New York Life

New York Life

22" x 30"

watercolor on paper

This painting was inspired by Joan Didion's timeless essay, "Goodbye to All That," about her experience living in New York City in her twenties.

For the last year I've been lucky enough to have a very good view of some notable Manhattan buildings from my studio window.  They include the New York Life building, the Met Life Tower, and One Madison.  To me, they resemble a phalanx of mismatched soldiers each keeping watch over Madison Square Park.

As I worked on this painting each afternoon, the view became increasingly obstructed by the construction of condominiums on the western side of the park. It seemed like with each day, a new floor of the building would be erected.  I couldn't decide if this was more remarkable because of how quickly the construction team worked, or how slowly I did.

Beyond the changes in the city scape, the end of daylight savings meant I had to adjust what time in the afternoon I could work on the painting, in order to maintain a degree of consistency in the light and shadow angles. Life doesn't stay the same anywhere, but it's safe to say that in New York life changes the fastest.

New York Group Show at the Mehu Gallery

I'm happy to report that a recent painting of mine, Paddock Pastoral, is being featured in a group show on New York's Upper West Side September 19-October 13, 2013.  If you find yourself in the area please check out the show!

Painting En Plein Air in Provincetown

It's important for me to remember that the perfect antidote to any stasis or ennui in the studio is almost always a trip outdoors - paint sets, paper, and brushes in tow.  In a last minute decision, I packed a bag and made the drive to Provincetown for a 3-day outdoor painting excursion.  I had a fantastic time (though it would be hard not to on the Cape in August), and I couldn't have been happier or more content while painting Taves Boat Yard and some of the other local buildings.

Painting en plein air (in the open air) is always a challenge at first, but within the sand, wind, and sun lies the magic of the experience.  It forced me to abandon the tight manners I can at times slip into while working within the confines of my city studio, and allowed for more relaxed expression.  I used water from the bay to lay down washes and mix colors.  Now that I'm back in my studio in New York, the paintings still smell like the sea. 

Paddock Pastoral

Paddock Pastoral 

24" x 36"

Ink and watercolor on canvas

This large-scale watercolor is the latest addition to my ongoing series of racehorse inspired paintings.  If luck is on my side, the green tones of the image will foreshadow the greenbacks of my winnings as we make our annual trip to the racetrack at Saratoga Springs, NY this weekend.  

Lyman-Eyer Gallery Opening Reception

Photo taken at the opening reception for my watercolor series, "Remembering Now," at the Lyman-Eyer Gallery in Provincetown, MA.  The weather made for a quintessential Cape Cod night that was perfect for taking in the many art openings in town that night.  My artist statement for the series: 

"Remembering Now"

The past is often described as being “behind” us.  Most of us, however, recognize this to be a quaint idea or futile hope, not an actual truth.  In reality, the past resides at a place that is perpetually adjacent to us.  It exists side by side with our present life.  We may try to keep the past at bay, but it remains next to us, running alongside us into the future. 

The experiences of my past and their effects on my present life inspired this new series of watercolor paintings, titled “Remembering Now.”  Similar to a movie still, each watercolor depicts a moment of life – paused and then distorted by memory.  The locations become confused, timing misremembered, relationships romanticized, and the bad parts glossed over:  the way we really remember. 

Bathhouse

Bathhouse

23" x 29"

watercolor

 This painting is part of a series of new work that will open this summer on July 12th at the Lyman Eyer Gallery in Provincetown, MA.  The exhibition will feature new male figurative and landscape watercolors inspired by the experiences I've had living in the Province Lands of the Outer Cape.  

Poolside

Poolside

17" x 21"

watercolor 

This painting is part of a series of new work that will open this summer on July 12th at the Lyman Eyer Gallery in Provincetown, MA.  The exhibition will feature new male figurative and landscape watercolors inspired by the experiences I've had living in the Province Lands of the Outer Cape.