Tag: Sign Painting

November 30, 2020

Hotel Chelsea Painted by Borbay

Several beers deep, meandering past the Chelsea Hotel… I was beckoned — “Hit the bodega. Buy a sixer. Come inside.”

Make like a dealer, avoid eye contact, get to the elevators… climb stairs, lose yourself, absorb art…mingle with ghosts. On the roof, crack a beer, grab a hammock, take in the washed out stars… what does it all mean?

If you told me I’d paint this picture in my 40th year, living in Idaho as a father of three…

Introducing my latest, a 20”X20”X1.5”, acrylic and enamel painting of ‘The Chelsea’. Of late, I’ve been compelled to experiment… put away the ruler and paint with emotion. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

January 15, 2020

White Horse Tavern Neon Sign Painting by Borbay

2020 is here… and so is my first signed painting — the ‘White Horse Tavern’. For those of you with literary passion… the ghost of Dylan Thomas lives here.

And, in case you haven’t heard — the White Horse is now owned by Eytan Sugarman — a gentleman I’ve come to know since beginning this piece. I’m looking forward to kicking-it with Eytan at this iconic NYC institution, drink in hand.

Care to join me on a time lapse journey? Here’s sending lots of love to MH the Verb for the 🔥 soundtrack. Call me biased, but I’m partial to those with a ‘Borbay in their hallway’ — I also enjoy imported bottles of vodka from Norway.

October 5, 2018

A Tale of Two Sahara’s, ala Vintage Las Vegas

I ran my first (and only) marathon in Las Vegas. We celebrated Erin’s 30th Birthday in Sin City. Since 2011, I’ve painted in the land of neon seven times.

So, you can imagine the stoke factor, when Kevin Barry Fine Art commissioned me to paint The Sahara — two times!

https://www.facebook.com/borbay/videos/2002883323128138/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBe17XYOwRExeBiDOr_nLzI6UyPFrvI5pPGw045p3HZ2Bjv2M7KyEFgYjkBWIS_qCLdsmsy-i80a6W-OPV3ef31ij9KY31UwZ-u46I3akn3gBEhzdNAL6oAAjHerwrq92Fl8GYsJXqGHKWxs7LXD0A22P71RcPf4vZGD_3_FaM0zS15W2Zscw&__tn__=-R

You can check the entire double feature above, in a shade over sixty seconds. Huge thanks to the Ambershift for a sizzling custom soundtrack! Now let’s take a closer look at these bad boys…

March 13, 2018

“When Gary Met Jerry” — A Portrait of Gary Cooper in Front of the Seinfeld Diner

Moving out West from Manhattan, if I set-up shop and began painting pastoral cowboy scenes… they’d (literally) run me out of town, on a rail. No. That wouldn’t work. So… over the past two years… I’ve been trying to identify my vision of the West, through the lens of the East. Finally — the epiphany — Western Cowboys from the silver screen, in front of famous NYC neons. My first? Gary Cooper, from The Westerner, on his horse, in front of the Seinfeld Diner — Monk’s (actually, Tom’s Restaurant).

The narrative? Gary arrives at Monk’s, unannounced, for a drop-in with Jerry. Jerry offers Gary a bowl of cereal. Gary offers Jerry a smoke. They both decide this isn’t working out (it’s not like Gary asked for help moving, right Keith Hernandez?)… so Gary jumps on his horse, in search a gunfight… something ‘The Westerner’ was missing.

https://www.facebook.com/borbay/videos/1648992768517702/

Check the entire process inside a hot minute, soundtrack courtesy of Gato Loco. And, pardner, do read-on for more process.

November 4, 2017

Citgo Sign Painting En Plein Air by Borbay

I first set foot on Boston University’s campus as a 17-year-old, 123-pound runner, looking to channel the Terrier. Despite graduating from the College of Fine Arts, I never painted live on the streets of Boston.

So, when I found myself in town for the first time in ten years… I decided to rectify this egregious error. With my penchant for neon, and the recent drama surrounding Citgo… the subject chose me.

June 7, 2017

Atomic Liquors Las Vegas Painting by Borbay

The energy of Fremont street followed me to Idaho. While in Vegas, I created a smaller painting of the Atomic Liquors sign… but I wanted to dig deeper. Go larger. So I did, to the tune of three by five feet.

https://www.facebook.com/borbay/videos/1381034748646840/

You can jam out to the entire process in just over one minute. Do read-on for a blow-by-blow recap of this bad boy.

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.

February 23, 2016

Apollo Theater Painting by Borbay

Manhattan inspiration found me once again… And, so, before I move to Idaho — I’d like to share my depiction of The World Famous Apollo Theater.

October 16, 2015

Cowboy Bar Neon Sign Painting in Jackson Hole Wyoming

Upon arriving in Jackson Hole for a three-month, self-funded artist residency — I found myself wandering downtown. What caught my eye in this gorgeous Western City was the glimmering neon signs… and friends, the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is something to behold.