Ambitious Little Island Composition & MTA Fail

My awesome painter-friend Francis hosted a plein air event at Pier 57 today, free and open to the public.

he did this a few years back and I joined then, too... I think I have improved considerably since the last time I painted on the roof at pier 57! Three years ago, wow...

Anyhow, I was originally aiming to be there at 9, but I was slow this morning so 9 changed to 10 which was fine. 

The closest train for me is the E to 14th street.

When I went to transfer, I saw there was a 10 minute wait for the E...  I know if I stay on the R I would be at Union Square in a half hour. Then I could just transfer to the L.

Time-wise it would come out to the same thing probably, but I didn't feel like waiting.

So I stayed on the R and all was fine until 49th st.

Then we pulled partially into the station and sat.

We sat for a long time.

I should mention at this point that I finished Tea Part 2 right before I left, and figured I had just enough travel time budgeted to not need the restroom until I got to Pier 57.

So, we sat halfway in the station.

I was getting nervous.... the tea was starting to hit....

After more waiting, we finally pulled into the station! Phew!

And then the train went out of service.

There was a Q train in 12 minutes with delays.

With a platform FULL of evicted-train people.

I definitely wasn't going to make it.

The best plan I could think of was get out of the train, walk east to Rockefeller Center, use the restroom, and get on the train downtown from there.

Maybe the F was working, we can hope.....

FWIW the E train also started reporting significant delays.

So, I had no regrets. Whichever way, I would be messed up.

And that's what I did, and this is why I wasn't painting until 11:30 with a stop time between 2:30 and 3.

*******

I liked the pilings in the water under Little Island.

The first time I did the initial layout, it was a bust.

I had to wipe it and start over, and that was the best decision of the entire painting.

Get it right from the start- otherwise there's no fixing it.

So- this is a very ambitious and complex composition.

It really is. 

On an 8x10 panel, which is actually more difficult than if it was larger.

And I didn't want to do a drawing.

Well, not a line drawing layout.

Lately I'm working a lot with large masses and midtones, holding those tight value ranges before getting too light or too dark. At-tube consistency paint, lots of hog bristle brushes. (Rosemary Ultimates)

It's a mind-shift, a gradual one, and it's a good one but it takes a lot of practice. 

I'm evolving and improving, I really can feel it, I can feel the ways in which I think are changing.

And after all, a painting is made up of thoughts.

I don't want to make a fiddly drawing and fill in lines, that's not how I paint and it's not fun.

So I massed in the large shapes- which is easy to do in pure landscape and distant skylines but applying it to this painting was somehow different.

Also, I always lay in the sky first and today I did not.

(It was only slightly problematic)

This is a three hour painting, and for about 2 1/2 of those hours I was wondering what the hell I got myself into, I'm in trouble, how do I keep this from disaster?

It finally came together and I learned a lot doing it.

8x10 oil

The Pool, Central Park

I had today off from work, which was nice after the weekend.

I wanted to paint, but didn't have any definite plans, so I texted my friend Janette to see what she was up to and see if she wanted to paint.  She was up to nothing except painting, just like me, so we met in Central Park and painted the waterfall over by The Pool, W 103rd St-ish.

I painted in this very same spot back when I was a new plein air painter, in December 2009... it was good to be back!

8x10 oil, I took my new Rosemary brushes out to play!

They are AWESOME!

I started the painting out right with a size 12 flat!

When I got in the train to go meet my friend, I saw this sign, which I plan on ignoring completely.

I will never stop collecting paint!

DTBH 4th

I do not do the hotline on Saturdays or 4th of July.

But our scheduling person has a sparkly influence glamour or something, so I was on the Saturday 4th of July Overnight!

It worked out well with logistics and timing though and I didn't mind.... because it was a great day at the boathouse!

Because of the overnite shift, I missed the many 250th celebration happenings on the river in the morning.
It's ok, I didn't really mind.... I did see pictures of some very cool ships.

When I arrived I saw that Martin bought many new toys for the boathouse- including pool rafts and inflatable sprinklers...we tried putting one of the pool rafts on the jousting platform but it got lopsided and started to sink......

After being in the river, I was relaxing...the manager from the restaurant next door came over and asked if I would like a frozen margarita?

Um, yes please!

I'm pretty much off alcohol except rarely. 

My system doesn't like it anymore, but I could not say no to that!

Judy and I took the sunfish out!

That was... interesting.... because there wasn't enough wind.  

It was still fun tho.

Sailing! ---sort-of!

This year we were not allowed on the water for fireworks- 250th celebrations and security.

Stiil a great show!

Apparently, Jersey City likes to compete with the neighboring shows- and they do a great job!

2 Paintings, Sold

The Riverside Park painting from last month sold pretty much as soon as I painted it, which was nice.

I told the buyer it'll be ready in a month, he was cool with that.

Actually, everyone who buys a fresh painting has been cool with waiting a month.

Sometimes other painters ask me about that, but it has never been an issue.

It's just the nature of oil paint. I tell people one month and they're good with it.

Sometimes (not always) I use a white with a drier.  these are one-layer alla prima paintings without a lot of added oil, and I think a month is just fine for good drying. 

I have never once had any technical issue with this, and I have been doing this long enough and often enough that I would know.

So, give it a month, varnish, and it's ready.

When I reached out to my buyer about the painting being ready, he asked if my Brooklyn Bridge painting was still available, because his wife wants it.

I said sure, I can have it ready for today, he said great and sent me more money.

The timing of this has been nice, it paid for so much paint and also the framing and shipping costs for the 2 fundraiser paintings I donated this year.

It's also a feeling like no other when a stranger loves your work enough to give you money for it.

It's also a nice gauge on my pricing, which I finally increased for the first time ever.

I do think my prices are reasonable and appropriate.

We met up at the Lincoln Center fountain, and 2 paintings went off together to a wonderful home.

Overnight at Green-Wood Cemetery & Plein Air Pond Water Adventures

Well, not quite overnight, but kind-of.

There was a moon fest event at Green-Wood, and Janae asked if I want to go.

Of course! She lives close by, so we planned on me spending the night and both of us painting early in the morning

Apparently it was the first year they had this event, so I knew it would be chaos and it kind of was.

But it was fun anyhow. It was me, Janae, Janae's teenage son, and her boyfriend.

There were walking tours and a few food things, not many.

We got a HUGE bucket of mini donuts, which were the best thing on earth until they weren't anymore.

I have had my donut quota for the entire year now.

We went on a walking tour of glowing fungi, which was .... underwhelming but still fun.

Key takeaway, quoted verbatim:

"Most things don't glow."

They really were amazing donuts.

No one needs a bucket of them, and the 4 of us couldn't finish it.

*********

The next morning we walked back over to Green-Wood to paint.

Janae brought oil pastels and watercolor, but she forgot to bring water.

We settled next to a pretty flowering shrub, not too far from a large pond with a fountain.

We remarked how nice it sounded.

Several times.

I gave Janae some solvent for the oil pastels, since she forgot water.

And it seriously took about 15 minutes for me to realize THERE IS WATER IN THE POND DUHHH...

Oh my god we are so dumb!

I'm a little more mobile than Janae is right now, so like the good art friend I am, I ran and got pond water, which was green-tinged but whatever.

I said don't drink it.

Then I finished this painting, 8x10 oil...

I really needed a quinacridone red and I did not bring one but whatever.

Escape

For the last 2 weeks, since I got my jury summons, I have had a lot of feelings, and I have been trying to get them out of my system before having to go in and plead my I-REALLY-can't-do-this case.

I went into that courthouse SO angry this morning.

I couldn't shake it.

What an awful feeling to be forced to do something like this, to derail your whole life- against your will.

They told us we would be there 9-5 until May 22.

Oh my god, NO.

After waiting for almost 3 hours, it was my turn to express concerns.

The lady wasn't having it.

Didn't care about work problems it will cause, because work will pay for it.

Didn't care about the list of work stuff I would miss.

Didn't care about the hotline, which jury duty absolutely would conflict with.

Didn't care about a 9-hour crisis response overnight shift that would conflict.

Didn't care about 2 after-work appointments I scheduled in March.

Didn't care about my 20 year work anniversary.

Didn't care about scheduled vacation days.

Didn't care about the vet appt I have for Pebbles early May.

Didn't care about after work social plans I made in March.

I had everything laid out in a word doc.

I was annoying.

I acknowledged I was annoying, but this was truly such a huge problem for me.

I said I can't do all the days, I said these are the days I absolutely HAVE to be out early.

She said no more than 2 days off.

I had to choose the day after my 9 hour overnight shift on the hotline- physically impossible (and unreasonable) for me to do both, and my scheduled vacation day May 22.

That's all she would give me.

I said I can't change these appointments, what do I do?

She just shrugged, that's your problem.

All she wanted to know was if I was staying or coming back in October.

I stayed.

I was so mad, I think I had smoke coming off me.

It's not right.

I do MORE THAN 500 HOURS A YEAR in volunteer community service.

360 of those are on the hotline, and I think my service to society is of much greater benefit on the hotline than it is in Grand Jury. GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!!!

******

They started calling names to go across the street to the main courtroom.

They did not call everyone's name.

They did not call my name.

Other people asked about that, and they said just wait, they will call more people later.

Then they sent us to lunch at 12:40, said come back at 2.

I sat under a tree and read, and tried to just ground and relax.

There were pigeons. I love pigeons.

These 2 are clearly friends, and I shared some of my lunch with them.

I went back at 1:30.

2pm rolled around, nothing.

3pm rolled around, nothing.

Around 3:45 the court people came back and said they have everyone they need, we're done, we'll get a certificate of service that is good for 6 years.

OH MY GOD I ESCAPED!

I do not know if the lady did something, put my name in a different pile or something, and I know it's her job to not care about peoples' lives, and I know she's heard everything....

I think the Universe had my back.

I'll never know for sure, but as I left I said a very happy thank you to that lady, and she was very friendly and I think??? she winked at me.

I was SO relieved, and walked home from court which took about an hour... I feel like my body is holding all the energy from it, still, and I need a little time to shake it off.

The Statue of Liberty Says Hi

This morning I was going to go paint early, then go to the boathouse for more boat repairs. 

Not fiberglass ones though, we weren't doing that today but there definitely were still lingering fumes.

But I couldn't get myself moving.

Just couldn't.

So I decided to paint after boat repairs.

Kedrin joined me.

We had a good time but it got REALLY cold and we were both miserable at the end.

I'm sick of this cold, I'm ready for warm weather and kayak season!

Here is a quick 1 hour-ish painting of the Statue of Liberty, from Battery Park City Esplanade.

8x10 oil

Disproportionate Resentment

Today I went into the office, and since Kedrin and I are work neighbors, we met to scope out Battery Park and see how bad it is.

Because I want to paint the labyrinth there.

It's bad.

Still.

Battery Park used to be one of the coolest parks in NYC, and now it is all trash construction.

It's awful. The labyrinth I have been wanting to paint since 2024 is still all blocked off.

What an embarrassment.

I'm not sure what's worse: Penn Station or Battery Park, and that's really saying something.

After declaring Battery Park a disaster, Kedrin and I headed up to Trinity Church to see the flowers in the graveyard.

Now all the tourists want to congregate around Alexander Hamilton's grave.

(No one cared about it before the musical came out.)

We met Jack the Historian, and that was a fun encounter.

**********

From what I can tell from poking around the internets, it looks like I am stuck with this burden of Grand Jury. They are not going to care about the life derailment it will cause.

I'm going to prepare and bring a list of my dates and conflicts, which are significant.

My calendar often books 6-8 weeks in advance.

I have a deep simmering resentment about it, I know it's disproportionate to the circumstance but there it is.

Spring Tree

The weather is finally good enough to paint after work.

Here is a painting from Roosevelt Island.,

Kedrin and Zoe joined me to sketch.

8x10 oil

I used those nice Tusc & Pine convenience mixes.

Zoe left early.

Kedrin and I took the tram to Manhattan.

I can take the train home right from Roosevelt Island, but it was better for Kedrin to go to Brooklyn from 59th st.  It was nice out and I haven't been on the tram for a long time so we had a nice time. It was crowded.

Also apparently no one can take the damn tram (or do anything) without making a video of the whole thing. 

Except me and Kedrin.

It was kind of annoying.