6" Oil  Click to Bid

This scene is 25th and 10th, the heart of the gallery district in Chelsea, where everyone looks at art... and their phones.