It began with a tweet. Alan Rich responded, recommending yours truly — one hour later, I was on a call with Brian Reich of the UN Refugee Agency, discussing the project.
The concept? A New Yorker-inspired painting, addressing the Global Refugee Crisis. Brian’s original 9th Avenue World View idea, transformed to a modern take on the original New Yorker cover, featuring Eustace Tilley… the New York Dandy.
You can view the entire process captured in time lapse, with a powerful soundtrack courtesy of MH the Verb and GR Stone...
Choosing the headlines for a project of this magnitude required careful, diligent collaboration. Following several back-and-forth rounds with Brian, we discovered a perfect balance.
Here, you can see the collage map alongside the trimmed content, ready for pasting.
Collaged and ready for paint.
Orange under painting, orange wash.
A gentle blue gradient in the sky.
Drawing in “The New Crisis” — found the appropriate typeface for The New Yorker, and re-created the masthead. Incidentally, for years, The New Yorker hosted “Eustace Tilley” design contests… I entered in 2010.
Painting in section by section… burgundy red, hunter green, shades of grey… regal.
And with the addition of a butterfly… The New Crisis. It was a pleasure working with you Brian.
New Paintings. Works-in-Progress. Insider Art Market Information.
Another newsletter? You got that right. I'll honor and respect your inbox, as if it were my own. I endeavor to share everything happening at Borbay Studios & Gallery. No daily updates. No weekly updates. Simply a message, every month or two... updates on life, creativity, and the journey that began on July 2, 2009. Let's be in touch, as the first leg of my quest reaches completion in 2026. From a studio in my 600-foot Upper East Side apartment living room, to a museum collection. Oh, but friend, that is just the beginning. The road is long, and I am looking for cool, sophisticated company to navigate each challenging turn.
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