Now at Flux Factory, Picturing the Unprintable…

This painting, Fairmount Theater II, is featured in an Exposition entitled  “Picturing the Unprintable” at Flux Factory 39-31 29t Street, Long Island City, New York.  It was the subject of my post of February 28, 2015 (On Becoming a Serial Finisher).  The opening is tonight, October 7, 2016 and the show runs until October 16.  The show was inspired by the novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Earnest Hemingway.  It explores the idea of what … Read more

L’Heure Bleue (The Blue Hour)

I thought the Blue Hour only occurred in France, perhaps because it was here in Paris that I first appreciated it.  But in fact, the Blue Hour can occur anywhere on earth, either in the city or in the countryside.  In Spain it’s called La Hora Azul. During twilight, when the sun descends between 4 and 6 degrees below the horizon, the Blue Hour can happen.  A lot depends on temperature, the amount of … Read more

The Candy Man…

Dear Friends and Family, Candy has always played an important part in my life. My first memory of candy was as a little boy playing in my back yard. Mrs. Nolan would sit in her open window next door, on the second floor. She’d call to me and throw a paper bag filled with candy. It would sometimes get stuck in the grape arbor and I’d have to climb up to get it, but … Read more

How do you find a missing train…?

This is the time of year when people really start traveling in France. The two week school vacation for Parisian children has just ended, and the May holidays are still to come.  Train stations and airports have been busy with families going to the north and west coasts, and the south of France, or to other parts of Europe.  In a month or two the school trips for springtime will begin.  College students will … Read more

Please don’t paint the Monuments…

I never paint the Monuments.  There is something about a place, especially Paris, that I prefer to capture by painting the stones, the streets, the waterways, and the light.  I’ve painted many pictures of Paris, which you can see here, but this is one exception.  This is La Madeleine (Church of Saint Mary Magdalene). La Madeleine was completed in 1828, as a temple to glorify Napoleon’s Army.  It doesn’t look like a church to … Read more

Early Morning Drives…

Dear Friends and Family, On trips to Connecticut from France we usually experience jet-lag, but in a good way, waking up early, around 4am. One morning my daughter asked if we could take a drive. Where? Anywhere. Shall we drive north, west or east? We drive east, just drive for a couple of hours, enjoying the sky lightening in front of us. We always drive on secondary roads, this time on Route 1, the … Read more

Night Lights…

This painting is of the early morning light looking west from my bedroom window. Before the recent terrorist attacks on Paris, I would often be awakened at night to the sounds of people making their way uphill from Place Saint George to Sacré-Cœur.  My bedroom window opens onto the street which seems to be their direct route.  What I miss, (or maybe don’t miss) most is the sound of revelers and the clackety-clack of … Read more

The Top 6 Posts from the Last 3 Years…

  We normally spend New Year’s Eve in Philadelphia with our good friends.  On a recent trip to “The City of Brotherly Love,” I found Meglio Furs, on South Broad Street.  The store is closed, but the sign remains.  A couple of websites talk about the store.  Here is a good one, a real estate blog called Naked Philly.  I love this sign, a remembrance of the style and taste of the 40’s and … Read more

Thankful…

Dear Friends and Family, This is the Canal Saint Martin, in Paris.  About a 30 minute walk from my house.  It’s an even shorter walk from the Canal to the Bataclan Music Hall, where some of the horrible events of Friday, November 13, 2015 took place in Paris.  In the evenings, especially on weekends, this area is filled with young people enjoying picnics by the water, sitting in cafes, and riding bikes. This is … Read more

Orange is the new… orange

There is no substitute for orange.  The color orange sits on the color wheel between the primaries red and yellow.  It’s a mixture of those two warm colors.  No other primary or secondary color is situated between two warm colors.  In one direction orange leans to red and in the opposite direction it leans to yellow.  That’s why orange is the warmest color. I’ve often wondered why orange and black are Halloween colors. Maybe … Read more