St. John's Lutheran Church, Greenwich Village

The latest, finished a couple of weeks ago. It was too large for a regular scanner, so had it scanned at a photo shop. I've painted the St. John's cupola before, but not from this angle. The sky proved especially difficult because I wanted a lot of realistic variation in color and texture (and I generally refuse to paint a plain "blue" sky). 12" x 18", watercolor, pen & ink, Fabriano paper.

Rainy Tulips

Wisteria Lane

Each year this huge wisteria (on 10th St. between Fifth and Sixth avenues) provides an incredible spring show of blossoms. I'm not sure I'd want one quite this large climbing on my multi-million-dollar, 19th century townhouse, but it's certainly lovely for the rest of us!

Signs of Spring around the neighborhood . . .

Perry Street Revisited

If you've followed this blog from its early days you might recall this subject from an earlier work. I first painted this window and fire escape on Perry Street about two years ago. One of my favorite paintings, I included it in last year's show and sold it to a woman for whom the subject evoked memories of her family's World War II-era Harlem apartment. I was sorry to see the picture go - but happy to have sold a painting.

At the time I promised myself to revisit the picture - sooner rather than later - but didn't take up the project until a couple of weeks ago when I made the initial rough sketch. Last week I realized it would be a perfect image for a detailed pen and ink drawing with watercolor washes. So for the last several days I've worked until 1 and 2 a.m., squinting through my glasses to get the India ink details just right. Once that was done, the watercolor portion moved rather quickly. This time the image is slightly larger - 9"x12" rather than 8"x10" - and I cropped the view just a little. The results, I think, are as satisfactory as the original. And this version I will not sell! On to the next project! (9" x 12", pen and India ink, watercolors, Fabriano paper) You can click on this thumbnail for a larger image.

West Village Halloween

Last weekend we enjoyed a bit of Halloween fun with the West Village Halloween Festival, held annual at Bleecker Playground. Then the kids trick-or-treated along Hudson and Bleecker Streets, with businesses handing out generous amounts of candy. Tomorrow they'll have a big Halloween parade at their school and in the evening my boys will trick-or-treat in the neighborhood and in our building. I'm always amazed at the amount of candy they receive - far more than I ever got as a child! But like most parents we ration it out carefully and most of the time they lose interest in it after a week or two.

This year both of them - oddly - decided to dress up as Darth Vader. We're still not really sure why, but I suspect it was because of the light sabers. I suggested to Sam that he trade the saber for his guitar and go as "Garth" Vader - but I don't think many people would get the joke. By tomorrow evening we'll be locked away at home to avoid the hordes who flock to the neighborhood for the infamous Greenwich Village Halloween Parade.

Four from the Weekend

The gargoyle stands guard outside a costume and "Goth" fashion store on Fourth Ave. in the East Village. If you're in the market for spiked leather clothing and equally scary accessories just to see that Black Sabbath tribute band you've been pining over, look no further. Teen vampires would feel right at home.

Another Shop Cat

This friendly feline lives at "Aphrodisia" on Bleecker Street. She's usually asleep in the window or perched on a pillow-covered stool farther back in the shop.

Playground

Over the last several years we've spent countless hours at the Bleecker Playground. That time, however, seems to be coming to an end. While the boys were once among the little ones toddling around and climbing tentatively on the equipment, they're now among the oldest, zipping around much smaller children and nervous parents. Still, on a hot day, it's a great place to cool off in the sprinklers, running through the water and pelting each other with water balloons. My favorite time at the playground is late afternoon/early evening, when the low sun shines across the Hudson and gives everything a warm glow. Even the wet detritus of play takes on a luminous quality as the sun begins to disappear behind the buildings of Hudson Street. We'll often picnic in the playground on pleasant summer evenings, grabbing take-out from the chinese restaurant next door, mixing bites of dumplings and fried rice with dashes through the water or a turn at kickball. I'll miss the playground when the boys finally abandon it as a favorite place.

All Saints

This is All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church, located in the East Village. I've always wondered about the significance of the extra bars in the eastern orthodox cross. The top line is said to represent the headboard, and the bottom, slanted line represents the footrest. It is raised to the left side, because that was the side of the righteous criminal who said to Jesus: "remember me when you come into your kingdom." Notice the sign to the right of the church door. It's for an undertaker's business, which runs out of the basement!

The church is in an area around 3rd Avenue and 10th St. that's known for its Russian and Ukrainian businesses. In many places it's not uncommon to find signs with Cyrillic characters. We often end up over here at several favorite restaurants. I love the stuffed cabbage, pierogis, and kielbasa - but loathe the borscht, which happens to be one of my wife's favorites. Blech!

Second Cemetery

I frequently walk by this cemetery, a tiny, walled, triangular plot located on 11th Street just east of 6th Avenue. Tucked against 19th century townhouses and shaded by trees, it always seems a quiet repose disconnected from the nearby traffic. I've never seen the gate unlocked but someone obviously tends it regularly. Most of the stones are heavily weathered, so the particulars of the cemetery's residents are difficult to discern.

Founded in 1654 by a small group of Spanish and Portuguese Jews, Congregation Shearith Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in the U.S. and was the only synagogue in New York City until 1825. Over the last 350 years the congregation has moved several times, settling at its current location on West 70th St. in 1897. The congregation's "First Cemetery" (1682-1828), located in Chinatown at St. James Place opposite Chatham Square, is on the National Register. The "Second Cemetery," pictured here, was originally much larger and square. In 1830, 11th Street was cut through the neighborhood, leaving the cemetery in its present triangular configuration, with only twenty stones remaining. The "Third Cemetery," on 21st St. between 6th and 7th Avenues, was used from 1829 until 1851.

Wednesday Flowers

From yesterday's travels . . . sunflowers from the flower district and irises in the Jefferson Market Garden on Greenwich Avenue.

Bodega Calico

I encountered this sweet little calico, probably no more than seven or eight months old, in a bodega on Hudson Street near St. Luke in the Fields. She was a little skittish each time we walked in here over the weekend, but curiosity always drew her out after a few seconds and she quickly became very affectionate and friendly.