On July 2, 2009 — I became a full-time artist. My first sale? A 30″X30″ painting of The Guggenheim, created on 5th Avenue, in front of The Guggenheim. When the desire to paint Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece struck again, it felt too opportunistic… unless. Unless it became something grandiose… a benchmark for my career.
So, I decided to paint The Guggenheim, each year, for twenty years. Back then, as a dude living in NYC with a steady girl and a scary new career — it felt impossible. Today, I find myself living in Idaho, married, with three kids and nine Gugg’s to go.
Frederick Law Olmsted was a genius of unfathomable proportion. This gentleman saw the center of a bustling island, and envisioned 1.317 square miles of trees, hills, bridges, lakes and pathways — and invented Central Park.
Having spent 12 years living in Manhattan (10 of which, were on the Upper East Side) — The Park was my home away from home, through which I ran 1000’s of miles, played 100’s of hockey games, and spent countless hours exploring, thinking, enjoying… being connected to my inner self.
So, when longtime collector, Debbie Paul, commissioned me to create this 48″x56″ acrylic on canvas painting — it became a most welcome time warp… and, eventually, my greatest creative challenge to date. You can view the time lapse immediately above… and click onward for the stroke-by-stroke recap.
Introducing the 10th Guggenheim in my 20-year-series… aptly titled, “Guggenheim 10”.
By all accounts — this painting was a journey. After kicking-off the under-painting of this piece in June, I noticed the canvas was warped, so I slashed it to bits, and started over. Following that, I found myself traveling around the world… Vegas, Paris, Antwerp, Amsterdam… then, I received a beautiful wave of commissions. As a result… this piece took much longer than anticipated.
I’m excited to share my hand-painted-plate for this year’s 3rd Annual Plate Auction! I’m batting 1000% in participation for this amazing event, which will go down October 11th, at The Center For The Arts Jackson Hole. All proceeds from the evening will benefit Community Entry Services, Jackson Hole.
2017 — what a year! Our family grew by one, with the addition of our son Esser. I spent the summer painting in Teton Village, created many paintings and even went snowshoeing! It was major… let’s take it from the top, with a time warp back to January…
If you would have told me, “man, you’ll be a married father-of-two, living in Idaho by your 36th year”… I’d have replied, “whatcha talkin’ bout”, and called you Willis.
In the summer of 2009, I painted the Guggenheim on a 30″X30″ canvas and practically sold it on the street. In 2010, I longed to paint the Gugg once more… but it felt wrong. Opportunistic.
Unless? I wondered… if I made a more serious commitment. And with that, I decided to paint a 30″X30″ Guggenheim, each summer, for 20 years. Today, I’m proud to share Guggenheim #8 — “The Neon Guggenheim”. Fittingly, this painting will debut at The National Arts Club in November, for the Accessible Art Fair.
MH the Verb sent me “Good Morning”, and, well, I couldn’t cut a single beat… so this video is long, strong and down to put the acrylic on. From MH, “‘Good Morning‘ perfectly exemplifies the collaborative style ArtHouse95 is all about. I produced the track featuring live bass from engineer, Dave Humes and layered drums. It’s pure Hip Hop… digging crates for the perfect sample, chopping the jazzy groove, and linking with two of Philadelphia’s most lyrical emcees – Drusef and Mic Stew. We wrote the song during a cloudy studio session a couple years ago while reflecting on our daily grind and ambition as artists. The homie, Kuf Knotz even had to make a guest appearance at the end. Overall, when the beat drops after the intro, you can feel the energy build… I just can’t wait for people to hear what comes next.
Enjoy… and do read on for an unusual painting recap.
Two days ago, I check the mail and discover one of those letters with a translucent window. Money!
Indeed. Chase had kindly closed one of my accounts (upon request). Lo — a whopping $.01 remained. Fortunately, someone decided, “by the time we invoice, cut, print and mail this check — we’ll be $2.45 in the hole — let’s send the thing.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jason T. Borbet | +1.646.469.6496 | jason@borbay.com
JACKSON, WY – June 2, 2016 — Time Out Magazine’s Most Creative New Yorker and Teton Valley transplant, Borbay, will debut his electric light paintings at the Art Association Gallery located at 240 South Glenwood St., Jackson, WY 83002, from June 18 – July 30, 2016. The acrylic paintings showcased explore the interaction of natural and man-made light, in dazzling Manhattan and Jackson locations. Read more
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.
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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