I have been thinking about New York City lately. Joy and I will be visiting in February for my mother’s 90th birthday party. She checked with me to see if we would be coming. When I said yes, she said, “Good, I’ll hold on until then.”   That’s my Mom.

I have mixed feelings about New York. On previous visits, it felt like home, but I no longer have a place to roost there. There are also the ‘phantom limb’-like feelings of loss for people and places I have known who are either gone or changed radically.

Today’s vintage watercolor: Lower East Side

Joy and I lived just north of the Lower East Side. I used to walk around there quite a bit. There was always something interesting to photograph. I remember seeing a very large, home-made tower somewhere between 14th street and Houston; I don’t remember whether it was Avenue A, B or C. I do remember that the sculptor died and there was an article about him in the NY Times.

The watercolor below looks to be a pen-and-inkish rendering of one of my photographs somewhere in the vicinity of that tower.  I’m sure the truck in front of the junk yard – I mean, studio – belonged  to its proprietor.  They go well together. I put much more detail than I do these days in my more non-representational watercolors these days.  If anyone knows if this place still exits, please let me know.

Lower East Side – RUOK
9″x12″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block