Missing Philadelphia

After all these years Philadelphia continues to call me.  Fortunately Google street views allow me to span the 900 miles that  separates us, and I can wander the streets of the city at my leisure.

Center City Parking  waatercolor  10x10

Locust Street Parking Lot  watercolor  10x10

2 on Locust Street  watercolor  9x12

I plan on creating a new portfolio of Philadelphia watercolors, including the Italian markets on 9th street.

THE HAPPY ROOSTER

The Happy Rooster   watercolor  12x14

I left Paducah at six-thirty in the morning and by three-thirty in the afternoon  checked into my hotel in Center City Philadelphia.  An hour later my cousins Danny and Joey joined me and we set out to find the perfect spot to enjoy martinis, food, and each other’s company.  Joey thought it would be nice to find a small, local tavern away from the glitter that marked so many of the restaurants and cafes we were seeing.  We didn’t have to walk very far.  Just a few blocks from the hotel we saw an interesting and un-pretentious looking tavern on the corner of Sixteenth and Sansom Streets calling itself The Happy Rooster.  Through the open door we could see the dark interior with a modest row of booths and a small bar.  We stopped outside the door and silently asked one another if this is where we wanted stop.  When the lovely young waitress approached us and asked if we wanted to come in we unanimously agreed it was .  Happy hour was still a half and hour away so we had our choice of seating, and chose a booth that gave us some privacy without hiding us in a dark corner.  And thus began one of the highlights of my trip, only an hour after my arrival.

The Happy Rooster proved to be an absolute gem.  The martinis were great and the food was exquisite, beyond anything we expected.  (I had barbecued Scallops on a bed of greens.)  This was no routine corner tavern.  I could not have found a better place to unwind after a day of airports and airplanes.

The daily dose of art MORE FAVORITES

It is harder for me to select an absolute favorite of my watercolors, the best I can do is select 4 or 5 that I am particularly fond of.  The two shown here were created specifically to be printed, and each measured approximately 12-16 x45".

St. Michaels

A Philadelphia Skyline

The daily dose of architecture TWO OF MY FAVORITES

Looking back and selecting paintings that I'm most proud of is not only fun, but inspiring.  With several large architectural paintings currently in progress in the studio I find it helpful to remind myself of what I've done and work to see if I can improve on the past.

Union Station in DC  watercolor

Philadelphia Art Museum   watercolor

The daily dose of architecture MORE FRANK FURNESS

Here are two more simple, unadorned renderings of Furness' work in Philadelphia:

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art

Unitarian Church

The daily dose of architecture PHILADELPHIA MERCANTILE EXCHANGE

Designed by William Strickland and built in 1832, this Greek Revival structure anchors Philadelphia's Society Hill.  I love painting it, which I've done twice, as much as I do looking at it. 

Watercolor circa 1979-80

Watercolor 1986

The daily dose of art AN AVERSION TO TREES

When I first began painting I had a great deal of difficulty with trees - I still do - and my solution was to simply ignore them.  If they were needed in the composition I included them, unpainted, which was not very painterly of me.  Eventually I overcame my aversion, but I still have a tendency to avoid them whenever possible.

A Retail Icon  watercolor

Philadelphia Academy of Music  watercolor

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #52 PHILADELPHIA DINING

After hot dogs and Philly cheese steaks it is time for some finer dining.  I don't know if these establishments from my days in Philadelphia are still around.

China Town

Old Original Bookbinders

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #50 PHILADELPHIA

It's time to leave Cape May and head back to Philly, looking at two paintings from the mid 1980s.

Broad & Snyder in south Philly

Levis hot dogs on Fifth St.  long gone

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #32 A Philadelphia street corner

In the late 1970s and early 80s I spent countless hours roaming the city streets with my camera, looking for my next painting or drawing.  Eighteenth and Sansom Streets meet in Center City and the unusual architectural elements and colors demanded my attention.  I painted this in 1980 using pen & ink, watercolor, and colored inks.

A Colorful Corner

Ink and Watercolor

20x30"

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #30 Another day with Frank Furness

I tried to portray a wide range of Furness's work in this one montage.  I apologize for the poor quality of this photo which was taken years ago with no intention of it ever being printed for public viewing.

In Praise of Frank Furness

Watercolor  30x22"

Unitarian Church in Philadelphia

Watercolor  14x14"

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPES # 26 & 27 INTERIOR SKYLINES

I've always been fascinated by what I call "interior skylines", the views that exist when looking down (or up) city streets.  Sometimes they are expansive, and other times narrow with a single focus.  This morning I'm sharing two views, one from NYC and one from Philly, both focusing on one subject.

 

Liberty Place - Philadelphia

watercolor  30x13"

Met Life Tower NYC

Watercolor

24x10

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #16 DELANCEY PLACE, PHILADELPHIA

This was a challenging commission, working from a stack of photographs that was sent to me.  Unfortunately they were all mixed up and it took forever for me to figure out the right sequence.  Then I had to arrange a work space to accommodate 60 inches of watercolor paper.  But it was worth the effort - Delancey Place is one block of elegant homes in center city Philadelphia.

 Delancey Place

Watercolor  16x60"

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #13 PHILADELPHIA CITY HALL

This is a most remarkable structure, with William Penn standing at the top, looking out over the city he designed.  For years there was an unwritten law that no building could be higher that Willy's hat, but that was abandoned in the 1980s when the first Liberty Place eclipsed dear William.

Philadelphia City Hall

Watercolor

40x20"

Liberty Place, a work in progress

Watercolor  30x20

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #8 PINE STREET

Decided to stay in Philly for one more day before moving on, but will definitely be returning.  I lived in Philly for for four years, 3 of them in apartments on Pine Street, just a few blocks from the homes in this painting.  Unfortunately they were not as elegant as these.

Pine Street

Watercolor 16x20

Circa 1984

I would walk to classes in the morning in coat and tie (Jefferson's required dress code in the earl 60s) and see the students at the nearby Phila. College of Art in jeans, sweaters, etc., carrying their portfolios, and wondered why I envied them as I did.

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #8 I LOVE PHILLY

New York is nice, but my heart remains in Philly.  Today it is back to 1982, early in my art "career", to revisit Jeweler's Row on Sansom Street in center city.  A Bit of Jeweler's Row is typical of the work I was doing with pen, ink, and watercolor, more illustrative than painterly.  I was strongly influenced by the contemporary British illustrator, Paul Hogarth. 

A Bit of Jeweler's Row

Pen-ink-watercolor

16x20?

A NAP

 I adjusted the canvas shoulder bag under my head as I reclined in the cool spring grass of the park.  The abundant trees held enough young leaves to keep the bright sun out of my closed eyes.  Letting go of all thoughts, the street noise gradually retreated and I found myself in that wonderful place between consciousness and sleep.  I awoke shortly, somewhat startled, to the realization that I had been sleeping on the ground in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square early in the afternoon on that late spring day in 1979. 

After walking the streets with my camera all morning and consuming more lunch that I really needed, sprawling on the grass in the park seemed like the only civilized thing to do.  None of the many people strolling about seemed to pay any attention to those of us seeking such comfort on God’s green mattress.  I hope I wasn’t snoring. 

The result of that adventure is posted below.  Unfortunately the 25 year old photo I took of this painting leaves a lot to be desired. 

Black & White Plus part 5

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I find myself in a comfortable rhythm in the studio, working at an unhurried pace at my drawing table.  With several commissions pending I’m not sure how much longer it will last.

Since my last post I’ve “visited” NYC, Philly, and Baltimore.

Union Square in NYC

 

 

Society Hill in Philadelphia

Inspired by Fells Point in Baltimore...pen & ink on a clay mono type

The nap

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I adjusted the canvas shoulder bag under my head as I lie in the cool spring grass of the park.  The abundant trees held enough young leaves to keep the bright sun out of my closed eyes.  Letting go of all thoughts, the street noise gradually retreated and I found myself in that wonderful stage between consciousness and sleep, and then – awakening to the realization that I had been sleeping, on the ground, in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square early in the afternoon on that late spring day in 1979.  After walking the streets with my camera all morning, and consuming more lunch that I really needed, sprawling on the grass in the park seemed like the only civilized thing to do.  None of the many people strolling about seemed to pay any attention to me or the others seeking comfort on the grass.  I hope I wasn’t snoring. 

Two paintings from that memorable outing, with apologies for the poor quality of the pics:

 Rittenhouse square...watercolor

 Levi's Hot Dogs...watercolor

CONTINUING THE JOURNEY...

Today I go from Stockbridge MA to Philadelphia, where I've spent more time there than any other town except Wilmington DE. I expect There will be many more Philly drawings to follow.


Stockbridge MA


On south 10th st...Philadelphia


Society Hill...Philadelphia


Valley Forge