Another painting from my trip to Utah, this time from Snowbird. The sky was done pale to start with a cerulean undertone for the shadows and crevices on the mountain. A bit of orange was used at the base of the sky to introduce some warmth. Neutral tint with ultramarine and burnt umber and some other nameless colors were used on the trees. Most of the distant trees are just a single brush stroke or dry brush to bring out the texture of the paper. The paper’s tooth is excellent for creating the illusion of dense trees. It was so incredibly satisfying to paint that I’m now contemplating painting mountains for the rest of my life. 

Utah’s had some historic snowfall this season, and I was lucky enough to be able to taste a bit of it. This was from a day of snowboarding on Brighton Resort. I’ve always wanted to paint snow, but it’s hard when living in the “slightly too warm” NYC. This painting was handled mostly with dry brush to indicate trees. The snow is simply the white of the paper. At the time of writing this, the snow is up to 734″!

View of Boulder, CO from a distance. I wanted to focus on the atmosphere and the distant city. I laid down a light wash of orange and yellow to start this painting. After that layer dried completely, I went over that area with quick dry brush strokes in order to simulate a city off in the distance. After that, it was a lot of mixing of super dark color. The trees were mostly done wet into wet. with the sky being handled in the same way. 

I was out with some friends bar hopping in the lower east side and we stumbled into Pretty Ricky’s. I took some pictures to paint from later but there were a couple of guys in the bar interacting with the tender, so I decided the painting should be about that. I changed the scene from night to day time to give it more of an “alcoholic” vibe. I’ve also been loving back light lately so that’s another reason. Silhouettes look great!

I had been hearing about Okiboru’s ramen and tsukumen for a bit now and I had to stop in and get some (one of each). It was delicious. There wasn’t much room to paint so I had to take a photo for later. I ate my bowl as fast as I could and was on my way. You pretty much have to just eat and get out. You can find it on the lower east side in NYC. Just go early (before opening) so you don’t have to wait. I personally recommend the ramen, but you can’t go wrong with either. 

Finally! The first plein air of the year. I had some friends that went skiing so I tagged along to do some serious mountain painting. It’s hard to capture the sheer scale and majesty of these things. This was originally intended as a study for a larger painting, but it took on a life of it’s own. 

A view of NYC from Newark International Airport. I wasn’t actually boarding, but those people fortunately were. I had just arrived home from a trip abroad and I snapped a picture to paint later. There was a lot of extra fluff I had to edit out to create a reasonable painting, such as the distant cars and luggage dollies. Originally I wanted the sky to be a bit more pale but with the lower horizon line I decided to have more fun with it. I’d say it was a bit damp – several hours after a rain shower.

A nice spot for coffee, and the oldest caffe in NYC. Naturally I had to paint it. The goal here was to focus on the cream cups and the back lit lighting. I wanted the piece to be somewhat quiet and relaxing. Two couples have their early afternoon conversations over an espresso or two. 

My first painting of 2023 comes from a photo I took on NYE in Brooklyn. I can’t resist store fronts with produce at night. I thought the lighting was exquisite, so I snapped a photo to paint later. This marks another entry into my night bodega series, even though this is more of a grocery store. Lots of paint went into this nocturne, as usual. 

This is the Eastward view from my apartment in Harlem. It overlooks Queens and the East River. I was enjoying a cold view from my roof when I snapped a picture of what I thought were pretty cool cloud formations to paint at a later date. The picture must have sat in my folder for months before I decided to paint it. I’m glad I did! 

I’ve always been attracted to this shop on Grand and Christie in Chinatown. I finally had the chance to paint it. I wanted to capture the morning hustle and the light bouncing off the blue tarps. This must be my fourth or fifth painting of Chinatown. I can’t seem to get away from it. The area just begs to be painted. I had an unusually long pice of paper and thought a psuedo-panoramic painting would fit the space best. 

I had some reference photos of a bar in upstate New York sitting in a folder and I reluctantly began to paint them. I really did not want to paint that day, but sure glad I did. The goal was to create an airy scene at the end of a night of good drinks and conversation. The painting ended up taking on a life of its own and the original reference photo abandoned. I wonder who was sitting in the two empty seats, or what drink the bartender is crafting. 

I took the train down to Astor Place to do some painting on an unusually warm day in November. It was surprisingly difficult to find a good spot to paint but once I did everything was smooth sailing. It was nice to paint “contra jour” or into the light. This view looks south. 

A night of Pool at a bar in upstate New York. I was visiting a friend upstate and found ourselves at a dive bar with an active pool room. I snapped some pictures to paint when I got home. This is the result. 

I finally got the chance to ride the Roosevelt Island Tram and snapped some pictures to paint later. The sun was just barely starting to go down. I loved how the sky was lit up but all the cars were in shadow from the buildings behind me. This is the first painting of the Queensboro Bridge I’ve done so far even though it’s my favorite out of the Manhattan bridges. I’d have brought my easel with me, but the tram car gets packed. 

I was on my way to the dentist and snapped a picture of the 110th street walking tunnel that goes underneath the MTA. It was a quiet and humble scene that I painted onto an old piece of scrap paper. The shadows on the right side of the fascade are imagined to create a better composition. I was aiming to create something simple – just a snapshot on my walk to the dentist. 

I just barely beat a downpour for this painting. I took the train down to 42nd street and then walked the rest of the way into this tourist trap. Funny thing is, I was probably the least interesting thing there between the naked cowboys and spidermen. People left me alone for the most part. I did have a few people ask if I would take their picture, to which I responded, “Can you ask someone else?” All in all, it was a splendid day of painting and the only reason I will return to that god foresaken place. Hopefully some of that made it into the work!

A view from the roof of my apartment in Harlem. I’ve painted the opposite view but never this one. It’s always been on my list and I figured go big or go home. This was done on a full sheet in the studio. I edited quite a bit out but kept what was important. When things are so far away a little brushwork goes a long way. Just a few spots of red and orange can simulate people and road signs. It always amazes me what you can do with so little. 

A view from a friend’s BnB overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France. This is the view I saw when I first arrived. I wanted to focus on the aerial​ perspective, high noon lighting and turquoise awnings. I don’t think I saw a single cloud while I was there. It was always so incredibly bright out. 

This is Pier 42 on the east side with a view of the Manhattan Bridge. A friend of mine came down to the city to do some plein air painting. The only problem was the thunderstorms forcasted that day. We walked about 2 miles around the city to find a suitable place to paint with an overhang. The wake from passing ships made it quite a challenge to get straight lines or any sort of precision. Still, I’m happy with how it came out. 

I was out in SoHo to celebrate a friends birthday when I saw this restaurant buzzing in the early evening. I didn’t have my easel on me, so I snapped a picture to take home for the studio. I spent the better part of 2 days creating this painting. Sometimes it’s easier painting from the safety of my studio – I can come and go as I please and the amount of onlookers is drastically reduced. The goal of this painting was to highlight the pandemic era street eating and the lovely almost nighttime atmosphere. I think it was around 6pm. 

I conducted a poll on social media for where I might paint this day. SoHo ended up winning out, so I packed my things and hopped on the train. I chose this spot for the red awning and the relatively slow pace they were operating at. That, and there was ample amounts of shade to protect me from the sun. The Bistro was preparing for the dinner run while entertaining a few guests. It’s nice when your subjects sit somewhat still. 

When it’s nice, I go to Randalls Island to skate around the park or spend time with friends. This was done on my birthday in May, during the height of the first wave of the pandemic. A little kid came over and watched me paint the entire thing. He had a lot of stories. He told me how his older sister is plotting his murder, about his favorite Lamborghini matchbox car, and how he could see the Coronavirus. He claims it’s yellow. I believe him. 

A quick sketch of the scaffolding at the base of the Flatiron. It’s a pretty busy intersection but I had a great view from the entrance to Madison Square Park. I was going on a trip later that day so I had just a bit of time in the afternoon to go knock out a painting. 

A couple of my closest friends walk the beach in Mexico after getting a little too friendly with a sea snake. We took pictures of the creature before “helping” it back into the Pacific Ocean. We didn’t know it at the time, but the snake was deadly. A friendly cab driver graciously informed us of the Yellow Bellied Sea Snake. A brush with death? Perhaps. 

Another entry into my series of nocturnal bodegas. I was on a walk to a friends place in Harlem when I saw a man making bouquets for the next day. It was getting to be winter so it was quite cold out. I asked to take his picture so I could paint it later. He posed, and I went on my way.   

The painting depicts Miss Bubble’s Laundromat in East Harlem at around 11 pm. I used to spend quite some time here before I got a washing machine. Now, I just take peeks from the street. This is the third painting in my series of nighttime New York City bodegas.