Winter Scenes

11 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

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I am back from New York City, and busy in the studio trying to complete three canvases I have been working on since before Christmas. Tonight there is a possibility of freezing rain. Winter.

I am never happier than in my studio when the work is going well, no matter what the weather outside.

But as content as I am, I miss the snow and museums of last week’s visit to New York.

Even as I work at my easel, my thoughts continually return to those amazing winter scenes of Central Park. Perhaps because I grew up in New York, no matter how cold or uninviting it may seem to most tourists, I still gain new energy from it whatever the weather.

The last Friday of my visit I got up and out early so I could get to the Museum of Modern Art right as it opened. Usually that is not the smartest strategy, but I figured with the frigid temps (high of 22 degrees that day), the usual opening line would be diminished.

I was right. I walked right up to the ticket desk and passed information to check my coat. There was an amazing multi-screen installation in the upper lobby which I went in and out of all day.

I was ready for MOMA.

Always one of my favorite museums, I have read recently that MOMA is getting ready to do a major renovation. I’m not sure how I feel about that. So much of the museum seems still familiar to me from my youth, even though I know they have changed things before now.

Still, walking through the galleries, I feel like I have come home.

I’ll never tire of the museum, no matter what they do to expand or rearrange it.

And even though some of the more contemporary exhibitions can be daunting, I still find favorites mixed in.

I am not as much into experimental or performance art. I still prefer paint on canvas or paper, or sculpture that seems to recall rather than confound.

But the whole package is sublime, and the images kept me warm all day whether inside…

…or back out into the winter fantasy of Central Park.

Sometimes a winter day is the perfect day to be in the city.

All photos by me of Central Park and MOMA.

Winter Escape

06 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, Travel, Uncategorized

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Central Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

I have been putting a lot of hours in at the studio over the past several months and loving every minute of it. What better way to spend this long, cold winter.

Fifth Avenue, next to Central Park, in New York City.

But at times the artist needs to go out in to the real world to find new inspiration and increase their artistic vocabulary. A good friend of mine, and wonderful painter, was having a show in New York City this week, and I decided it was the push I needed to go up north and revisit the area that had inspired me so much in the past. And a little snow never hurt anyone.

Entering Central Park early in the morning.

After one plane delay, and many icy encounters, I reached New York City. And it was magical in the snow. I started my visit by entering Central Park’s south edge early the next morning…

Entering the Mall area.

The avenue of old elms was closed to pedestrian traffic for fear of falling ice and branches.

Benches are waiting for spring.

And ended at the Metropolitan Museum of Art….

The lobby of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

which was bursting with forsythia. Spring must not be too far off.

I spent hours wandering through the maze of galleries…

visiting old favorites,

Degas and Ballet…classic beauty

and discovering new surprises.

In the Asia wing, these classic statues...

In the Asia wing, these imposing statues…

face off with this contemporary brushwork.

It was as wonderful as I remembered.

A group of artists spend their morning sketching.

I only gave up when my legs couldn’t walk one more step, and stopped at the American Wing Cafe to take a break.

I think I’ll dream about forsythia tonight.

And remember enough images for a seasons worth of inspiration.

A Walk in Central Park

01 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

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Central Park, New York

I finally finished “Summer Afternoon in Central Park”, another painting in my Cities Series. The 30 x 24 canvas went through many stages before I was finally satisfied with the results.

It started with a bright undertone of pinks and lavender.

A warm glow of rose madder pigment under it all.

I slowly built up the cathedral-like canopy of the trees. It was important for me to show the magnificent height of the huge, old trees without losing the city dwellers below. You enter this alley of trees and feel instantly at peace. I love this part of the park. It is in the area called “The Mall” and the trees are incredible.

The stone pedestal and plant in the foreground anchors the scene

The park is always busy, but somehow the trees and green space make it seem calm and renewing. The trees are American Elm trees, and are unbelievably magnificent. This is one of the the largest and last remaining stands of these trees in North America.

I wanted to fill in the tree trunks without losing the delicacy

The sunlight coming through the branches almost makes it look like stained glass.

More green

When you walk down the wide promenade, you focus on the sky. I wanted the painting to make you look up even though all the activity is on the path.

Central Park benches and lampposts are unique.

I love Central Park. From the first moment I was allowed to go in to NYC by myself or with friends my age, I found my way to the park. And then in my 40s, I had a small studio apartment right off the park on Central Park West, an easy escape into tranquility that I took full advantage of.

I think this picture captures that peace…

Finally, the painting is finished

City Parks: London, Paris & New York

06 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, England, entertainment, Gardens, London, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

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Central Park, New York City, Paris, St James's, The Tuileries

I have always loved large cities. And traveling has just increased that love and fascination. What is it about these magnificent cities that lure me back again and again?

A Paris street. Photo by me

I think there is something incredibly special about spending a day in a major city–visiting museums,

maybe a movie or a show…

Times Square in New York City, featuring a movie, a play or just people watching. Photo by me.

or a bit of leisurely window shopping…

Window shopping in Paris. Photo by me.

A shop windows near St. James Palace in London, photo by me

A shop windows near St. James’s Palace in London, photo by me.

And then when you have just about had enough (but never quite), and your feet cannot carry you another block, you find a corner of a cozy park to settle down in with a cup of coffee or a cold drink.

A quiet corner of Central Park, NYC, in summer. Photo by me.

Central Park in summer, with a jazz musician playing under the bridge. Photo by me.

I think it is part of what makes a great city, well, great. A green oasis in the center of the bustle and noise. They have their own excitement and energy…

Central Park in summer, photo by me.

But also moments of peace and tranquility.

Sailing boats in Central Park, NYC. Photo by me.

Of course, I grew up near New York City on Long Island, and spent many happy hours in Central Park. And in the decades I worked in Washington, DC as a graphic designer, I also had a small studio apartment in NYC right across the street from Central Park. I could walk out the door of the building, cross the heavy traffic of Central Park West and I was in that very special place…a city park.

One of Central Park’s Broad Avenues. Photo by me

I have many images of Central Park that I have been looking at and sketching as part of the “Cities” series of paintings I have been working on this year. One of the things I have noticed working on this series is how similar the great parks are. Although each region has its own personality, the parks also have common elements–the broad walking paths, gorgeous ancient trees, people playing games…socializing…walking, and cool swaths of rolling lawn. And of course a water feature.

St. James Park, London. Photo by me.

In London, I think my favorite park is St. James’s Park.

The London park’s incredible flowers. Is it the abundance of rain? Photo by me.

Right down the street from Buckingham Palace you can always find a garden or a group of ducks on the edge of the lake that help to rejuvenate you.

One of St. James’s noisiest residents. Photo by me.

Kensington Gardens, a Royal Park, is one of my new favorites in London, just between Hyde Park and Kensington Palace. On my last trip to London in November it was golden, and I managed to take lots of pictures.

Kensington Park, London. Photo by me.

Luckily a painting was born. I look at this, and see any of the parks I have visited in large cities. This is just the beginning, but although it is Kensington, it could be a scene in New York or Paris.

The beginning of a painting of Kensington Park. Oil sketch by me

The three women are connecting with each other as they stroll through the lanes. You can hear children playing the background, maybe a dog barking, but mostly it is a quiet space where the women stroll in their own special world. The beauty of parks in a big city is it offers the residents a place to come together before retreating back to their small, or large, living spaces behind locked doors.

It reminds me of the painting I did of Bath, England a few years ago. The two women are alone under the trees walking and talking.

“The Voyeur”, painting by me.

In Paris, my favorite park is definitely, without a doubt, the Tuileries. It is a spectacular park. And is so “Parisian”.

The Tuileries in Paris. Photo by me.

All the elements of the other parks are there. The social games…

My version of the scene…

The water feature…

The edge of the Tuileries with the Louvre in the background. Photo by me.

The grand trees and broad avenues …

A lovely road through the park. Photo by me.

In Paris, everything is so neatly trimmed unlike the wild abandon of the English parks…

Kensington’s ducks being fed. Photo by me.

Or the naturally sculpted woods of Central Park…

Central Park’s rolling lawns. Photo by me.

But each has its own special magic. I can’t imagine if I really had to pick a favorite, which it would be.

Good night, dear cities. Sleep well. Your parks will wake up early in the morning.

Paris from my hotel window. Just beyond the rooftops, is The Tuileries. Photo by me.

Ice skating on both sides of the pond

27 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by pat in England, London, Travel, Uncategorized

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Central Park, Ice skating, London, New York City, winter

As winter arrives, outdoor ice skating rinks appear in London. They open from mid-November to mid-January and many have special events happening throughout the season.

The skating ring at Somerset House. photo by Michael Pead, creative commons

I love the idea that these skating spots pop up throughout the city for the season. There’s advantages to being in a very cold country. The rink at Somerset House is open until January 22nd this year. They even have a New Year’s Eve party. The one at the Natural History Museum is only open until January 8th.

One of the ice rinks set up over the Christmas period was this one at the Natural History Museum, London. photo by Christine Matthews, creative commons

They materialize like magic, some in small corners, some in a space much more grand. The space at the Royal Naval College looks spectacular from past years.

The Xmas Ice Skating Rink, Old Royal Naval College The Ice Skating Rink at the Old Royal Naval College has become a regular feature in Greenwich during December/January. Canary Wharf and the other office blocks on the Isle of Dogs, just across the River Thames, can be seen in the background. photo by Katherine Tyrrell, Creative Commons

I grew up on Long Island in New York, and loved escaping down to the local pond to go ice skating when I was a child. It was always a fight for space on the slick surface between the boys trying to play hockey and the girls practicing their twirls.

But when I got older, I had the joy of having an apartment for a decade in New York City. It was a wonderful time of year when my sister and I could head over to Central Park and see the rink being readied for skaters.

Heading over to skate in Central Park years ago in New York City. Photo by my sister and skating companion.

It was a small circle to go round and round in, but fun none the less. And there was hot chocolate to be had at the end of the day.

The Central Park skating rink in New York City getting ready for visitors

We couldn’t wait to get out there. It was definitely a city rite of winter.

My sister skating in Central Park. Photo by me.

For pure crowd watching nothing was better than the ice skaters at Rockefeller Plaza. I never skated there, but spent hours standing at the elevated railing watching the show below. There was such a variety of people swirling around on the ice.

There was one particular man that did almost a slow motion dance on the ice. For years when I returned he would be there, doing his dreamy, Tai Chi like moves on the ice. I wondered if he ever left. Often my sister and I would stand above the rink and watch him do his moves. And then one day we returned and he was not there, and we never saw him again. We often comment on him when we see the rink, and wonder where our mystery skater has disappeared to.

Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center, photo by Andy C, creative commons

A new favorite rink is the one at Bryant Park behind the NYC Public Library. This one is open well into February this year. One more place to pass the winter season with swirls and twirls, and maybe a few bruises. But the hot chocolate is always available.

Skating at Bryant Park NYC. photo by Beyond my Ken, creative commons

I love that both cities, London and New York, have their own traditions of winter skating that are so similar and yet distinct to the individual city. I’m not sure which is my favorite spot, but I think it must be Central Park because of the memories.

accentBritain

~ a romance with art and all things British

Tag Archives: Central Park

Winter Scenes

Winter Escape

A Walk in Central Park

City Parks: London, Paris & New York

Ice skating on both sides of the pond