"My Tears Spoiled My Aim" . . . A Southerner in NYC

Checker Cab

2010-02-02T13:08:00.004-05:00

Manufactured by the Checker Motors Co. of Kalamazoo from 1956 to 1982, the Checker "Marathon" was THE New York City taxi for roughly 40 years. The last Checker taxi, with nearly 1,000,000 miles, was retired from New York City streets in 1999. Today our yellow cab fleet may be more diverse - with Toyotas, Hondas, Fords, Chevys and even some hybrid varieties - but they just don't have the "character" of the Checker models. Fabriano paper, 140 lb., 9" x 12", watercolor, pen & ink, casein.

"It's Our Pleasure to Serve You"

2010-01-05T11:28:00.001-05:00

Like the Chinese takeout box, these little Greek-themed coffee cups are all over the city, sold from carts at countless corner trailers that also offer bagels and donuts each weekday morning. Of course, with the Starbucks invasion, and a host of copycats, these little blue and white fixtures have some competition in the curbside garbage competition. Fabriano paper, 140lb., 9" x 12", watercolor, pen & ink.

Takout

2009-12-14T10:24:00.003-05:00

This is one of the ubiquitous accessories of New York life - the Chinese takeout box. In just about every neighborhood in every borough, one can find Chinese restaurants. Some are great - and are counted among our favorite restaurants, especially those that are kid-friendly. Sammy's on 6th Avenue at 11th Street has been a favorite for us for years. (And when we don't eat in, we can always count on delivery in about 15 minutes from the time of placing our order by phone!) Some of the staff have been seeing the boys since they were only several months old, and now greet them like old friends. Although our meals at Sammy's are perhaps a little more civilized now, there was a time when we felt compelled to follow one of the cardinal rules of tipping: The size of the tip is directly proportional to the size of the mess under the table. 9" x 12", watercolor & ink, Fabriano paper.

Brian's Watercolors on Etsy!

2009-11-25T14:05:00.006-05:00

I've finally realized one of my goals for 2009: I now have four paintings listed at Etsy.com under BriansWatercolors. I'm still tweaking the look of the "shop" so pardon the appearance! I'll gradually put up the remaining 10 paintings that are currently on display in my West Village lobby show. If you're inclined to purchase art, don't hesitate!

Images from Vermont

2009-11-02T13:06:00.001-05:00

A few images from our recent trip to Vermont. The foliage was incredible. From the top: 1) more of the barns at Scott Farm in Putney; 2) the view from our condo at Killington; 3) my wife and mugging for the camera while riding the gondola to the top of Killington; 4) foliage along the ski lift at Pico.

Pay Phone and the No. 2 Express

2009-10-19T13:56:00.001-04:00

Remember when pay phones were such a ubiquitous landmark? They're still common in the subway system because most cell phones just won't pick up a signal down in the stations. However, it's not uncommon to see them disable with smashed receivers, broken wires, and jammed coin slots. 9" x 12", watercolor, pen & ink, on Arches 300 lb. paper. I'm really starting to favor this heavy paper . . . the heft, absorbency with heavy washes.

Glass Door Knob

2009-10-14T18:37:00.003-04:00

Can't remember where I found this, but it's been in my archive of photos for some time. I've always liked glass door knob because of the way they capture and reflect the colors in a room. Plus there's something about the way the glass "feels" when one goes to open a door. This is a 5" x 7", watercolor, pen & ink, on Fabriano paper.

Lambretta Portrait

2009-10-05T11:06:00.004-04:00

As my initial sketch for this painting started to take shape, I realized it was becoming very portrait-like, as if I had taken on the image of a flesh-and-blood person rather than a machine, showing the head (turned and tilted to its left), shoulders and torso. Nearly all of my reference photos had shown the scooter from a distance of several feet. But in deciding on composition, I was immediately drawn to the idea of focusing down more closely on the "face" of the object. Of course, that kind of narrow framing is typical in a lot of my work: I prefer odd angles and significant cropping in many images. In addition, I was especially concerned about the contrast between the blue and white of the scooter's body. 9" x 12", watercolor, pen & ink, Arches 300 lb. paper.

From my May 1, 2008 post: There are scooters all over the city, a favorite mode of transportation among restaurant delivery persons who favor the cheap Yamaha and Honda varieties. Italian scooters, however, are considered chic among the 20- and 30-something crowd. And since Piaggio reintroduced Vespas to the U.S. market several years ago, there seems to have been an explosion of these sharp little machines throughout Manhattan.

Who can blame their owners? They're fairly inexpensive (around $3,000 new), don't burn a lot of gas, and are easy to park. My favorites are the vintage scooters - those models marketed in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. There are plenty of old Vespas in the city and even Matthew Broderick tools around on a white antique model in our neighborhood during the summer. I like the Vespas, but for sheer style points I prefer the Lambrettas. Like the ubiquitous Vespa, they stood as an iconic symbol of the 50s and 60s and were the scooter of choice for many of England's "mod" crowd during that period. Just watch the movie Quadraphenia to get a sense of how important the scooter was to that movement! Only made by Italy's Innocenti corporation from 1946 until 1972, the Lambrettas are much more rare. And for my money, they were sleeker and more elegantly designed than the Vespas. (Although the Lambretta name is used on scooters and other vehicles in India and Asia today, it's not the same company.)

"Stop"

2009-10-02T13:31:00.001-04:00

9" x 12", watercolor, pen and ink, Arches paper. I worked on this for at least a month, off and on, sometimes painting for a few days and then setting it aside for a week or more. Seemed as if it defied completion - until last night. Part of the problem was getting the yellow "just right." In some areas I used at least a dozen washes, including plain water to better blend the mix of three different yellows.

"Aermotor"

2009-08-26T13:49:00.003-04:00

I had enjoyed the earlier image of the windmill, so tried another. Instead of the usual 140lb. Fabriano paper, I used a very heavy 300lb. Arches. I definitely like its rigidity and absorbancy on heavy washes. Will definitely use more (whether I like it or not, since I purchased an entire block). 9" x 12", watercolor, pen & ink, 300lb. Arches paper (rough).

St. John's Lutheran Church, Greenwich Village

2009-08-18T15:11:00.001-04:00

The latest, finished a couple of weeks ago. It was too large for a regular scanner, so had it scanned at a photo shop. I've painted the St. John's cupola before, but not from this angle. The sky proved especially difficult because I wanted a lot of realistic variation in color and texture (and I generally refuse to paint a plain "blue" sky). 12" x 18", watercolor, pen & ink, Fabriano paper.

"Pontiac Service"

2009-07-21T15:06:00.002-04:00

Just finished this yesterday. I've had this photo in my archive for several years, thinking it might eventually serve as a subject for painting. However, with the recently announced demise of the Pontiac line, slated for 2010, I felt compelled to tackle it. Although recent Pontiacs have been less-than-inspiring autos, older models often proved among the best-designed Detroit products. The stylish variations on their hood ornaments, some rendered in sleek, Deco-inspired chrome and Lucite, are especially appealing (and collectible). It's a shame GM's ineptitude has killed one of most significant U.S. auto marques. Watercolor, pen & ink, 9" x 12", Fabriano paper.

Barn Cupola (Vermont)

2009-06-26T10:55:00.001-04:00

After a rather long, month-and-a-half hiatus from the blog (and painting), here's the latest. 9"x12", watercolor, pen & ink, on Fabriano paper. (What a crappy scan!)

Amish Buggy

2009-05-20T14:39:00.001-04:00

From our travels in Lancaster County, PA. I always feel sorry for the Amish residents because they have to put up with the armies of tourists who gawk. How many of those tourists understand the derivation of the term "Pennsylvania Dutch" and realize that it has nothing to do with Holland or the Dutch. But the identification, however incorrect, persists. I at least try to respect the Amish privacy and antipathy for having individual pictures taken by never photographing members of these communities. For me, the striking part of this image was the whip. 9" x 12", watercolor, drybrush, pen & ink, on Fabriano paper.

Allium and Iris - Madison Square Park

2009-05-13T15:29:00.001-04:00

Saint Martin de Porres

2009-05-12T15:17:00.002-04:00

This falls into the "You Never Know What You're Going to See Next" category. This was a procession honoring St. Martin de Porres (1579-1639) of Peru. Known for his work with the poor, as well as his founding of an orphanage and children's hospital, he was canonized in 1962. (I'm not really sure why these people - identified by one participant as Peruvian immigrants - were parading St. Martin up 9th Avenue, since his official feast day is in November.) The little band that marched behind played dirge-like music at a very slow tempo while the men carrying the platform matched that tempo with a shuffling step. Every few minutes the procession would stop and the men would lower the platform to waist level. Then a priest would say some prayers and strike a bell on the front of the platform. Luckily my boys were with me and really enjoyed the spectacle.

Rainy Tulips

2009-05-11T11:41:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T09:13:00.002-04:00

I never post on the weekends, so here's a belated happy Mother's Day to my own mother and the moms among my readers. (The photo is my mother in 1951).

Amish Windmill

2009-05-08T12:14:00.001-04:00

The most difficult part of this painting was the sky, which required at least 20 washes in four colors - plus several more clear washes - to get it "just right." And then my lousy scanner reduced it all to a shambles, erasing the subtleties of the color blends and the transition from blues to yellows. Oh well . . .

I spotted this windmill on an Amish farm in Lancaster County, PA. (When I see the word "windmill" I immediately think of the more elaborate European variety, like the beautiful windmills of Holland, used to pump water out of the Dutch lowlands.) Watercolor, drybrush, pen & ink, on Fabriano paper, 9" x 12".

Ball Perfect Mason

2009-05-06T14:19:00.001-04:00

Another experiment with a Ball Mason Jar. 9" x 12", watercolor, Fabriano paper.

Wisteria Lane

2009-04-30T15:37:00.001-04:00

Each year this huge wisteria (on 10th St. between Fifth and Sixth avenues) provides an incredible spring show of blossoms. I'm not sure I'd want one quite this large climbing on my multi-million-dollar, 19th century townhouse, but it's certainly lovely for the rest of us!

General Electric Building, Part 2

2009-04-30T15:19:00.001-04:00

The General Electric Building Lexington Avenue at 51st St.) was completed in 1931 and represents one of Manhattan's Art Deco gems. Given landmark status in 1985, the 51-story building served as GE's headquarters until operations moved to Fairfield, CT, in 1974. In 1993 General Electric gave the building, by then roughly two-thirds empty, to Columbia University. I'm not sure about its current status, but I do know that Columbia was partnering with several firms to redevelop and restore the building to attract new tenants. I love the Deco details, especially the clock, with its thrusting hands symbolically harnessing the power of electricity.

General Electric Building, Part 1

2009-04-29T15:48:00.001-04:00

Alarm Clock

2009-04-28T14:24:00.001-04:00

Continuing the "time" theme, here's a closely cropped image of a vintage electric alarm clock. Although only 5" x 7", this proved time consuming because of the numbers, which I painted using a Japanese brush pen.

Nightmare

2009-04-23T14:19:00.001-04:00

Lord, how many times have I had this dream - even recently! And I'm always back at VMI, with the situation complicated by the realization that I'm missing some part of my uniform. The funny part of this is that I can talk to guys who graduated 10 or 20 years before me, and learn that they have the exact same dreams! Weird!

UFO - Unfinished Object

2009-04-23T14:08:00.001-04:00

Alas, in painting sometimes a good idea doesn't always translate smoothly to paper or canvas. When I start a drawing and then begin painting, I nearly always have a pretty clear understanding of how I'm going to reach the finished concept that resides in my imagination. I can "see" the finished painting. Occasionally, however, the execution doesn't proceed as planned: I dislike my color selections, fail to paint as realistically as I'd like, or misjudge the contrast between light and shadow. Under those circumstances I'll let a painting sit for a week or so and if I can't resolve the problem, I rip it off the work board and tear it up. Naturally that's always a bittersweet experience because I understand that I'm throwing away many hours of work. But with that break, I can allow myself to move on to the next project.

In conception, this image was supposed to be a cropped view of the main clock in the main hall of Grand Central Terminal. The very large flag, rendered in slight shadow, hangs on the wall behind the clock. Although happy with the backlit clock faces - numerals and hands painted with a Japanese ink and brush - I just wasn't satisfied with the brass sphere and its myriad shadows.

The painting has been on my board for weeks and I just haven't been able to move forward. Rather than tear it up, however, I carefully removed it and have set it aside for the future. Perhaps I'll come back to it and solve the dilemma. For now it will remain an unfinished object, a "UFO" in the terminology used by my wife and her knitting circle.

Anna Ternheim - You mean nothing to me anymore

2009-04-22T15:28:00.001-04:00

Just discovered her thanks to Misty Mawn's blog. She has several other videos on YouTube. Lovely voice!

Weekend Flowers, Part 2

2009-04-21T11:15:00.001-04:00

Weekend Flowers, Part 1

2009-04-21T11:06:00.002-04:00

The weather hasn't been consistently warm, but the flowers are starting to open and a few trees are showing green. It's supposed to be 80 this weekend, so perhaps we've turned the corner. The bottom two photos are of camelias, which I don't often see in the city. One usually sees them farther south. My parents, for example, have grown camelias for ages, and they always provide an early spring show of rose-like blooms.

Signs of Spring around the neighborhood . . .

2009-04-14T14:12:00.001-04:00

Opening Day

2009-04-07T14:24:00.001-04:00

Saturday was "Opening Day" for Little League, and both boys were suited up and ready to go. Ben, a pitcher and catcher, spent two days battling on the field, catching a six-inning game and pitching for three innings in the second game. Sam, pictured here, made is his pitching and catching debut, striking out four batters in two innings of work. He also hit a double, triple, and a home run in his team's 13-1 opening victory. These photos of Sam were taken by my wife. I was at Ben's game, which was unfortunately scheduled at the same time. As you can tell from the coats, it was a blustery and cold Saturday - not ideal weather for baseball.

H. L. Mencken on William Jennings Bryan

2009-04-02T14:57:00.005-04:00

I've always enjoyed H.L. Mencken, having first encountered him as a sharp critic of the "New South" and America's rising middle class, which he called the "Booboisie." Today we rarely encounter writing of this quality in our newspapers. Moreover, the demagogues of talk radio and television could learn a thing or two from Mencken.

I just encountered Mencken's obituary of William Jennings Bryan, who died shortly after participating in the famous "Scopes Monkey Trial" in Dayton, Tennessee. For me, much of Mencken's judgment could be applied to some of the more conservative, evangelical Christian leaders in this country who peddle hatred and anti-intellectualism like desperate salesmen. Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell come to mind. (The photograph shows Clarence Darrow, left, and William Jennings Bryan, right, in Dayton during the trial.)

The Baltimore Evening Sun, July 27, 1925

William Jennings Bryan

It was plain to everyone, when Bryan came to Dayton, that his great days were behind him -- that he was now definitely an old man, and headed at last for silence. There was a vague, unpleasant manginess about his appearance; he somehow seemed dirty, though a close glance showed him carefully shaved, and clad in immaculate linen. All the hair was gone from the dome of his head, and it had begun to fall out, too, behind his ears, like that of the late Samuel Gompers. The old resonance had departed from his voice: what was once a bugle blast had become reedy and quavering. Who knows that, like Demosthenes, he had a lisp? In his prime, under the magic of his eloquence, no one noticed it. But when he spoke at Dayton it was always audible.

When I first encountered him, on the sidewalk in front of the Hicks brothers law office, the trial was yet to begin, and so he was still expansive and amiable. I had printed in the Nation, a week or so before, an article arguing that the anti-evolution law, whatever its unwisdom, was at least constitutional -- that policing school teachers was certainly not putting down free speech. The old boy professed to be delighted with the argument, and gave the gaping bystanders to understand that I was a talented publicist. In turn I admired the curious shirt he wore -- sleeveless and with the neck cut very low. We parted in the manner of two Spanish ambassadors.

But that was the last touch of affability that I was destined to see in Bryan. The next day the battle joined and his face became hard. By the end of the first week he was simply a walking malignancy. Hour by hour he grew more bitter. What the Christian Scientists call malicious animal magnetism seemed to radiate from him like heat from a stove. From my place in the court-room, standing upon a table, I looked directly down upon him, sweating horribly and pumping his palm-leaf fan. His eyes fascinated me: I watched them all day long. They were blazing points of hatred. They glittered like occult and sinister gems. Now and then they wandered to me, and I got my share. It was like coming under fire.

II

What was behind that consuming hatred? At first I thought that it was mere evangelical passion. Evangelical Christianity, as everyone knows, is founded upon hate, as the Christianity of Christ was founded upon love. But even evangelical Christians occasionally loose their belts and belch amicably; I have known some who, off duty, were very benignant. In that very courtroom, indeed, were some of them -- for example, old Ben McKenzie, Nestor of the Dayton bar, who sat beside Bryan. Ben was full of good humor. He made jokes with Darrow. But Bryan only glared.

One day it dawned on me that Bryan, after all, was an evangelical Christian only by sort of afterthought -- that his career in this world, and the glories thereof, had actually come to an end before he ever began whooping for Genesis. So I came to this conclusion: that what really moved him was a lust for revenge. The men of the cities had destroyed him and made a mock of him; now he would lead the yokels against them. Various facts clicked into the theory, and I hold it still. The hatred in the old man's burning eyes was not for the enemies of God; it was for the enemies of Bryan.

Thus he fought his last fight, eager only for blood. It quickly became frenzied and preposterous, and after that pathetic. All sense departed from him. He bit right and left, like a dog with rabies. He descended to demagogy so dreadful that his very associates blushed. His one yearning was to keep his yokels heated up -- to lead his forlorn mob against the foe. That foe, alas, refused to be alarmed. It insisted upon seeing the battle as a comedy. Even Darrow, who knew better, occasionally yielded to the prevailing spirit. Finally, he lured poor Bryan into a folly almost incredible.

I allude to his astounding argument against the notion that man is a mammal. I am glad I heard it, for otherwise I'd never believe it. There stood the man who had been thrice a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic -- and once, I believe, elected -- there he stood in the glare of the world, uttering stuff that a boy of eight would laugh at! The artful Darrow led him on: he repeated it, ranted for it, bellowed it in his cracked voice. A tragedy, indeed! He came into life a hero, a Galahad, in bright and shining armor. Now he was passing out a pathetic fool.

III

Worse, I believe that he somehow sensed the fact -- that he realized his personal failure, whatever the success of the grotesque cause he spoke for. I had left Dayton before Darrow's cross-examination brought him to his final absurdity, but I heard his long speech against the admission of expert testimony, and I saw how it fell flat and how Bryan himself was conscious of the fact. When he sat down he was done for, and he knew it. The old magic had failed to work; there was applause but there was no exultant shouts. When, half an hour later, Dudley Field Malone delivered his terrific philippic, the very yokels gave him five times the clapper-clawing that they had given to Bryan.

This combat was the old leader's last, and it symbolized in more than one way his passing. Two women sat through it, the one old and crippled, the other young and in the full flush of beauty. The first was Mrs. Bryan; the second was Mrs. Malone. When Malone finished his speech the crowd stormed his wife with felicitations, and she glowed as only a woman can who has seen her man fight a hard fight and win gloriously. But no one congratulated Mrs. Bryan. She sat hunched in her chair near the judge, apparently very uneasy. I thought then that she was ill -- she has been making the round of sanitariums for years, and was lately in the hands of a faith-healer -- but now I think that some appalling prescience was upon her, and that she saw in Bryan's eyes a hint of the collapse that was so near.

He sank into his seat a wreck, and was presently forgotten in the blast of Malone's titanic rhetoric. His speech had been maundering feeble and often downright idiotic. Presumably, he was speaking to a point of law, but it was quickly apparent that he knew no more law than the bailiff at the door. So he launched into mere violet garrulity. He dragged in snatches of ancient chautauqua addresses; he wandered up hill and down dale. Finally, Darrow lured him into that fabulous imbecility about man as a mammal. He sat down one of the most tragic asses in American history.

IV

It is the national custom to sentimentalize the dead, as it is to sentimentalize men about to be hanged. Perhaps I fall into that weakness here. The Bryan I shall remember is the Bryan of his last weeks on earth -- broken, furious, and infinitely pathetic. It was impossible to meet his hatred with hatred to match it. He was winning a battle that would make him forever infamous wherever enlightened men remembered it and him. Even his old enemy, Darrow, was gentle with him at the end. That cross-examination might have been ten times as devastating. It was plain to everyone that the old Berserker Bryan was gone -- that all that remained of him was a pair of glaring and horrible eyes.

But what of his life? Did he accomplish any useful thing? Was he, in his day, of any dignity as a man, and of any value to his fellow-men? I doubt it. Bryan, at his best, was simply a magnificent job-seeker. The issues that he bawled about usually meant nothing to him. He was ready to abandon them whenever he could make votes by doing so, and to take up new ones at a moment's notice. For years he evaded Prohibition as dangerous; then he embraced it as profitable. At the Democratic National Convention last year he was on both sides, and distrusted by both. In his last great battle there was only a baleful and ridiculous malignancy. If he was pathetic, he was also disgusting.

Bryan was a vulgar and common man, a cad undiluted. He was ignorant, bigoted, self-seeking, blatant and dishonest. His career brought him into contact with the first men of his time; he preferred the company of rustic ignoramuses. It was hard to believe, watching him at Dayton, that he had traveled, that he had been received in civilized societies, that he had been a high officer of state. He seemed only a poor clod like those around him, deluded by a childish theology, full of an almost pathological hatred of all learning, all human dignity, all beauty, all fine and noble things. He was a peasant come home to the dung-pile. Imagine a gentleman, and you have imagined everything that he was not.

The job before democracy is to get rid of such canaille. If it fails, they will devour it.

Education

2009-03-24T13:19:00.001-04:00

Found these adorning an older elementary school on the Lower East Side, just on the edge of Chinatown.

Finally!

2009-03-24T12:51:00.001-04:00

V8

2009-03-23T15:47:00.002-04:00

There's been a lot of talk lately about disappearing car marques, including Pontiac, Saturn, and now Saab. If they are erased from the market it wouldn't be the first time a shakedown in the auto world has killed off venerable brands. Studebaker was one of the old manufacturing companies in the U.S., starting as a wagon maker in 1852. As World War II ended Studebaker seemed poised to be a leader in the auto sales race, preparing well in advance with new models and innovative designs. Indeed, one of their advertising slogans was "First by far with a post-war car." But the 1950s brought cut-throat competition in the industry as Ford and General Motors dominated sales. Numerous car companies failed during this period, including Nash, Hudson, Packard (which merged with Studebaker in 1954), and Crosley. Ironically, Studebaker was a victim of some of the same ills afflicting Detroit's "Big Three" today: high labor costs, high pension costs for retirees, quality control problems, and strong competition from other producers.

Studebaker Transtar pickup truck, V8 logo, rusting away in Vermont. Sennelier 9.5" x 4.5" landscape paper, 140 lb., watercolor, pen & ink.

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-18T14:16:00.001-04:00

While walking home last night . . . the Empire State Building adorned in green lights for the occasion.

"American Standard"

2009-03-16T14:15:00.002-04:00

After considerable effort with the scanner and photoshop, I got this to a somewhat acceptable point vis-a-vis how closely it matches the painting itself. Although it's not usually a problem when working with darker, more vivid images, the scanner doesn't like the rough texture of the paper when there's little pigment. I kept getting tiny shadows on the paper - like the shadows of minuscule moon craters.

I realize this may not be the most picturesque subject. Nevertheless, it falls nicely into my "ordinary objects" theme and reflects a fascination with industrial design, whether we're observing toasters or urinals. And admit it: It is a rather iconic fixture in the design landscape. Scan search results from google or flickr and you'll be amazed at the number of urinal photos - and the myriad designs pictured - from all over the world.

Here I really wanted to present the urinal in an appealing fashion - clean, polished, standing like a trophy or an idol on an altar. No doubt one could derive numerous conclusions from a painting of a urinal, from the Freudian to the political. The title alone - "American Standard" - says a great deal, I think, beyond standing as a specific brand moniker. In the end, enjoying art is about drawing one's own conclusions, fitting an image into a personal paradigm of experiences and opinions.

(The boys were intrigued by this one as I worked on it last week and over the weekend. They raised their eyebrows and even giggled. That's no surprise since "bathroom humor" is a focal point for schoolboy humor. My wife actually liked it from the start. I teased the boys that I was going to scan it and have it printed on t-shirts for each of them. At first they reacted with, "You're kidding," but eventually concluded that a t-shirt with a urinal on the front might be sufficiently weird to be cool. Hmmmmm, it may happen.) 5" x 7", watercolor, pen & ink, Fabriano 140 lb. paper.

Victrola

2009-03-16T11:06:00.002-04:00

In my previous (child-free) life I collected antiques and knick-knacks with a passion: art pottery, 19th-century pressed glass, world's fair memorabilia (1876, 1893, 1903, 1939), Cunard and White Star ocean liner items, late 19th and early 20th-century political memorabilia, sheet music, stereoscopes and cards, and hand-crank record players with 78 rpm disks. And that's really just the tip of the iceberg. My philosophy for purchasing items was always "Buy now, find a place for it later." Now much of that stuff sits in storage.

Among those boxes are several early mechanical record players, including a couple of really nice RCA Victor tabletop models that still produce beautiful sound. Indeed, I was always amazed at how good the sound could be in a machine using a needle that looked more like a nail than a "stylus" used on the few turntables still available. I may have had CD versions of Glenn Miller and the other "Big Band" classics that I favored, but preferred to play these gems in their original 78 rpm format. No batteries needed. No speakers, wires, or remote controls. With just a little elbow grease to crank them up (not too tightly or those old springs would pop!), one could add music to a picnic or other occasion in any setting.

I remember my first 78 was "TD's Boogie Woogie" by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. But I also had more serious fare, including Gershwin's "An American in Paris," in album format (when an album really was an album of several records). Although I may have initially worried about securing needles and other parts for misbehaving machines, I quickly discovered that there's a nice little cottage industry that specializes in cleaning and repairing Victrolas, including broken springs, the most common problem. (When my sons asked about this painting, I had a hard time explaining clearly what kind of contraption this might be. To them, record players are something of a puzzle. I'll have to pull a Victrola from storage and crank up the music!) 5" x 7", watercolor, brush & ink, pen & ink, on Fabriano 140 lb. paper.

Toast

2009-03-10T12:03:00.001-04:00

I "inherited" a toaster similar to this when the estate items of a great uncle and aunt were parceled out to family members before sale of the house. The main thing I remember about this couple was their chihuahua, Ladybug, who spent most of her time in one lap or the other. (I also recall the perpetually plastic-covered furniture in their living room, a decorating touch doubtless inspired by the dog's presence.)

Ladybug was a friendly little dog, which proved a welcome contrast to the chihuahua - Princess - that belonged to the other dog-loving great aunt. Move a finger and Princess would emit a muffled growl. Move an arm or a leg and the growl would become louder and more menacing. Try to stand up and walk and Princess assaulted the offender with a cacophony of barking and growling, all emitted as she sat in my chain-smoking great aunt's lap. (Come to think of it, I believe all of my grandfather's younger sisters - two of them nurses! - smoked like chimneys at some point in their lives.) An evil little dog. This is an unusual admission on my part, because I tend to love all dogs and cats and believe that with patience (and lots of high-pitched baby talk), I can befriend any of them in Doctor Doolittle-esque fashion. Princess, however, seemed beyond salvation, the irredeemable dog sinner bound for doggy hell. She probably died with her face permanently frozen in a snarl. I remember our visits to Richmond involved lots of sitting and talking, with very little movement on our part, lest we invite the wrath of our aunt's lap demon.

But back to the toaster. I always liked the reflectiveness of the bright chrome and hated to see fingerprints on the surface. Still, I didn't enshrine it as a monument to Eisenhower-era toaster technology. I used that toaster regularly, despite the vagaries of its out-of-sync heating elements: One quickly learns which sides of the toast will blacken more readily. 9" x 12", watercolor, brush & ink, pen & ink, Fabriano 140 lb. paper.

Art Card - Frostie Root Beer

2009-03-09T10:39:00.004-04:00

Just another "art card" exercise - a vintage "Frostie Root Beer" bottlecap. I'm going to lose my eyesight doing these. Also, some of the details are hard to render, even with the tiniest brushes (some of which seem to have too few bristles to hold water and pigment)! 2.5" x 3.5", watercolor, brush & ink, pen & ink, on Fabriano 140 lb. paper.

Washington Square Arch

2009-03-04T11:14:00.001-05:00

Shots from Washington Square Arch yesterday . . .

Snow . . . and a bit of history

2009-03-03T15:08:00.003-05:00

Images of Madison Square Park (and the Flatiron Building) after yesterday's snow. The statue is Chester A. Arthur, who rose to the presidency in 1881 after the assassination of James A. Garfield by a disaffected - and deranged - office seeker. It's ironic that Arthur would have to support and preside over passage of the resulting Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. As the base of the statue points out, Arthur served in the most lucrative - and perhaps most corrupt - position available in the pre-Pendleton civil service system: collector of customs for the port of New York. Traditionally, collector of customs posts around the country were handed out to the most prominent of local party leaders as rewards for significant service. Although the federal government had established a schedule of regular fees to be paid at its customs houses, the collectors presided over a shadow system of bribes and kickbacks that offered the potential for great wealth in the larger port cities. Moreover, collectors usually controlled appointments for a small army of subordinate positions, from assistant collectors down to weighers and measurers who handled incoming goods. In performing this role, customs collectors thus reinforced party loyalty at the local level.

Always the pragmatic politician, Chester A. Arthur understood that the public outcry for civil service reform following Garfield's death could not be ignored. Sure, Garfield had enjoyed little time in office (two months) before being shot by Charles Guiteau in a Washington railroad station. Nevertheless, his death four months later sparked a national outcry, and, in all likelihood, reopened the emotional wounds inflicted by Abraham Lincoln's assassination just 16 years earlier. (Ironically, Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was with Garfield at the station when Guiteau shot the president.)

Mind you, this issue was hardly a new one and promised to be a key issue during the Garfield administration even without the assassination. Reform-minded politicians and critics of the highly politicized civil service system had advocated creation of a merit-based system for decades. Civil service appointments usually dominated presidents' first months in office, and often proved a vexing process. As an editor with the Papers of James K. Polk, I remember Polk's oft-stated complaints about the incessant parade of office seekers who appeared at the White House, hats in hands, letters of introduction at the ready, begging for consideration. Indeed, a majority of the correspondence to Polk during his fist several months in office was penned by desperate citizens soliciting positions at every level, from consulships to village postmasters.

Ok, this doesn't have much to do with snow in Madison Square Park, but the statue of Arthur reminded me of the Garfield assassination and the campaign for civil service reform!

The Light in the Temple

2009-02-27T11:31:00.003-05:00

From a scene at the farm in Vermont, this old lamp, hanging from a rusty nail, was originally blue. My younger son Sam, surveying the photos from which I was working, noticed the discrepancy and asked why I had chosen red over the pale blue. I explained that it would be a stronger, more expressive image with a red lamp, and reminded him of our visit to the Rubin Museum of Art (specializing in items from the Himalayas and surrounding regions), where we learned that red is the color of power. I think his eyes glazed over when I started talking about how this simple camp lantern could be analogous to one of the lamps in a Tibetan temple, or even a Christian church. Indeed, my initial thoughts on this theme were drawn from the final scene in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, as Charles Ryder returns to the small family chapel at the Brideshead estate:

Something quite remote from anything the builders intended has come out of their work, and out of the fierce little human tragedy in which I played; something none of us thought about at the time: a small red flame - a beaten-copper lamp of deplorable design, relit before the beaten-copper doors of a tabernacle; the flame which the old knights saw from their tombs, which they saw put out; that flame burns again for other soldiers, far from home, farther, in heart, than Acre or Jerusalem. It could not have been lit but for the builders and the tragedians, and there I found it this morning, burning anew among the old stones.

Ok, perhaps I'm investing a little too much meaning in a painting of an old lamp. Simply take it as an example of the convoluted ruminations that keep me company most of the time. 9" x 12", watercolor, drybrush, pen and ink, on Fabriano cold-pressed 140 lb. paper.

From the Archives at my office . . .

2009-02-20T10:42:00.002-05:00

One would think that a New York City organization founded in 1848, one with a rich history of involvement in this neighborhood of Manhattan, might have a respectable archives cataloging its history. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. Indeed, there are official records, diaries, meeting minutes, photographs, blueprints - and god only knows what else - scattered higgledy-piggledy in drawers, closets and cabinets throughout this 1906 building.

(And I should note that this isn't unusual. As a historian I encountered soooo many institutions/associations, some with histories stretching back 200 years, that had taken little or no care in preserving their records. If you're in a business that generates a great deal of paper, you understand the dilemma. What gets saved? Sure, it's easier in a digital age. But New York City still has mobile paper-shredding trucks that shred tons of documents every day. Thus my indignation over poorly preserved and/or badly organized records is always tempered with an understanding of the difficulties inherent in the archival process.)

I found this photo tucked away in a storage cabinet, sharing space with bound copies of Harper's magazine from the 1880s and 90s. It's ca. 1910 and documents the "Free Vacation School" offered to neighborhood children. Close inspection reveals a pretty diverse group, including an African-American boy on the front row and an African-American girl at the rear. Right away one knows that this is not a southern institution! Beyond this photograph, I've seen no other records about the "Free Vacation School" program. (And I have no idea what that netting is for. Any ideas? I don't think it's a product of the "raffia" listed on the sign. In fact, the raffia makes sense in the context of the "basketry" offered as an activity for the children.) By the way, the front of the building looks exactly the same today. My office is behind the leaded-glass windows to the left. (Click on the image to view a larger version.)

Rusty Scissors

2009-02-19T10:49:00.001-05:00

Latest in the series of "ordinary objects." The bits of black on the handles were supposed to be remnants of black enamel paint, but I think the matte finish of the black is too flat and thus doesn't suggest the depth and shine of a black enamel. Perhaps an overpainting of acrylic would have remedied this. Alas, something to remember for the future. 5" x 7" watercolor, pen & ink, brush & ink, on Fabriano cold-pressed, 140 lb. paper.

Art Cards: Rusty Scissors

2009-02-18T11:36:00.002-05:00

I recently discovered "art cards" and learned that people trade and sell them. There are oodles on Etsy and Ebay, with cards sold by painters, photographers, collage artists . . . you name it. So I figured, why not? But the 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" format seems a bit daunting for a painter. Here's my first effort - rusty scissors - which will serve as a miniature study for a slightly different 5" x 7" version that I'm painting for the "ordinary objects" series. I had to wear my strongest glasses to do this! It's 2 1/2" x 3 1/2", watercolor, pen and ink, on Strathmore cold-pressed, 140 lb. paper. (In this horrible art market, I guess it makes sense to produce works that are accessible for buyers at all price points. Face it, with prices down across the board and the biggest auction houses and galleries having trouble selling their wares, does it make sense to produce strictly giant canvases if one is trying to put food on the table. Even the smaller galleries that dot the Chelsea landscape are finding it difficult to market moderately priced artists. What's a starving artist to do?)

Vintage Mixer

2009-02-17T14:31:00.001-05:00

Here's the latest in the series of "ordinary objects" that I've been painting in anticipation of creating a set of notecards for a future Etsy site. As with the others, this is a 5" x 7", watercolor with pen and ink, on Fabriano cold-pressed paper.

While walking to work this morning . . .

2009-02-13T10:22:00.002-05:00

Nothing spectacular here, especially in terms of composition. Just some snapshots of the views I encountered on Fifth and Park Avenues this morning.

"Hi, welcome to . . ."

2009-02-12T10:14:00.001-05:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Broken Windows - In Memory of Andrew Wyeth

2009-02-09T10:49:00.004-05:00

Looking through Andrew Wyeth's painting following his recent death, I was reminded how nice the drybrush technique could be. But I also knew it could prove time-consuming as one worked to find that perfect - albeit minimal - amount of moisture to transfer the pigment to paper. Too much water and one loses the drybrush effect. Too little and it becomes difficult to dab more than a few faint, wispy strokes with each loaded brush. (Sometimes the faint brush strokes are desirable, of course.) Executed correctly, however, drybrush proves perfect for rendering texture and depth in a piece. When not using his preferred egg tempera medium, Wyeth would use drybrush for landscape and architectural textures that can prove elusive in straight watercolors. In "Geraniums," for example, Wyeth used a combination of watercolors and drybrush to paint a through-the-window study of Christina Olson.

This painting, my first attempt at incorporating the drybrush technique into my work, is based on a series of images I took along Route 10 in Virginia's Isle of Wight County. I knew that watercolor washes just wouldn't give me the desired weathered texture of the window frame. I debated whether or not to allow enough light in the picture to reveal hints of the building interior. In the end, I preferred the reflected opaqueness of the intact windows with only the tattered curtains visible, while leaving the interior dark - and thus a bit mysterious or foreboding. 9" x 12", watercolor, drybrush, pen and ink, on Fabriano paper.

Ernest Flagg

2009-02-04T11:59:00.002-05:00

Shooting photos of interesting architectural elements recently, I ran across a couple of buildings that immediately grabbed my attention. The Singer Manufacturing Company building, a 12-story structure, was designed by Ernest Flagg and completed in 1904. Flagg's design represented a departure from the thick masonry walls and small windows that defined architectural style at the time. The Singer building would feature an innovative structure of iron and glass, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering far more light than other buildings. Even its colors - red and green - proved innovative exceptions to the dull marbles and granites that punctuated New York's streets.

Today the building holds co-op residential units and commercial spaces. It received a renovation in the late 1990s that included significant work on the facade.

Mills House No. 1, in photos 2 and 3, is on Bleecker St. between Sullivan and Thompson Streets. Completed in 1897, the 11-story Mills House, designed to provide inexpensive housing for men in the city, it had 1,560 single-room-occupancy spaces that were no more than 5 by 7 feet in size. When it opened, the hotel charged 20 cents a night, and 10 to 15 cents a day for meals. (Mills also built two other single-room-occupancy hotels in Manhattan.) Converted to apartments in the 1970s, Mills House No. 1 became a co-op building in the 80s.

Although I didn't know it at the time I was taking these photos, Mills House No. 1 was also designed by Ernest Flagg. This structure doesn't possess the more innovative design elements of the later Singer Manufacturing Company building, but did reflect Flagg's keen interest in "fireproof construction, daylight, ventilation and housing policy."

INRI

2009-02-02T12:51:00.004-05:00

Since taking up painting several years ago I've given a lot of thought to the issue of religious subjects. And while I've painted a couple of stained glass window images, I didn't regard them as overtly religious images. Several times I contemplated images depicting some aspect of the nativity of Jesus, but none of my ideas proved truly resonant, and thus strong enough to inspire a painting. I especially didn't want to create an image of Jesus that could be compared in any way to the ridiculously idealized Christian imagery of Warner Sallman, whose paintings of Jesus because the most widely distributed images of Jesus in the United States in the 1940s and 50s. Indeed, just about any Christian imagery would prove problematic given my opinions on the more zealous factions of the faith. These views I've made clear on numerous other occasions in this website. As I said in March 2007:

So, where does this leave me, possessing a higgledy-piggledy spiritual DNA, a double helix of agnosticism, Southern Baptist childhood, Episcopal adulthood, casual flirtations with Buddhism and Quakerism, as well as a fascination with some of the more ascetic and insular religious sects, including the Hassidim and the Amish? . . . Complicating the matter, I also represent that segment of the liberal populace that thinks "fundamentalist Christians," particularly those who identify with the Republican party and have tried to manipulate its agenda through groups like the Christian Coalition, are America's answer to 1930s fascism. These people - and not Islamic-based terrorist cells - are the most dangerous group in this country . . . but nothing new, given our nation's long history of breeding religious extremists.

That having been said, in the end, I jumped straight to the crucifixion, aiming for a more gothic representation without going so far as to imitate some of the more graphically violent aspects of Christian imagery from the Iberian tradition. No blood-soaked forehead and bleeding wounds here! And as usual, I had to take that narrowly focused perspective that only provides a hint of the whole. To be honest, I couldn't have painted the entire crucifixion from head to toe, let alone include the thieves flanking Jesus. Nevertheless, I think it retains a strength - a pathos - while avoiding some of the more "kitsch" elements of Protestant iconography.

While some observers might interpret this painting as a reflection of my own faith, it does not represent a devotional exercise in the way the creator of a gilded icon sees his effort as a form of worship. It's more an experiment - a monochromatic exercise in my development as a painter. Moreover, I've never been comfortable painting the human form, especially in a portrait setting, and this image in many respects falls into that category. Technical details: Sepia watercolor with pen and ink, on 5" x 7" Fabriano hot-pressed paper. (And for those of you not familiar with the meaning of "INRI": Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum . . . Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.)

Soho Fire Escapes, Part 2

2009-01-28T14:47:00.002-05:00

Soho Fire Escapes, Part 1

2009-01-28T14:41:00.001-05:00

This weekend I finally had the chance just to wander for a couple of hours and take a few photos. Walking in Soho I noticed the great variation in fire escapes on the late 19th century buildings. Some are quite ornate in their metalwork, while others reflect a simple utilitarian design.

Contains Lead

2009-01-27T13:49:00.003-05:00

For use as a motor fuel only? What else would one do with it? I do know people who have used it on their charcoal grills - with spectacular results! But how else would one use it? I guess one could use it to clean up greasy tools. Weed killer? (So much for the environment!) And then there's the old lead issue in the gasoline from the pre-unleaded era. Where did all of that lead end up - aside from clogging up the engines of automobiles? How much of that lead attached itself to other compounds and either sits in the soil or found its way into our water tables?

I found this old Texaco gas pump (hence the bright red) in Vermont. In painting it I wanted to focus in so closely that it almost becomes abstract, while still retaining enough of its shape to be recognizable. This is another part of the series of small 5" x 7" studies of vintage objects. For the lettering I used a special Japanese brush pen that allows one to paint with the ink while maintaining precise control. Watercolor with pen and ink, Fabriano 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. (Although this Italian paper is often a bit more expensive than the Arches and other brands, I prefer its texture and the availability of brighter whites in some sizes.)

What the . . . ?

2009-01-22T15:13:00.001-05:00

File these away in the "You never know what you're going to see next" Department. (I know, I know - the quality stinks. I couldn't avoid the reflections.) I was walking home recently and passed this sculpture studio in the upper 20s, west of Fifth Avenue. There are many shops in this neighborhood that offer similar items, plus a diverse array of antiques, vintage furniture, stuffed large animals . . . You name it! While a few of these establishments announce that they deal only in wholesale purchases made by people in the design trade, many of them advertise that their stock is available for prop rental. With so many TV shows and movies filming in New York these days, this isn't surprising. In fact, nearly every week I have at least one location scout drop by to check out our space. Having a 1906 building makes us attractive to productions seeking vintage interiors. Just this week, for example, a movie location scout stopped to ask if we had any "old, large, ornate ladies' bathrooms." Yes, an unusual request, and the scout laughed as he described walking around town asking that same question all day. Alas, we weren't able to help, but I'm sure he eventually found some "ornate ladies' bathrooms." It's not uncommon to see familiar Manhattan locations in many current TV shows, from the Law and Order franchise to Life on Mars and Gossip Girl. Still, I wonder who would need three flute-playing fauns, whether set director or interior designer!

Taxi Traffic

2009-01-20T14:12:00.004-05:00

Here's my latest painting, showing the ubiquitous New York City "yellow" taxis waiting in traffic. This one took considerable time as I tried to get the taxis "just right" in terms of color and variation. I can't begin to count the number of washes I used just for the cars alone, and in half-a-dozen different shades of yellow and orange. Also, I faced the dilemma of how much background detail to include. In the end, I opted for a sketchier background with muted colors so attention wouldn't be drawn away from the line of cabs. Most buildings aren't very colorful anyway. The perspective is that of a pedestrian/potential passenger standing at the curb looking up and down the street looking for an available taxi. It's funny how kids in New York City quickly adapt to the ritual of hailing a cab, raising their little arms at the corner waving at oncoming vehicles. On the very rare occasions we use a taxi, Ben and Sam will step up with us and hold out their hands while expressing their preference for SUV or minivan taxis over the usual Crown Victorias. As usual, this is a 9" x 12", watercolor with pen & ink, on Fabriano cold-pressed paper, 140 lb.

Andrew Wyeth, 1917-2009

2009-01-16T15:32:00.003-05:00

The New York Times has reported the January 15th death of painter Andrew Wyeth, one of my favorite artists. His work depicted a distinctly "American" landscape, and often the harsh realities of rural life, especially in his native eastern Pennsylvania. I'm naturally attracted to his watercolors, which often possessed a non-watercolor look because of his masterful use of the drybrush technique. He also favored use of egg tempera, an ancient, difficult medium (developed centuries before the invention of oil-based paints) that conveys an unmistakable look and depth to his works. (Another American favorite and Wyeth contemporary, George Tooker, also uses this egg tempera medium.) To read the Times full obituary for Wyeth and see a slideshow of some of his more famous paintings, follow the Times link above.

Church of the Transfiguration - Snowy Day

2009-01-15T11:13:00.001-05:00

It's a snowy day in the city, with flurries promising a dusting of just a couple of inches. It's just a prelude to the bitter cold weather that's just now sweeping across the Midwest with record low temperatures. This kind of Arctic cold becomes problematic because the accompanying winds always funnel through the street canyons, creating nasty wind chills and hazardous walking conditions. Still, we trudge along, accustomed to walking most of the time, while taking the subway and busses for longer journeys. Hopefully I'll get to Central Park for a few moments this afternoon, camera at the ready.

These photos were taken at the Church of the Transfiguration - better known as "the Little Church Around the Corner" - on 29th Street between 5th and Madison Avenues. I got this antique look by running the photos through a conversion program found on a Japanese website. It's an interesting look, an experiment, and I'm interested in feedback.

Chrysler Building

2009-01-13T11:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday morning I was rushing through the bitter cold to reach Lexington Ave. and 30th Street to meet a friend for breakfast and, as I waited for the light to change, looked uptown and saw the Chrysler Building just twelve blocks away. I still think it's one of the prettiest structures in New York City, more breath-taking than even the Empire State Building.

Silhouettes

2009-01-09T11:09:00.001-05:00

Three silhouette photos of the boys playing basketball at the playground.

Telephone: Third in a Series

2009-01-08T09:39:00.002-05:00

Just finished this last night. It's the third in a series of small studies of once ubiquitous but now less visible objects. The first two paintings covered a manual typewriter and a wind-up alarm clock. As with the others, this painting shows the object only partially, and at an odd angle, making it almost abstract in character. (If I ever get my etsy store online I'll make notecards out of the set.) 5" x 7", watercolor, pen and ink, on Fabriano paper.

More Photobooth Fun

2009-01-05T10:44:00.002-05:00

Once again the boys and I couldn't resist the chance to make faces in a photobooth. I never did these as a child, so I'm making up for it as an adult. However, if the boys get much bigger, we're not going to fit in the frame! (I like Ben's finger-in-nose pose. Perfect for the occasion.)

Happy Blog-iversary

2009-01-02T21:04:00.005-05:00

Two years ago today I started this little experiment and it's amazing that it's still going - especially since it began as a New Year's resolution. I've been determined to keep up with this one and, despite a few lean months and periods of half-assed inspiration, "My Tears Spoiled My Aim" has maintained a reasonably steady flow of images, opinions and information - with 460 posts in the archive. Naturally this blog continues to evolve as my interests change and my mercurial personality travels a rather haphazard course. I look forward to a third year with this site, and hope that in the coming months I'll have new things to share and report. Lucky to live in New York City, I could hardly become bored by the daily parade of life, even if my own routine descends to the level of the mundane and stifling.

So a happy new year to all. And a "Thank You" to those of you who have been regular visitors and offered friendly comments. I always appreciate the input and enjoy the friendships.

Ralph Goings Redux

2008-12-29T12:17:00.001-05:00

Nearly two years ago I painted this "Homage to Ralph Goings" as an experiment with the still-life genre. I also wanted to see how the watercolor medium would work with an image made popular by one of my favorite painters, Ralph Goings. He worked in oils and achieved a high degree of realism rivaled by only a few other 20th century American artists. Recently I've repainted a couple of my old favorites, revisiting images from a couple of years ago, in part because I've sold or given away earlier originals, or just want to see how my style has evolved over time. I think the newer version of the Goings still-life is brighter and perhaps crisper, with a sharper contrast between the light and shadow, especially in the salt shaker. 9" x 12" watercolor with pen and ink, 300 lb. Fabriano cold pressed paper.

The Annual Christmas Letter

2008-12-24T13:58:00.004-05:00

Ebenezer Scrooge here . . . I want to complain about the barrage of elaborate Christmas "cards" that have those annual "letters" to everyone detailing what's happened in the previous year. In the days before email and facebook, one could excuse this kind of excess. (Although a telephone call would have been so much more meaningful. I guess we can't call everyone on our Christmas card list.) Now, however, we get cards that were designed on Shutterfly, Publisher, or other snappy design software. They come printed with full color photos of vacations and holidays worthy of an over-inflated movie review or travel agency brochure. The emailed versions are sometimes even worse, with hyperlinks to Flickr accounts and photo slideshows brought to you by the friendly folks at Wal-Mart photo labs.

Mind you, I'm not opposed to the practice in principle. It's nice to reconnect with high school classmates, bridesmaids, fraternity brothers, and anyone else with whom we've shaken hands over the last three decades. Sometimes it's just nice to know that an old friend is still alive and leading the weekly sing-along at the nursing home in one's old home town. And it's ok to tell us that you're a new grandparent or served as best man at your son's wedding.

My complaint is with the Christmas letters that ramble on for multiple pages, detailing the minutiae of a child's athletic or academic exploits. We don't need to know that your dad had successful surgery for hemorrhoids. We don't need to know about your low golf score or fantastic find at an antique show. If your Christmas letter needs a table of contents, it's too long! I realize that these are the same people who sport the "My child is an honor student at [insert school name here]" or "This car is chihuahua friendly" bumper stickers on their cars. God may be your co-pilot but he doesn't need to be given credit on a bumper sticker . . . Just as we don't need a detailed analysis of your stock portfolio's performance in the annual Christmas missive. If you really want to give out that much information, pick up the phone or schedule a visit, if that's possible. Don't assume that we all want to know you attended the World Series and cheered for the Phillies, because we rooted for the hapless Mets. (These photos came from one of my favorite websites, "Look at Me," which I've mentioned in earlier posts.) Also, please don't take this post too seriously. This is essentially tongue-in-cheek commentary. :-)

Odds and Ends from Scott Farm

2008-12-23T14:26:00.001-05:00

Just some final shots pulled from the 300 photos I took over three days in November . . .

A Pitiful, Dreadful Life?

2008-12-19T13:05:00.004-05:00

A year ago today I wrote a little piece on one of my favorite films, It's a Wonderful Life, and, for several reasons, wanted to repost it here with some updated thoughts. It's worth noting, for example, that the film is now addressed within the context of the current "don't trust banks" mindset - a popular sentiment that punctuated the Depression-era news of bank failures and farm foreclosures. And while recent critics still praise the movie as one of Capra's best, they've tended to focus uncharacteristic attention on the darker facets of George Bailey's life and character, from abuse during his childhood to the thinly-veiled frustration and rage that surface in his darkest hours. But I think this duality is pretty typical of Capra's protagonists, from Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (Gary Cooper) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Jimmy Stewart), to the later State of the Union, with a brilliant Spencer Tracy. More serious critics may dismiss Capra as "corny," but one can't deny his brilliance as a story-teller, nor dismiss the appeal of It's a Wonderful Life. Moviegoers like to see stories of redemption, in which the "everyman" hero triumphs against long odds.

Obviously much has changed in the year since I wrote the following post, and It's a Wonderful Life continues to attract attention. Even the New York Times has taken up the subject with a couple of articles, including "Wonderful? Sorry, George, It’s a Pitiful, Dreadful Life." My original post from December 19th, 2007, follows:

It's a Wonderful Life
I had originally written a long post in response to a bit written by a friend over at another blog. She raised an interesting point about the direction our society has taken in recent years, a seasonally appropriate theme since it involves Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. Sure, jaded critics like to point out how corny Capra could be - hence the derisive term "Capra-corn" - but the director was a great storyteller. Moreover, his populist vision of America reflected a very important element in the national psyche during that period. But, alas, a computer malfunction caused me to lose two-thirds of what had become a rather curmudgeonly post on the effects of sprawl and how it is analogous to the depiction of George Bailey's alternate reality - Pottersville - in the movie. (If you've read this blog for very long, you know how I feel about sprawl!)

Last week I managed to watch bits and pieces of Capra's classic on NBC, making sure I saw that unforgettable ending. It's a Wonderful Life remains one of my favorite Christmas movies, along with Miracle on 34th Street (the original), A Christmas Story, The Bishop's Wife, and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (just kidding . . . maybe). And I still manage to shed tears at the end, when they're singing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "Auld Lang Syne."

Why do I love this movie? First, I've always been a big Jimmy Stewart fan. That "aw shucks," "everyman" quality is perfect in this role. (One also has to admit that Donna Reed was hot as George Bailey's wife.) I also enjoy the contrasting visions of the town, between the quiet, friendly Bedford Falls, and the frenetic, noisy Pottersville. The ugly truth for most of us in America today is that we live in scattered equivalents of Pottersville. So it's nice to think there could be idyllic towns like Bedford Falls in which one has neighbors like George Bailey. Moreover, who wouldn't want to be hailed as the "richest man in town," not by virtue of our bank balance or political influence, but measured by the friends and family one can count on in good times or bad. And finally, one has to enjoy the idea of a "do over" or the opportunity to witness how the world would fare without one's presence, thanks to a visit from Clarence the angel.

Jimmy Stewart always said this was his favorite role in a lengthy film career. I think if one possesses a mere gram of Christmas spirit, it has to be a favorite for many people. With its talk of savings and loans, runs on the bank, and possible suicide, it may prove a little dark for my kids. But having experienced Dickens' Christmas Carol this year, they may soon be ready to discover the joys of Bedford Falls and the Bailey family.

Colored Pencil Miniature

2008-12-17T15:57:00.002-05:00

A colored pencil miniature - just 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". I was experimenting with some different formats for possible online sale . . . perhaps Etsy? This is a bit brighter than I usually like, since my watercolor palette is usually a bit more muted. But I like the size and think it might be useful for some little pen and ink studies. At half the size, it could be mounted on a 5" x 7" piece of watercolor paper and then framed. I'll continue to experiment and share the results.

We Used To Execute People For Waterboarding War Crimes!

2008-12-17T12:00:00.001-05:00

Dick Cheney has admitted to authorizing the use of torture, including waterboarding. As Rachel Maddow points out in last night's show, the United States has prosecuted war criminals for this very practice. Following the Second World War, for example, Japanese officials were convicted and executed - hanged - for committing such atrocities. Obviously Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and complicit criminals should be arrested and charged with war crimes once they leave office.

However, since I don't believe in the death penalty, we would have to find some other means of punishment. Here's a suggestion: Drive Cheney into the most volatile Baghdad neighborhood and drop him off. At that point he can fend for himself. That would be a fitting end for a dictatorial murderer who masqueraded as a champion of democracy!

A Happy Accident

2008-12-15T11:13:00.002-05:00

On Saturday morning I was playing around with my younger son, Sam, who likes to paint and draw. I had sketched out a stalk of wheat and threw down a quick watercolor wash of blue for a background, while he watercolored one of his numerous drawings of monsters and mythical beasts. I even grabbed one of his colored pencils and dabbed on a few bits of color for the lower grains of wheat. Although at that point I didn't think I'd come back to the image, that night I decided to experiment. I pulled out my own colored pencils - rarely used - and started working on the wheat stalk again. After perhaps 30 to 45 minutes of blending about a dozen colors, plus some pen and ink accents, I finished with the result you see here. In the end I was pleasantly surprised by the results. (By the way, it's a 5" x 7".)

Mouse Agility - world's smartest mouse

2008-12-12T13:12:00.001-05:00

This is TOO funny . . . and what a cute little mouse.

Scott Farm in Color

2008-12-11T14:27:00.003-05:00

Ok, despite all of the black & white/sepia-toned images from Vermont, I did manage to take some color photos because the color variations in the wood are just as strong as the pattern and contrast studies. These shots were all taken of the ca. 1864 main barn. The sheep live in the bottom level when not mowing the surrounding fields. Unfortunately, their guard llama, Mac, picked up some kind of parasite which produced encephalitis-like symptoms. By the time we arrived on the Friday after Thanksgiving, he had lost the use of his hind legs. He loved apples, so we gathered leftover apples from the orchard for his Friday afternoon dinner. On Saturday morning, the vet came - and the man to drive the backhoe - so Mac could be put down and buried. My wife, who has years of experience with horses and has been present at many such ordeals, joined our friend Margaret to offer support. The boys understood what was going to happen, but we didn't think they had to witness it, so I took them to downtown Brattleboro for a shopping expedition. Margaret is already checking leads on a new llama and will likely purchase one in the spring. A guard llama is necessary up there to protect the sheep from predators like wolves and coyotes. Enjoy the photos.

A Balmy December 10th

2008-12-10T15:04:00.004-05:00

I've posted these photos before, but on a balmy 63-degree day in December I'm compelled to wish for a snowy day. But instead of snow we're having sticky, rainy, warm weather a mere two weeks before Christmas eve! Now I know how residents of the Gulf Coast feel in winter. This could be Jacksonville - a depressing thought - or Mobile, or even New Orleans. And while those cities have their charms, once again I'm glad I don't live in the deep South. Give me four distinct seasons, with ample snow and beautiful vistas like Central Park's "Mall" pictured here. I remember snapping these early in the morning several years ago, before the snow plows had cleared the streets and the grime of the city had settled into the shockingly filthy slush that makes the days after a snowfall particularly treacherous for pedestrians.

Under a fresh blanket of snow, New York City is magical, like George Bailey's Bedford Falls in It's a Wonderful Life. Give the city a day or two, however, to trudge through the curbside snow drifts and flooded crosswalks, and one is reminded that our reality is closer to Pottersville, with plenty of Lionel Barrymores to sour the mood. In the end, I guess there are many of us who put up with the inconveniences of this city just to experience those occasional moments when New York City actually resembles the Hollywood fairytale version. At those moments it all seems worth it.

P.S. I love these old photo borders!

Perry Street Revisited

2008-12-09T10:55:00.002-05:00

If you've followed this blog from its early days you might recall this subject from an earlier work. I first painted this window and fire escape on Perry Street about two years ago. One of my favorite paintings, I included it in last year's show and sold it to a woman for whom the subject evoked memories of her family's World War II-era Harlem apartment. I was sorry to see the picture go - but happy to have sold a painting.

At the time I promised myself to revisit the picture - sooner rather than later - but didn't take up the project until a couple of weeks ago when I made the initial rough sketch. Last week I realized it would be a perfect image for a detailed pen and ink drawing with watercolor washes. So for the last several days I've worked until 1 and 2 a.m., squinting through my glasses to get the India ink details just right. Once that was done, the watercolor portion moved rather quickly. This time the image is slightly larger - 9"x12" rather than 8"x10" - and I cropped the view just a little. The results, I think, are as satisfactory as the original. And this version I will not sell! On to the next project! (9" x 12", pen and India ink, watercolors, Fabriano paper) You can click on this thumbnail for a larger image.

More from Scott Farm

2008-12-05T16:25:00.001-05:00

Some miscellaneous details from the ca. 1864 barns . . .

Barn Door, Scott Farm

2008-12-04T10:23:00.002-05:00

After about two weeks of work, I finally finished my latest project. Although the subject is typical for me - a closely focused architectural element - the process proved a bit different. Although I've used pen and ink highlights in other paintings to accentuate key details or more clearly define the boundaries between objects, I haven't really used that medium as the foundation for a painting. There are those artists who employ consistently the pen and ink drawing/watercolor wash combination. Among early watercolorists, for example J.M.W. Turner, a carefully rendered pen and ink drawing nearly always represented the "bone structure" of a study, while muted washes from a very limited palette formed a secondary element.

Having studied this mixture of media over the last month, I decided to experiment more extensively with pen and ink. The result is this tightly-focused study of a barn door and rusty hinge from Scott Farm in Vermont. As you might have seen from many of my earlier farm photos, the wood on these 19th century barns displays incredible variation in weathering. Some boards retain large patches of whitewash and others stand with their intricate grain patterns bared to the harsh Vermont winters. In the end I was happy with the results, but recognize that this can prove a time consuming process on more intricately detailed subjects. Wood grain isn't easy to create! (9" x 12", pen and ink, watercolor, Fabriano paper)

Dodge

2008-12-03T10:48:00.001-05:00

This old Dodge pickup truck sits abandoned in one of the barns at Scott Farm. It's a late 40s/early 50s model and has likely been parked here for a long time. Still, it's amazing how well the body has held up with its cab exposed to the harsh Vermont winters. Are you familiar with the recent bestseller, The World Without Us, in which Alan Weisman examines "how our planet would respond without the relentless pressure of the human presence?" Basing his conclusions on extensive research, he speculates on how long it would take for our buildings, infrastructure, and other man-made items to decay. Obviously these old Detroit-made behemoths of steel would take many years to rust away and fall apart!

A Fleecy Weekend

2008-12-02T13:17:00.001-05:00

After spending a lazy Thanksgiving day at home, we traveled to Vermont for the remainder of the holiday, visiting our friend Margaret at Scott Farm near Putney. Between the sheep and Kip, the border collie, it was a fleecy, hay-covered weekend. I still have the sound of the more-chatty-than-usual ewes in my head after three days of walking through barns and fields, camera in hand. By our departure on Sunday afternoon I had taken roughly 250 photos, so obviously this is just the tip of a much larger iceberg. As always, Vermont proved entrancing, a result primarily of the quiet and lack of suburban clutter. I'll post more in the coming days.

Art Show

2008-12-01T13:31:00.001-05:00

Three weeks ago I was again lucky enough to have four paintings in a group show of ten artists. Here are my four. I think I've shown all of these on here before, but never framed. The black frame and mat work for these images, I believe. They seem to enhance the colors.

"Cashmas" or "Giftmas"???

2008-11-24T16:04:00.001-05:00

Whether we're ready for it or not, the season of "Cashmas" or "Giftmas" - take your pick - is upon us. I remember writing here last year about the disturbingly early appearance of decorations in that interlude between Halloween and the onslaught of "the holidays." But this year the whole production seems to have started even earlier. No doubt the economic crisis has fueled the premature appearance of Santa and his elves. And "Sale" signs are already popping up at major retailers across the country. Santa has already appeared at local malls and the same is true in Virginia, according to my parents - more than two weeks before Thanksgiving!! What happened to the tradition of Santa making his appearance in those first harried shopping days after Thanksgiving? Even the big retailers like Macy's and Lord & Taylor have already unveiled their holiday windows.

I understand retailers' desperation at this point. Many smaller stores will barely survive into 2009. (Here in the city, many have beaten the January stampede and closed their doors already.) Several national chains have also announced that they will close all or many of their stores in the new year. Discount chains (ie. Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) will enjoy higher sales, I predict, simply because more shoppers are searching for bargains, especially bargains for toys and games.

We haven't even begun to think about Christmas yet. I'm normally very enthusiastic about Christmas and the holiday's trappings, but I'm already sick of the piped-in Christmas songs that echo in every store and bodega. (Who in god's name decided that "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music is a song appropriate for Christmas?!) I may yet become a Scrooge!

The Future of the Republican Party?

2008-11-20T13:43:00.001-05:00

I saw this posted in Chelsea and couldn't resist sharing. Can you believe there are still people out there who honestly believe she is the future of the Republican party? If she's the future, we can just assume that the Republicans will be even more ill-informed and ignorant than they are now. As Bill Maher observed on Jay Leno last night, referring to Palin's failure to know that Africa is a continent: "That's some mighty powerful stupid."

The Election

2008-11-17T15:49:00.003-05:00

Obviously I haven't had a chance to use this forum to reflect on the election, and even now do not have the time to respond properly. Needless to say, I'm overjoyed at the result and relieved that we won't have to put up with four years of McCain and Palin - especially Palin! Nevertheless, I'm afraid we haven't seen the last of her, given her media whoring over the last week. She's determined to remain in the national spotlight and may just get the chance in the near future.

Yes, there is plenty to celebrate in President-elect Obama's victory. It represents a signal moment in U.S. history - a moment that is already prompting reconsideration of this country's direction around the globe. Nevertheless, I'm a political realist and understand that presidents are not "saviors" in the messianic sense, able to single-handedly lead a nation to salvation or some idealized, patriotic "promised land." The latest issue of Time casts Obama in the role of FDR, potentially offering a "New New Deal." As an admirer of the Depression-era New Deal, I fervently hope that Obama will succeed in changing the governmental paradigm of the last eight years. The country needs bold action and leadership that is willing to tackle fundamental problems - economic and social. Washington, of course, isn't the same place it was in 1933 when Roosevelt had a clear popular mandate to effect change. Obama will not have the opportunity to experiment in the same way FDR and his "brain trust" attacked the Great Depression. Still, we can hope that the severity of the current crisis prompts a unity of purpose between the White House and Congress in the coming months.

Cat Antics

2008-11-12T11:16:00.001-05:00

Ok, I'm a sucker for funny cats who can turn even the most mundane objects into toys. My cat, for example, loves the little plastic rings that one removes when opening a plastic jug of milk. The cat in this video clearly knows how to have a good time.

In the "Found Photo" Department . . .

2008-11-10T15:48:00.001-05:00

I found this photograph for sale at a weekend outdoor market in Soho. Although I didn't buy it, I couldn't resist snapping a clandestine picture. From the men's clothing and the trappings of Eastern Orthodoxy, it looks to be early 20th century, pre-revolutionary Russian. There's cyrillic text at the bottom but no date. What's the occasion? A wedding? I'm not really sure, but would appreciate input from anyone who is more familiar with Russian custom and dress. Is this photograph here in New York because a family member - even someone in this group - joined the immigrant tide to the United States? This would have been at the height of Eastern European/U.S. immigration, so it's entirely plausible. Like so many of these "found" photos, it tells so many possible stories - but answers so few of our questions as observers.

Buster

2008-11-06T15:51:00.002-05:00

This cute little beagle puppy is Buster. He had enough energy for two or three dogs. Buster may only be a few months old, but he already has that distinctive beagle voice, which he demonstrates in the third photo.

Argus C3 Photos

2008-11-05T14:15:00.001-05:00

I recently took these photos with an old Argus C3, usually known as "the brick" to camera enthusiasts because of its boxy shape and considerable weight. Not bad for an unexceptional 1955 camera that's entirely manual. (I used a Gossen Digisix for metering.) Film: Kodak 400CN.

Some Thoughts on the Election

2008-11-04T15:00:00.004-05:00

Where to start . . . Given my history on this blog one might have expected me to rant and rave about the election over the last several weeks. First, I guess I've been too shocked at the depravity of the McCain/Palin campaign to respond in any meaningful fashion. But if you've followed the race, you know what I'm talking about - thinly-veiled bigotry, the standard-issue Republican fear-mongering, and outright lies. In the end, McCain thoroughly compromised his ideals in an effort to secure the support of his party's right wing, aligning himself with the very elements of Republican intolerance and fascism for which he had expressed disdain just eight years ago. Rather than running on his more moderate record, he adopted the Rove playbook and thus firmly allied himself with the Bush/Cheney "axis of evil." The scariest part of it all is that he could still win!

Looking at a map of Republican support around the country, it's clear that there's still a substantial element of the electorate that is just ignorant enough to accept the Republican falsehoods. Although McCain and Palin liked to trumpet loudly the claim that these areas represented the most patriotic and thus the most "American" parts of the country, these districts are now distinguishing themselves for having evolved the least - politically and intellectually - over the last 40 years. Indeed, these Americans seem to celebrate their ignorance, and herald as a virtue their disdain for education, liberalism, and real democracy. And while they often align themselves with the principles of the "Founders," one is compelled to observe that the likes of Jefferson, Franklin, and Madison would have regarded them as the "mobocracy," barely capable of self-government.

Obviously I pray that Barak Obama wins this election. Yet I'm enough of a political realist to understand that even Obama will be no savior capable of reversing entirely the perilous course now followed by the U.S. But Obama does offer a more enlightened vision of how that can be accomplished. Nevertheless, even if Obama is elected, the forces of intolerance, anti-intellectualism, and bigotry will continue to rally, redoubling their efforts to create a theocratic, fascist state anchored by the Republican party's hawks and evangelical terrorists.

If the pollsters are wrong, and McCain pulls off an upset reminiscent of Harry Truman's 1948 victory over Dewey, I will not stand in "loyal" opposition to a Republican president and his "hockey mom" second-in-command whose foreign policy expertise is limited to a neighborly proximity to Russia. Indeed, with a McCain/Palin victory I would do whatever possible - and legal - to foment disloyal opposition in an effort to unseat these usurpers of the Constitution. Their continued strength in this country represents a cancer on the body of the commonwealth, a cancer that needs to be excised through a revolution in the ballot boxes.

Of course, over the last several days (and at this very moment), Republican operatives are engaging in illegal activities to steal the votes of ordinary citizens. As Paul Weyrich, one of their evangelical leaders, pointed out as early as 1980, they do not want a large voter turnout. They do not want an informed electorate. They do not want a truly participatory democracy. So they foment ignorance, misinformation, and fear, to keep people away from the polling places on election day. Don't let them steal your vote! Don't be a consumer of their ignorance and fear-filled messages. Don't let them further corrupt the Constitution and trample on the liberties that document protects. Turn back the tide of nascent fascism in this country. Cast a vote for rationalism and hope.

Relief

2008-11-04T14:37:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I was down in Chinatown, visiting Pearl Paint, a multi-floor rabbit warren of art supplies on Canal Street. I enjoy the spectacle of Chinatown, but really dislike the pushing and shoving of the elbow-to-elbow crowds. And on this occasion the vendors hawking counterfeit movies, handbags and watches seemed more aggressive than ever. Perhaps with the current economic downturn they're desperate to sell their wares to dwindling crowds of tourists and bargain hunters.

Sam and I decided to walk home, taking Thompson St. from Canal, uptown to the intersection of Bleecker. Thompson St. is one of those great Soho arteries lined with cool shops and restaurants. With many small business already closing, one has to wonder how many of these doubtless under-capitalized shops will fare as the recession continues.

The first photo is of an old bank building at the corner of Canal and Broadway. I love the art deco relief, especially the stylized eagles. I'm sorry to see that the space for a clock is now empty. Unfortunately, the building has been chopped up and converted into a bazaar of little shops and trinket stands. The other three photos come from a building at 100 Sixth Avenue. All I could find on this 17-story gem is that it was constructed around 1930 - hence the art deco style of its reliefs - and was known as the Green Sixth Avenue Building. These images, vaguely suggesting "industry" in an idealized design idiom very typical of the 1930s, are repeated on the other sides of the building. For most of its history it has served as a home for lithographers, engravers, and printing shops. Indeed, many of the buildings in this neighborhood, located near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, housed printing works. The building is now owned by Trinity Church, which, like many other landlords in this section, has forced the printers and engravers out. Offering large renovated spaces, the property now holds more traditional office space - no doubt demanding much higher rents than older tenants had paid.

Photo Booth Redux

2008-10-31T11:06:00.001-04:00

Once again, we couldn't resist mugging for a photo booth camera. Here I am with Ben, making faces. I've always enjoyed photo booths - although wasn't allowed to spend the money on them as a child. If you're a fan of the movie Amelie - one of my absolute favorites - you'll also understand how that film underscored the retro and romantic appeals of the photo booth.

West Village Halloween

2008-10-30T13:20:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we enjoyed a bit of Halloween fun with the West Village Halloween Festival, held annual at Bleecker Playground. Then the kids trick-or-treated along Hudson and Bleecker Streets, with businesses handing out generous amounts of candy. Tomorrow they'll have a big Halloween parade at their school and in the evening my boys will trick-or-treat in the neighborhood and in our building. I'm always amazed at the amount of candy they receive - far more than I ever got as a child! But like most parents we ration it out carefully and most of the time they lose interest in it after a week or two.

This year both of them - oddly - decided to dress up as Darth Vader. We're still not really sure why, but I suspect it was because of the light sabers. I suggested to Sam that he trade the saber for his guitar and go as "Garth" Vader - but I don't think many people would get the joke. By tomorrow evening we'll be locked away at home to avoid the hordes who flock to the neighborhood for the infamous Greenwich Village Halloween Parade.

St. Vincent Ferrer Church

2008-10-29T15:28:00.001-04:00

I've featured images from this church before . . . St. Vincent Ferrer on the upper East Side, Third Ave. at 65th St. Although I'm not Catholic and don't subscribe to their unique form of Marian veneration, I do like this statue of Mary. There are always flowers tucked into her hands and this little garden offers a quiet little respite from the noise of Third Avenue. As for the autumn wreath adorning one of the side doors of the church, one can't help but notice the incongruity between the wreath and the fallout shelter sign.

There's a similar sign outside my office, directing people to the basement for - ostensibly - protection. Did civil defense "experts" honestly think such spaces would offer any real protection in the event of nuclear holocaust. I suspect that they were meant more as visible symbols of reassurance to calm a nervous public, rather than as actual safe havens. (And I have no idea about the canine symbolism in that last image. It's not ringing any bells in terms of Catholic iconography. Perhaps Franciscan?)

Waiting to Be Judged

2008-10-27T11:27:00.002-04:00

Just finished this painting yesterday. I based this on an image I had snapped at the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Festival at the end of May. These ewes were waiting to be judged in the 4H livestock competition.

The image started as a pencil sketch and then a study in oil pastels that I quickly abandoned because the results just weren't satisfactory. Finally, I came back to it a couple of weeks ago, trying a new sketch. This time the painting went well and I spent much of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights working. As always, I'm unhappy with the quality of the scan, especially in the way it treated the weathered white fencing. 9"x12", watercolor and pencil, on Fabriano 140 lb. paper.

Vermont, Part V: Scott Farm Textures

2008-10-21T14:45:00.001-04:00

Here are a few more sepia shots from Scott Farm in Putney. With weathered barns and rusting metal, the farm offers a great study in contrasts that regular color photos just don't capture.

Kip the Wonder Dog

2008-10-21T12:35:00.001-04:00

This is our buddy, Kip, who herds the sheep on Scott Farm in Vermont. He has to be one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met, and like most border collies, super smart. Plus he follows directions better than my children. We usually call him Kip the Wonder Dog, but about a month ago he wandered off for about 24 hours. Now he's Kip the Wander Dog.

Vermont, Part IV: Sheep

2008-10-16T13:55:00.001-04:00

While in Vermont we spent Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, and Monday afternoon on Scott Farm - picking apples, wandering between the barns, and watching the sheep. The boys always enjoy helping with the feeding and watering. But our favorite activity is playing with Kip, the border collie, as he moves the sheep between different fields. I love the perspective in the second photo. Kip has set himself directly in the path of these ewes, blocking their progress. As I've mentioned before, he's a sweetheart of a dog, but is happiest when he's running the sheep.

Vermont, Part III: Church of Our Savior

2008-10-15T14:03:00.002-04:00

The beautiful little Episcopal church is just off Route 4, east of Killington. We had seen it from the main road for years, tucked behind the trees on the north side of a mountain stream. Although we had always pointed it out when passing, we never stopped. I decided to change that on Monday, detouring onto the gravel road for a closer look. What a reward! And it was open! Consecrated in 1895, the Church of Our Savior reminds me of stone village churches scattered throughout England. All it lacks is the clocks that usually adorns the English churches. The stained glass was simple, but beautiful, and the woodwork of the church's interior was stunning (especially the tongue-and-groove arched ceiling). It represented a sharp contrast to the white clapboard congregational churches that dot the New England landscape. In the end, my wife was sorry we hadn't stopped in for services on Sunday.

Vermont: Part II, Fall Colors

2008-10-14T14:27:00.001-04:00

First of the fall colors, with a set of close-up images using the macro setting on my digital. Pretty good results in terms of sharpness. I'm curious to see how these images compare to those taken with 120-size film. At standard snapshot or 5x7" size, I doubt there's any discernible difference. However, I'm guessing that with successive enlargements, up to 11x17" for example, the film image would prove better, thanks to that big negative.

Vermont: Part I

2008-10-14T13:42:00.001-04:00

I was in Vermont over the last four days, enjoying the scenery, hiking the mountains, eating lots of food that's yummy but far removed from my diet, and taking pictures - lots of pictures. With the digital camera alone I took over 300. I'm not sure how many I took with the four film cameras I toted from place to place. So consider this a random selection that forms the "tip of the iceberg." No, these sepia images from Scott Farm in Putney don't convey the variety of autumn colors that draw so many tourists to Vermont. Don't worry; the foliage pictures are coming. I'm still sifting through downloaded files.

As always, I'm torn in my feelings between Vermont and New York City. I love both and each place satisfies a different part of my personality. Although we talk about picking up and moving north, I doubt we could leave the city permanently. Moreover, I also doubt we could become full-time Vermonters, fighting against the lengthy winters. In the end, I suspect we'll have to reach a compromise . . . perhaps a vacation home in Vermont. For now, enjoy the pictures.

Typewriter

2008-10-09T09:20:00.001-04:00

This is my latest, completed just last night. It's the second in a three-part series on once ubiquitous but now obsolete objects. I saw this old manual typewriter in a shop window in the Village. My office still has an IBM Selectric tucked away, saved for filling out the occasional form. A few months ago my younger son was at the office and puzzled over the machine. So I had to give him a little history lesson about typewriters and how computers quickly replaced them in the 1980s. I remember learning to type on a similar IBM machine during my senior year in high school. Friends couldn't understand why I would take a typing class. But I knew the skill would come in handy in college and beyond. In retrospect, taking that class was one of the smartest school choices I ever made. During my freshman year at VMI, as my classmates and I encountered the first generation of IMB PC's, most of my peers were engaging in the one- and two-fingered "hunt and peck" style of typing as they tried to learn their way around the keyboard at the same time they were learning new software. At least I felt comfortable at the keyboard! (5" x 7", watercolor, pen and ink, on Fabriano paper)