Stripes

I’ve painted hundreds of paintings and illustrations over the years, most of them lacking something. Like most people I’ve focused too much on the fine details and the overall picture lacked the weight and impact I wanted (like life itself). Now I’m painting simple compositions and getting the weight I want. Heavy and stark. Some of the paintings are stripes. Stripes have lots of visual power, very human and man-made.

There’s a building across from the Port Authority that is painted in red, white and blue stripes. I like how it stands out.

I painted these horizontal stripes for many reasons. I like the color options and I’m going to add two more paintings. I like that they aren’t too contained to the edges, they keep the eye flowing off the sides.

I also like that the edges offer lots of color and texture. They frame the painting but not too much.

I think about art in general because it’s a way to break down life into easier-to-digest chunks. I walk all over Manhattan and look at the textures and patterns. Yesterday I walked up the upper east side (a big inspiration for stripes – Henri Bendel shopping bags et al), through the park to Lincoln Center, where we try hard to make the best art. I sat on a bench and looked at Julliard and imagined the likes of Nina Simone practicing her piano here. Did she practice in that building? Probably not, but I’d like to think she did.

Here’s the fountain in Hearst Plaza. The shiny things are coins.

Windows

This is a post about windows. At work, my co-worker quit so I got his window seat. I love the view. I don’t really love that I have to do the work he used to do.

Looking down on Radio City Music Hall

At home we learned that our apartment doesn’t offer window cleaning so we had to hire a guy. Best money ever spent. We’re amazed everytime we look out the window now. Major difference.