Nothing beats a quick, fresh and loose plein air painting session on a Saturday. Setting up on my roof deck, I decided to capture the TriBoro Bridge (renamed the Robert F Kennedy Bridge in a fit of fine fiscal judgment by the perpetually frisky, former fat kat of Albany.) My objective was to keep it loose, explore and play with the paint without an preconceived notions.
When Dave, Randi and I began discussing a commissioned piece, I asked them to think of meaningful places in Manhattan. After a few back and forth emails, they decided on the place they were married – the South Street Seaport. To get things rolling, I spent a sunny afternoon taking shots in the area from about twenty different angles. From there, I narrowed-down, cropped and emailed six choices to the Wenders.
And the Central Park Boathouse commission is now complete. To recap: In early January, Stephanie, Scott and Ryan (their son) Gurtman came by my studio for an up-close-and-personal view of my work. With a vision of a painting in mind, we discussed a commissioned piece and the Gurtman’s decided to give the image some thought. The initial concept of painting J.G. Melon shifted to the Central Park Boathouse, they place they were married.
The year was 1925, the heart of the roaring twenties. New Yorker protagonist Eustace Tilley (below) had little on his mind other than butterflies and jazz ensembles. That was then. Today, poor old Eustace is out of sorts. The headlines illustrate doom and gloom. Strange new breeds of Three Term Changing Butterflies demand attention… he feels guilty. A rich man in a sea of social decline, afraid of terrorism, wondering who wants to kill him and his way of life.
Continuing on my new collage series, I decided to create a self portrait. With nothing but time – thanks broken leg – I decided to tackle a large-scale, three-by-four-foot format. Here it is, a portrait of the artist as a not so young man – comprised of the printed page, clippings from @TheNewYorkPost – which one day in the near future will no longer be in print, but rather illuminated on a digital screen. Read more
Sometimes there’s a man. Sometimes, that man spends 14 hours a day sitting on his couch, leg elevated, popping painkillers. That man is me, and this painting, is a 6″X18″ rendering of the Empire State Building. To date, I have done many Chrysler Building pictures, so it was high-time for an Empire.
Sometimes everything comes together, and who doesn’t love that. Putting out an APB for new painting locations on Facebook, my good friend Conor McClintock and his lady Crystal offered up their downtown Chicago Carriage House lodgings – drinks included. With a place to stay lined up, I managed to secure a plane ticket for $110 – bully.
My painting of the Woolworth Building from financial technology leader WhenTech’s 34th floor 7 World Trade Center office has been completed. The first sessions focused on creating the structure during the day. Subsequent efforts included darkening the picture, then recreating the man-made lights at night.
If He-Man were alive today, he might thrust his sword to the sky and declare, “I have the Power of the Twitterverse!”
After three days in Times Square, my ESPN Zone NYC picture has been completed. About a month ago, I was painting Elaine’s on 2nd Avenue, when ESPN Zone’s Marketing Manager stopped by. She inquired about my painting their storefront in honor of ESPN Zone NYC‘s ten year anniversary.
Become a Borbay V.I.P.
You'll be first to hear about new works, pre-sale's, market updates and much, much more.
Welcome, I appreciate you, and can't wait to share the biggest news from Borbay Studios & Gallery!
You'll be first to hear about new works, pre-sale's, market updates and much, much more.