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.
You can move a New Yorker to Idaho… but the heart of a New Yorker is forever on the island of Manhattan. And, so, I was delighted to share my life story with New York Lifestyles Magazine!
Oh, yes, and do click on any image for a closer inspection.
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.
My ‘East Meets West’ series is now two strong! Introducing “The Good, The Bad, and The Fanelli’s” — my portrait of Clint Eastwood as Blondie from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; hanging in front of Fanelli’s on Prince Street, in Manhattan.
Here is the entire painting process distilled into a 50-second time-lapse…. peace to Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda for the dope soundtrack. Now, let’s see this baby come to life, step-by-step…
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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jason T. Borbet | +1.646.469.6496 | jason@borbay.com
NEW YORK, NY – October 25, 2016 — Time Out Magazine’s Most Creative New Yorker, Borbay, is returning to Manhattan for the inaugural Accessible Art Fair New York at The National Arts Club. Selected by a star-studded jury, including representatives from Sotheby’s, Gagosian Gallery, Christie’s Collectrium and artnet News — Borbay will exhibit three paintings in his electric, 80% sold-out neon series.
“Manhattan will always hold a special place in my heart. My girls were born in our apartment on East 20th Street, so returning to share my new series in Gramercy Park represents the best kind of reverse commute.”
The Accessible Art Fair New York runs from November 1-25th, with VIP Opening Reception’s on November 1st and 2nd.
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.
The neon train continues with this 14″X18″ canvas of Fedora — a West Village staple (now gratuity free).
This painting wasn’t going to happen. I was focused on moving our family from Minnesota to Idaho, when I completed packing five days early. A blank canvas taunts a painter like a blank page tortures the writer — so, I got to work.
