Category: Painting Process

May 2, 2017

As Fast As Fast Can Be — The Jackson Hole Jackalope Painting

“You said you’d never paint animals!”

“I never said that.”

Actual quote from the Jackson Hole News & Guide, “There’s this notion of Western art and these traditional scenes with cowboys and Indians and I feel like the same bear and wolf have been painted maybe a thousand times,” (Borbay) said. “I love signage. I’m a city guy at heart. I want to bring my vision here. I’m not going to go and start painting just a bunch of straight-up animal scenes to cater to the market.”

Mmmm, those words are delicious. And so is the mythological Jackalope.

https://www.facebook.com/borbay/videos/1345718422178473/

Let’s get back to square one, and watch this baby come together in time lapse… another beauty of a soundtrack from MH the Verb! Oh, and do read on for the hop-by-hop recap.

April 25, 2017

Atomic Liquors En Plein Vegas Air

Atomic Liquors is the oldest freestanding bar in Las Vegas, with liquor license #0001. Back in the day, folks would head up to the roof with a cocktail to watch the nukes go boom in the horizon about 50 miles away. That seems dangerous to me, but I carry a cell phone in my front pocket — so what do I know? This baby has been featured in scores of movies… and is flat out one of the best damn neon signs in the world.

Here is a snap of the glorious sign, lit-up beautifully, on a warm Vegas night.

April 6, 2017

Hollywood Sign Neon Painting by Borbay

I’ve wanted to paint this for well over a decade, but I needed time to discover the right approach. Over the past year, I began wondering — what would the Hollywood Sign look like as a giant neon? There was precedent — at the turn of the millennium, the sign was ablaze in color — minus the tubes. So, with this as a general guide… I began to reinvent… on a large scale.

https://www.facebook.com/borbay/videos/1308392182577764/

Check the full video… or read on, for a step-by-step analysis of the process.

March 7, 2017

Howdy Stranger Yonder Is Jackson Hole Sign Painting

Howdy Stranger! I’d like to introduce my latest painting…

You can experience a version of this beautiful sign at the top of Teton Pass. Another once graced the Jackson Hole Airport exit… alas, the times, they are a’changin.

Would you like to see the entire painting come together in one minute? Fantastic! Do read on for a detailed, step-by-step process analysis.

March 1, 2017

A Breathtaking View From The Four Seasons Jackson Hole

Ah, that Four Seasons Jackson Hole view… I had the great fortune of setting-up my easel to capture the legendary slopes for a second time…

https://www.facebook.com/borbay/videos/1271636719586644/

Here is the entire process captured in time lapse… that soundtrack? Yes, MH the Verb is spectacular. Do read on friend…

February 9, 2017

Old Town Bar Neon Sign Painting

Whenever I return to Manhattan, I find myself wandering the streets… memories, flowing like wine. In November, I met good friend, Tony Black, for a pint of the dark stuff at Old Town. Before leaving, I told the owner, Fitz, “I’m going to paint your sign.”

They say, “do what you say you’re going to do,” so I did… and here was my source image.

My legally issued artistic license allows for interpretation. If you’d like to see the entire process in one minute in time lapse, narrated by yours truly… view this video… more of a photo and commentary person? Read on dear friend.

January 11, 2017

A Portrait of Nelson Mandela

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was a passionate leader… someone who spent 27 years in prison for his convictions, fought apartheid, and triumphantly became South Africa’s first black chief executive. When I was commissioned to create this portrait of Madiba… I immersed myself in the life and times of one of the world’s great leaders.

You can view the entire painting process, narrated by yours truly, in one minute. Do read on for a step-by-step analysis of the process.

January 2, 2017

Four Winds Jackson Hole Neon Sign Painting

Allow me to introduce the Four Winds, Jackson Hole. This 48″X48″, acrylic on canvas neon painting has been dying to meet you.

Would you like to see how this baby came together in one minute?

November 16, 2016

Carlos Danger Glows Ominously In The Arizona Night

Sometimes… the connection finds you. While researching neon signs, I discovered the Blue Swallow Motel. My attention immediately turned to the swooping bird… reminiscent of Twitter’s logo. Most 140-character-missives dissolve into the collective unconscious… some, as we now know, can change history.

I’ve been wanting to create a piece exploring Anthony Weiner’s pseudonym, ‘Carlos Danger‘, for ages — and the Blue Swallow triggered a memory. I met Weiner back in 2011, just as his first scandal hit the airwaves. Weiner is an ice hockey goalie, for those who don’t know. Clearly, Anthony had his hands full, so the team needed an emergency substitute keeper — not uncommon in beer league.

So there I am, half suited-up and ready to skate — when a distraught Weiner shows up in long baggy basketball shorts and a rather unseemly tank top. He began whining to the captain, who was sitting next to me getting his skates on. Needing the “stress relief”, he pleaded for the crease. I told the captain, “your team, your choice. If I bounce, you need to give me 30 bucks and a six pack.”

Well, the captain paid up, I got undressed and went home. The next day, I received a call, “sorry man, I wish you played, we lost 12-3. I’m trying to get a municipal contract out of him, so you know how it goes.” Even beer league hockey is ruled by politics.

I digress. Here is the dangerous process from start-to-finish captured in time lapse, with a soundtrack courtesy of my man MH the Verb. Read on for the creative process…

October 29, 2016

Ashes Hotel Bar Neon Sign

At their root, all signs exist to provide information. Some hope to offer a warm welcome. Great signs do way more, they evoke emotion and often memories.

For those of you in the community of people who had the privilege of spending a summer, or more, at Camp Echo Lake in upstate Warrensburg, NY, there are a series of signs that, when seen in sequence, take each and every one of you from happiness to bliss.