Ernest Flagg

Shooting photos of interesting architectural elements recently, I ran across a couple of buildings that immediately grabbed my attention. The Singer Manufacturing Company building, a 12-story structure, was designed by Ernest Flagg and completed in 1904. Flagg's design represented a departure from the thick masonry walls and small windows that defined architectural style at the time. The Singer building would feature an innovative structure of iron and glass, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering far more light than other buildings. Even its colors - red and green - proved innovative exceptions to the dull marbles and granites that punctuated New York's streets.

Today the building holds co-op residential units and commercial spaces. It received a renovation in the late 1990s that included significant work on the facade.

Mills House No. 1, in photos 2 and 3, is on Bleecker St. between Sullivan and Thompson Streets. Completed in 1897, the 11-story Mills House, designed to provide inexpensive housing for men in the city, it had 1,560 single-room-occupancy spaces that were no more than 5 by 7 feet in size. When it opened, the hotel charged 20 cents a night, and 10 to 15 cents a day for meals. (Mills also built two other single-room-occupancy hotels in Manhattan.) Converted to apartments in the 1970s, Mills House No. 1 became a co-op building in the 80s.

Although I didn't know it at the time I was taking these photos, Mills House No. 1 was also designed by Ernest Flagg. This structure doesn't possess the more innovative design elements of the later Singer Manufacturing Company building, but did reflect Flagg's keen interest in "fireproof construction, daylight, ventilation and housing policy."

INRI

Since taking up painting several years ago I've given a lot of thought to the issue of religious subjects. And while I've painted a couple of stained glass window images, I didn't regard them as overtly religious images. Several times I contemplated images depicting some aspect of the nativity of Jesus, but none of my ideas proved truly resonant, and thus strong enough to inspire a painting. I especially didn't want to create an image of Jesus that could be compared in any way to the ridiculously idealized Christian imagery of Warner Sallman, whose paintings of Jesus because the most widely distributed images of Jesus in the United States in the 1940s and 50s. Indeed, just about any Christian imagery would prove problematic given my opinions on the more zealous factions of the faith. These views I've made clear on numerous other occasions in this website. As I said in March 2007:

So, where does this leave me, possessing a higgledy-piggledy spiritual DNA, a double helix of agnosticism, Southern Baptist childhood, Episcopal adulthood, casual flirtations with Buddhism and Quakerism, as well as a fascination with some of the more ascetic and insular religious sects, including the Hassidim and the Amish? . . . Complicating the matter, I also represent that segment of the liberal populace that thinks "fundamentalist Christians," particularly those who identify with the Republican party and have tried to manipulate its agenda through groups like the Christian Coalition, are America's answer to 1930s fascism. These people - and not Islamic-based terrorist cells - are the most dangerous group in this country . . . but nothing new, given our nation's long history of breeding religious extremists.

That having been said, in the end, I jumped straight to the crucifixion, aiming for a more gothic representation without going so far as to imitate some of the more graphically violent aspects of Christian imagery from the Iberian tradition. No blood-soaked forehead and bleeding wounds here! And as usual, I had to take that narrowly focused perspective that only provides a hint of the whole. To be honest, I couldn't have painted the entire crucifixion from head to toe, let alone include the thieves flanking Jesus. Nevertheless, I think it retains a strength - a pathos - while avoiding some of the more "kitsch" elements of Protestant iconography.

While some observers might interpret this painting as a reflection of my own faith, it does not represent a devotional exercise in the way the creator of a gilded icon sees his effort as a form of worship. It's more an experiment - a monochromatic exercise in my development as a painter. Moreover, I've never been comfortable painting the human form, especially in a portrait setting, and this image in many respects falls into that category. Technical details: Sepia watercolor with pen and ink, on 5" x 7" Fabriano hot-pressed paper. (And for those of you not familiar with the meaning of "INRI": Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum . . . Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.)

Soho Fire Escapes, Part 2

Soho Fire Escapes, Part 1

This weekend I finally had the chance just to wander for a couple of hours and take a few photos. Walking in Soho I noticed the great variation in fire escapes on the late 19th century buildings. Some are quite ornate in their metalwork, while others reflect a simple utilitarian design.

Contains Lead

For use as a motor fuel only? What else would one do with it? I do know people who have used it on their charcoal grills - with spectacular results! But how else would one use it? I guess one could use it to clean up greasy tools. Weed killer? (So much for the environment!) And then there's the old lead issue in the gasoline from the pre-unleaded era. Where did all of that lead end up - aside from clogging up the engines of automobiles? How much of that lead attached itself to other compounds and either sits in the soil or found its way into our water tables?

I found this old Texaco gas pump (hence the bright red) in Vermont. In painting it I wanted to focus in so closely that it almost becomes abstract, while still retaining enough of its shape to be recognizable. This is another part of the series of small 5" x 7" studies of vintage objects. For the lettering I used a special Japanese brush pen that allows one to paint with the ink while maintaining precise control. Watercolor with pen and ink, Fabriano 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. (Although this Italian paper is often a bit more expensive than the Arches and other brands, I prefer its texture and the availability of brighter whites in some sizes.)

What the . . . ?

File these away in the "You never know what you're going to see next" Department. (I know, I know - the quality stinks. I couldn't avoid the reflections.) I was walking home recently and passed this sculpture studio in the upper 20s, west of Fifth Avenue. There are many shops in this neighborhood that offer similar items, plus a diverse array of antiques, vintage furniture, stuffed large animals . . . You name it! While a few of these establishments announce that they deal only in wholesale purchases made by people in the design trade, many of them advertise that their stock is available for prop rental. With so many TV shows and movies filming in New York these days, this isn't surprising. In fact, nearly every week I have at least one location scout drop by to check out our space. Having a 1906 building makes us attractive to productions seeking vintage interiors. Just this week, for example, a movie location scout stopped to ask if we had any "old, large, ornate ladies' bathrooms." Yes, an unusual request, and the scout laughed as he described walking around town asking that same question all day. Alas, we weren't able to help, but I'm sure he eventually found some "ornate ladies' bathrooms." It's not uncommon to see familiar Manhattan locations in many current TV shows, from the Law and Order franchise to Life on Mars and Gossip Girl. Still, I wonder who would need three flute-playing fauns, whether set director or interior designer!

Taxi Traffic

Here's my latest painting, showing the ubiquitous New York City "yellow" taxis waiting in traffic. This one took considerable time as I tried to get the taxis "just right" in terms of color and variation. I can't begin to count the number of washes I used just for the cars alone, and in half-a-dozen different shades of yellow and orange. Also, I faced the dilemma of how much background detail to include. In the end, I opted for a sketchier background with muted colors so attention wouldn't be drawn away from the line of cabs. Most buildings aren't very colorful anyway. The perspective is that of a pedestrian/potential passenger standing at the curb looking up and down the street looking for an available taxi. It's funny how kids in New York City quickly adapt to the ritual of hailing a cab, raising their little arms at the corner waving at oncoming vehicles. On the very rare occasions we use a taxi, Ben and Sam will step up with us and hold out their hands while expressing their preference for SUV or minivan taxis over the usual Crown Victorias. As usual, this is a 9" x 12", watercolor with pen & ink, on Fabriano cold-pressed paper, 140 lb.

Andrew Wyeth, 1917-2009

The New York Times has reported the January 15th death of painter Andrew Wyeth, one of my favorite artists. His work depicted a distinctly "American" landscape, and often the harsh realities of rural life, especially in his native eastern Pennsylvania. I'm naturally attracted to his watercolors, which often possessed a non-watercolor look because of his masterful use of the drybrush technique. He also favored use of egg tempera, an ancient, difficult medium (developed centuries before the invention of oil-based paints) that conveys an unmistakable look and depth to his works. (Another American favorite and Wyeth contemporary, George Tooker, also uses this egg tempera medium.) To read the Times full obituary for Wyeth and see a slideshow of some of his more famous paintings, follow the Times link above.

Church of the Transfiguration - Snowy Day

It's a snowy day in the city, with flurries promising a dusting of just a couple of inches. It's just a prelude to the bitter cold weather that's just now sweeping across the Midwest with record low temperatures. This kind of Arctic cold becomes problematic because the accompanying winds always funnel through the street canyons, creating nasty wind chills and hazardous walking conditions. Still, we trudge along, accustomed to walking most of the time, while taking the subway and busses for longer journeys. Hopefully I'll get to Central Park for a few moments this afternoon, camera at the ready.

These photos were taken at the Church of the Transfiguration - better known as "the Little Church Around the Corner" - on 29th Street between 5th and Madison Avenues. I got this antique look by running the photos through a conversion program found on a Japanese website. It's an interesting look, an experiment, and I'm interested in feedback.

Chrysler Building

Yesterday morning I was rushing through the bitter cold to reach Lexington Ave. and 30th Street to meet a friend for breakfast and, as I waited for the light to change, looked uptown and saw the Chrysler Building just twelve blocks away. I still think it's one of the prettiest structures in New York City, more breath-taking than even the Empire State Building.

Silhouettes

Three silhouette photos of the boys playing basketball at the playground.

Telephone: Third in a Series

Just finished this last night. It's the third in a series of small studies of once ubiquitous but now less visible objects. The first two paintings covered a manual typewriter and a wind-up alarm clock. As with the others, this painting shows the object only partially, and at an odd angle, making it almost abstract in character. (If I ever get my etsy store online I'll make notecards out of the set.) 5" x 7", watercolor, pen and ink, on Fabriano paper.

More Photobooth Fun

Once again the boys and I couldn't resist the chance to make faces in a photobooth. I never did these as a child, so I'm making up for it as an adult. However, if the boys get much bigger, we're not going to fit in the frame! (I like Ben's finger-in-nose pose. Perfect for the occasion.)

Happy Blog-iversary

Two years ago today I started this little experiment and it's amazing that it's still going - especially since it began as a New Year's resolution. I've been determined to keep up with this one and, despite a few lean months and periods of half-assed inspiration, "My Tears Spoiled My Aim" has maintained a reasonably steady flow of images, opinions and information - with 460 posts in the archive. Naturally this blog continues to evolve as my interests change and my mercurial personality travels a rather haphazard course. I look forward to a third year with this site, and hope that in the coming months I'll have new things to share and report. Lucky to live in New York City, I could hardly become bored by the daily parade of life, even if my own routine descends to the level of the mundane and stifling.

So a happy new year to all. And a "Thank You" to those of you who have been regular visitors and offered friendly comments. I always appreciate the input and enjoy the friendships.

Ralph Goings Redux

Nearly two years ago I painted this "Homage to Ralph Goings" as an experiment with the still-life genre. I also wanted to see how the watercolor medium would work with an image made popular by one of my favorite painters, Ralph Goings. He worked in oils and achieved a high degree of realism rivaled by only a few other 20th century American artists. Recently I've repainted a couple of my old favorites, revisiting images from a couple of years ago, in part because I've sold or given away earlier originals, or just want to see how my style has evolved over time. I think the newer version of the Goings still-life is brighter and perhaps crisper, with a sharper contrast between the light and shadow, especially in the salt shaker. 9" x 12" watercolor with pen and ink, 300 lb. Fabriano cold pressed paper.

The Annual Christmas Letter

Ebenezer Scrooge here . . . I want to complain about the barrage of elaborate Christmas "cards" that have those annual "letters" to everyone detailing what's happened in the previous year. In the days before email and facebook, one could excuse this kind of excess. (Although a telephone call would have been so much more meaningful. I guess we can't call everyone on our Christmas card list.) Now, however, we get cards that were designed on Shutterfly, Publisher, or other snappy design software. They come printed with full color photos of vacations and holidays worthy of an over-inflated movie review or travel agency brochure. The emailed versions are sometimes even worse, with hyperlinks to Flickr accounts and photo slideshows brought to you by the friendly folks at Wal-Mart photo labs.

Mind you, I'm not opposed to the practice in principle. It's nice to reconnect with high school classmates, bridesmaids, fraternity brothers, and anyone else with whom we've shaken hands over the last three decades. Sometimes it's just nice to know that an old friend is still alive and leading the weekly sing-along at the nursing home in one's old home town. And it's ok to tell us that you're a new grandparent or served as best man at your son's wedding.

My complaint is with the Christmas letters that ramble on for multiple pages, detailing the minutiae of a child's athletic or academic exploits. We don't need to know that your dad had successful surgery for hemorrhoids. We don't need to know about your low golf score or fantastic find at an antique show. If your Christmas letter needs a table of contents, it's too long! I realize that these are the same people who sport the "My child is an honor student at [insert school name here]" or "This car is chihuahua friendly" bumper stickers on their cars. God may be your co-pilot but he doesn't need to be given credit on a bumper sticker . . . Just as we don't need a detailed analysis of your stock portfolio's performance in the annual Christmas missive. If you really want to give out that much information, pick up the phone or schedule a visit, if that's possible. Don't assume that we all want to know you attended the World Series and cheered for the Phillies, because we rooted for the hapless Mets. (These photos came from one of my favorite websites, "Look at Me," which I've mentioned in earlier posts.)  Also, please don't take this post too seriously.  This is essentially tongue-in-cheek commentary.  :-)

Odds and Ends from Scott Farm

Just some final shots pulled from the 300 photos I took over three days in November . . .

A Pitiful, Dreadful Life?

A year ago today I wrote a little piece on one of my favorite films, It's a Wonderful Life, and, for several reasons, wanted to repost it here with some updated thoughts. It's worth noting, for example, that the film is now addressed within the context of the current "don't trust banks" mindset - a popular sentiment that punctuated the Depression-era news of bank failures and farm foreclosures. And while recent critics still praise the movie as one of Capra's best, they've tended to focus uncharacteristic attention on the darker facets of George Bailey's life and character, from abuse during his childhood to the thinly-veiled frustration and rage that surface in his darkest hours. But I think this duality is pretty typical of Capra's protagonists, from Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (Gary Cooper) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Jimmy Stewart), to the later State of the Union, with a brilliant Spencer Tracy. More serious critics may dismiss Capra as "corny," but one can't deny his brilliance as a story-teller, nor dismiss the appeal of It's a Wonderful Life. Moviegoers like to see stories of redemption, in which the "everyman" hero triumphs against long odds.

Obviously much has changed in the year since I wrote the following post, and It's a Wonderful Life continues to attract attention. Even the New York Times has taken up the subject with a couple of articles, including "Wonderful? Sorry, George, It’s a Pitiful, Dreadful Life." My original post from December 19th, 2007, follows:

It's a Wonderful Life
I had originally written a long post in response to a bit written by a friend over at another blog. She raised an interesting point about the direction our society has taken in recent years, a seasonally appropriate theme since it involves Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. Sure, jaded critics like to point out how corny Capra could be - hence the derisive term "Capra-corn" - but the director was a great storyteller. Moreover, his populist vision of America reflected a very important element in the national psyche during that period. But, alas, a computer malfunction caused me to lose two-thirds of what had become a rather curmudgeonly post on the effects of sprawl and how it is analogous to the depiction of George Bailey's alternate reality - Pottersville - in the movie. (If you've read this blog for very long, you know how I feel about sprawl!)

Last week I managed to watch bits and pieces of Capra's classic on NBC, making sure I saw that unforgettable ending. It's a Wonderful Life remains one of my favorite Christmas movies, along with Miracle on 34th Street (the original), A Christmas Story, The Bishop's Wife, and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (just kidding . . . maybe). And I still manage to shed tears at the end, when they're singing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "Auld Lang Syne."

Why do I love this movie? First, I've always been a big Jimmy Stewart fan. That "aw shucks," "everyman" quality is perfect in this role. (One also has to admit that Donna Reed was hot as George Bailey's wife.) I also enjoy the contrasting visions of the town, between the quiet, friendly Bedford Falls, and the frenetic, noisy Pottersville. The ugly truth for most of us in America today is that we live in scattered equivalents of Pottersville. So it's nice to think there could be idyllic towns like Bedford Falls in which one has neighbors like George Bailey. Moreover, who wouldn't want to be hailed as the "richest man in town," not by virtue of our bank balance or political influence, but measured by the friends and family one can count on in good times or bad. And finally, one has to enjoy the idea of a "do over" or the opportunity to witness how the world would fare without one's presence, thanks to a visit from Clarence the angel.

Jimmy Stewart always said this was his favorite role in a lengthy film career. I think if one possesses a mere gram of Christmas spirit, it has to be a favorite for many people. With its talk of savings and loans, runs on the bank, and possible suicide, it may prove a little dark for my kids. But having experienced Dickens' Christmas Carol this year, they may soon be ready to discover the joys of Bedford Falls and the Bailey family.

Colored Pencil Miniature

A colored pencil miniature - just 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". I was experimenting with some different formats for possible online sale . . . perhaps Etsy? This is a bit brighter than I usually like, since my watercolor palette is usually a bit more muted. But I like the size and think it might be useful for some little pen and ink studies. At half the size, it could be mounted on a 5" x 7" piece of watercolor paper and then framed. I'll continue to experiment and share the results.

We Used To Execute People For Waterboarding War Crimes!

Dick Cheney has admitted to authorizing the use of torture, including waterboarding. As Rachel Maddow points out in last night's show, the United States has prosecuted war criminals for this very practice. Following the Second World War, for example, Japanese officials were convicted and executed - hanged - for committing such atrocities. Obviously Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and complicit criminals should be arrested and charged with war crimes once they leave office.

However, since I don't believe in the death penalty, we would have to find some other means of punishment. Here's a suggestion: Drive Cheney into the most volatile Baghdad neighborhood and drop him off. At that point he can fend for himself. That would be a fitting end for a dictatorial murderer who masqueraded as a champion of democracy!