oil on mdf 25.5” x 17”
North Shore Staten Islanders might recognize this as the lot behind what is currently Shop and Save in Port Richmond/Westerleigh. This is the back section that leads through to Barrett Avenue and the splendor of Forest Shopping Plaza.
There'd been a rainstorm that resulted in an almost embarrassingly lush sunset and clearing behind this otherwise very prosaic patch.
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oil on mdf panel 25.5" x 17.75"
I had a huge, drafty top floor apartment in a four family house at the crest of a hill. The front sunroom was where I painted and watched beleaguered neighbors navigate the ice patches and frozen slush medians all winter. Dog ownership seemed particularly burdensome during those times.
oil on wood 12” x 12”
Jones Woods is a small area of preserved woodlands and trails leading to a promontory and overlook. Despite being a relatively urban area, wildlife abounds.
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oil on mdf panel 6” x 5.25”
- at a stoplight in an urban intersection, the blur and play of color and luminescence through water and glass transforms an otherwise prosaic moment.
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oil on mdf 18" x 12"
A great benefit of being a passenger on this prosaic route into and out of the New York City is being able to really look at the views that lifelong residents have tattooed into in their peripheral vision.
oil on mdf 18” x 12”
Highway view from an overpass on Staten Island, NYC
oil on wood 12” x 12”
Zoos can provide such a wonderful replication of animals in the wild when inventive, knowledgeable planning is applied. Presenting animals in as close to their natural habitat sparks an interest and connection to nature.
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oil on mdf 8”x 6”
One of those areas that's passed through when driving through Brooklyn neighborhoods. Late in the evening, even the most prosaic of streets takes on mystery and aesthetic appeal.
oil on wood 12” x 12”
Late afternoon on a cool, windy, early spring day. Beach grasses catch the sun and hide in shadows.
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oil on mdf 15" x 12"
Urban-industrial neighborhood scene features a popular tavern with illuminated signage and a lively street with parked cars. A truck on the overpass is headed onto the Bayonne Bridge connecting a north shore Staten Island NYC area with New Jersey.
oil on mdf 10” x 7.5”
This view of Pelham Bay from the Brooklyn Queens Expressway is industrial, dense and monochromatic even in brighter weather. The distance from the road across the water gives it context as part of sprawling New York City.
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oil on wood 11.5" x 11.75"
There's something about this particular stretch of road I find so interesting. Seasons, weather, time of day...
Glowing sunlight bathes a city street at sunset, casting long shadows and creating a dramatic interplay of light and dark across the scene. Leafless trees line the street while vehicles and a pedestrian add a sense of everyday life to the tranquil setting.
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oil on canvas 30” x 26”
A winter tradition in an urban neighborhood: repurposing a local golf course for the community when there's a snowfall.
This is Silver Lake, on Staten Island, NYC's north shore. Generations have made their way through holes in the fence to go sledding on these slopes, often well into the night.
oil on mdf 13.5” x 6.25”
The Bayonne Bridge links the north shore of Staten Island, NYC to New Jersey. The walking and biking path permits a magnificent panoramic view towards Manhattan on the left and the waterway that leads to the open Atlantic. There are many cargo ships that pass through this channel to the metropolitan area's major hubs for loading and unloading.
oil on mdf panel 9” x 5”
An enormous bull in a field on Liscannor Bay watched as we walked down a road from Lahinch towards a hiking trail leading to and all along the Cliffs of Moher
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oil on mdf panel 11.5” x 7”
Coney Island Boardwalk in the background, the expanse of a quiet beach in winter is accented by a bicycle left on the sand.
oil on mdf panel 7.75” x 7.5”
Thistles climb an anchor fence. Delicate, intricate and well protected by their slender thorns.
oil on mdf panel 12.5” x 8.25”
The view from the FDR Drive, a highway running along the East River the length of Manhattan. The vintage landmark Pepsi sign is a familiar and welcome sight, placed in plain view.
oil on wood 12” x 12”
A large lion sculpture at the driveway entrance of a luxurious home overlooks the more modest houses on the street. The lights of Manhattan and urban New Jersey glimmer far in the distance over New York Harbor.
oil on mdf panel 12” x 10“
Walkers descend a hill during a late evening walk on a warm summer night.
oil on masonite 12” x 9”
If you live in the NY Metro area, you've been here for sure. A tie-up on the inbound Gowanus spurs one to take the streets of Brooklyn on the way to Manhattan, New England or any points east. All along 3rd Avenue, under the sluggish expressway, the old and changing neighborhoods of Sunset Park and beyond appear as montages at every traffic light.
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oi on wood 12" x 12"
"Late Boat Home" might serve as an alternate title for the commute from Manhattan to Staten Island well after the day has ended. There's a well-worn trust that the multiple ricocheting reflections through smudged glare are not apparitions as more personal thought processes or distractions settle in.
The abdication of reality entertains me, like all the dings, beeps and buzzing we hear from sensors, our devices, machinery and vehicles throughout the day without questioning where, what or why. I aimed for the aesthetics and wonder of the utterly confusing array of lights, shadow and repeating images through several layers of fogged windows on an evening ferry. It was so confusing, I decided to just accept what I saw and hope it translated the experience of others.
oil on wood 12” x 12”
The industrial shore of New Jersey's side of the Kill Van Kull is brightly illuminated and jewel-like as seen from an old Staten Island, NYC hilltop neighborhood across the water.
oil on mdf panel 14” x 12”
I was in Clove Lakes Park on Staten Island (NYC) when I spotted this crew, looking like a scene from classic boyhood.
I asked to take some shots and was granted permission. I worked from extremely varied photos, none specifically like the image I created. I was aiming to catch something of the feeling I had from just watching these boys- self reliant, comfortable outdoors, messing with nature and consequently communing with it.
oil on board 9" x 12"
I've painted this road and scene from somewhat different angles, in various weather conditions and times of day. It nearly always speaks to me..the curve of the road, the light, that small window into the distance.
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oil on wood 12” x 12”
Late afternoon, on the outskirts of Kingston NY, a narrow road leads directly off of a main one, towards the mountains.
oil on mdf panels 35” x 11.5”
I like the space as it allows/suggests an understanding of the same vantage point, one looking directly ahead, the other looking right, out towards the elevated F line that crosses over the Gowanus Canal.
nb. I was a passenger for this reference!
oil on mdf 30.5”x 24.5”
Sprawling parking lots don't usually generate aesthetics. Often though, they're spacious enough to allow great expanses of sky, providing fascinating, sometimes mesmerizing plays among nature, industrial design, chaos and humble humanity.
oil on board 11.5” x 11.5”
This fairly quick, loose little industrial landscape was exactly what I felt like painting after the rigors of a large scale portrait I'd recently completed
oil on mdf panel 12” x 10”
Deep shadows cast by the winter sun create patterns highlighted by brilliant primary colors.
This short, steep residential street leads higher up to Grymes Hill overlooking the Narrows, lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, the NJ Highlands and the open Atlantic.
oil on canvas 18" x 14"
I'd recently taken a long walk circumventing my neighborhood very late in the day, going down side streets I'd never been on.
The variant architecture and seemingly haphazard development of some areas has a timeless appeal, looking like the back streets of towns all across the country.
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oil on mdf panel 24.5” x 14.5”
I've been fascinated by the tree most central in the distance and gave it special treatment in terms of actual size and isolation, but it's exceptionally beautiful and seems unique in comparison to most.
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oil on mdf panel 8” x 6”
Close of the day at Old Silver Beach, N. Falmouth, Cape Cod Massachustes
oil on mdf panel 6” x 5.25”
- at a stoplight in an urban intersection, the blur and play of color and luminescence through water and glass transforms an otherwise prosaic moment.
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oil on mdf panel 14” x 12”
This piece was an experiment/challenge. The multiple layers of reflections through the boat from an outside deck were so confusing that I couldn't even tell what I was looking at in my reference shots. I worked from approximately six different images in order to create this panel. My aim was to replicate the somewhat unconscious way we process complexity - in that we don't, unless it's imperative. Much of the time we keep stimuli on the periphery as we head through our day.
oil on wood 11.5" x 11.5"
This piece was an experiment/challenge. The multiple layers of reflections through the boat from an outside deck were so confusing that I couldn't even tell what I was looking at in my reference shots. I worked from approximately six different images in order to create this panel.
My aim was to replicate the somewhat unconscious way we process complexity - in that we don't, unless it's imperative. Much of the time we keep stimuli on the periphery as we head through our day.
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oil on mdf 16" x 7"
I've always been intrigued by the sweeping, distant view of Manhattan from 278 in New Jersey. The city's intensity is dwarfed, faded by the more immediate harshness, complexity and vast marsh beauty hosting all the power lines and often redolent industrial plants.
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oil on mdf 24" x 13"
"Named in honor of Ludwig Bemelmans, the creator of the classic Madeline children’s books, Bemelmans Bar is a timeless location that continues to attract socialites, politicians, movie stars and moguls..."
Mosci (AKA my husband) has been at Carlyle's fabled "old New York romantic" landmark for nearly a decade. He can read a room, create a vibe and play to a spirited listening crowd or set the tone as background music.
Throughout the year he also does late night stints with his trio, a rotating roster of some of NY's finest jazz players.
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oil on wood 12" x 12"
I went to hear Robert Mosci and his trio at the famed Bemelmans Bar in the Carlye Hotel. it was very busy. The place is dark and there's little room to maneuver for taking pictures. People do get up and shoot videos, snap photos though..
As I knew my reference would be limited, I aimed for a loose painting that captured the feel of the room - the warm, dim lighting and the collective energy, artistry of the musicians, their instruments.
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oil on mdf 7.75" x 7.25"
Curious George as the captain of a yellow submarine sits upon a bathtub's edge until called to duty
oil on mdf 12.5" x 10.5"
Snapping turtles hold great lore on Staten Island. Every pond has a legendary giant that is as wide as a child's arms can demonstrate - and then again as huge as that grown child's adult arm span in recollection.
"They can break your wrist", "chomp off your finger", we were told - yet nobody truly knows anyone to whom such grave injury occurred.
This one was smaller than an ankylosaurus but definitely bigger than most I've encountered - at least 30" from powerful snout to tail.
oil on wood 12” x 12”
The wild turkey population is burgeoning in my neighborhood. They're imposing in appearance and comfortable in their space
I took photos when one stepped into my path with a cohort and opted to stay completely still, blocking me.
The protuberance, much like a unicorn's horn was interesting and the colors especially pronounced. I was curious so looked up information, learning that the "horn" is called a snood, usually a fleshy flap hanging over a turkey's beak. In males, it's generally much longer. When the animal is frightened, angry, agitated or amorous, the snood becomes erect.
"When the turkey gets flustered, the blood vessels contract, exposing more of the collagen bands. This changes the way that incoming light scatters and reflects off of the turkey's skin, causing it to appear blue or white.
Thus, my painting is of a visibly annoyed turkey.
oil on mdf panel 8” x 6”
Snug Harbor Cultural Center (Staten Island, NYC) has woodlands surrounding the complex which provide enough cover and sustenance for a number of deer.
This doe had come to the front of the main neoclassical buildings one evening. The lights from the harbor-front road, Richmond Terrace and the floods on the grounds provided a stage-like setting for this naturally shy forest animal.
oil on mdf 6” x 5.5”
Roasted peanuts on a scratched metal sheet
oil on mdf panel 7’5” x 6”
Ripe strawberries and a nearly empty plastic carton catch perfect light.
oil on mdf 8" x 6"
painted in March 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Easily lost in work, and almost always engaged in some aspect of preparing to paint or painting itself, things have been different lately. I'm preoccupied and agitated along with everyone else.
One solution, I thought, might be to attempt a jiu jitsu maneuver using the distraction itself as focus for a piece.
oil on mdf panel - 6” x 4.5”
This unfortunate apple did not spoil the whole bunch, but did seem to have had a deleterious effect on those next to it in the bag.
I thought to celebrate it nevertheless, placing it on an Italian marble countertop to observe the contrasting interplays of color and pattern
oil on wood 12” x 12”
During the spring of 2020, everyone, everywhere has concerns about the global Covid-19 pandemic. Walking in a neighborhood park, glad to be outside, even in windy, threatening weather, I noticed this composition of cherry trees in bloom. One was blighted, missing foliage from half of it's branches. Nearby was a stump of another that had been removed.
The interplay of heavy clouds with areas of brilliance and the persistent dark pinks, backlit by the waning, obscured sun seemed a parable for this time.
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The looming outline of elegant prewar apartment buildings interrupt the horizon line as they face each other at the top of this residential area. The neighborhood is otherwise nearly all older private homes, the streets lined with tall trees likely the same age as the houses.
oil on mdf 8” x 6”
An engaging challenge to quickly suggest the degree of shine, texture and of course the color subtleties
oil on masonite 7” x 8”
Study of a Bartlett and two Bosc pears examining the different surfaces of each type. The Bosc have a papery, dry skin while the Bartlett’s is glossy and smooth with delicate mottling and color variations.