I’m honored and delighted to share the commissioned collaboration between yours truly, and artist extraordinaire — Brendan Ben Feeney. I met BBF on Twitter many years ago… in fact, he was kind enough to send Erin and I a photograph for our wedding back in 2011.
As time developed, so too did our friendship and admiration for one another. When Ben reached out with his idea, I couldn’t wait to begin our Twin Peaks collaboration.
Here is Ben’s amazing photograph, which guided the way. This work was featured in Tufts Magazine, along with an in-depth profile on BBF.
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…
Another day in Montauk, another painting. Following an amazing evening at Navy Beach, Paul Zepeda and me hit Ditch Plains beach in search of good bungalow.
Take a look at this beautiful video created by talented artist and teacher Lora Sanders. Each year Lora’s students create work in the Borbay style, using my online process as a guideline. The video tells the tale… so I’ll let it do the talking.
Getting married was the finest experience of my life… and it has everything to do with my bride — Erin. Her folks, Jeanne and Tom, hosted our dream wedding in their Minnetonka, Minnesota backyard this past July. I couldn’t think of a better moment to capture than this image of my wife smiling in the backyard where she grew up and where we were married.
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.
You're here, and I love you for it.
Join me. Let's do this together.