Paintings

Paintings

The majority of my work for the past twenty years has centered
around images of city streets. New York City streets in particular.
Creating of an image on a two dimensional surface that can fool
the eye into believing that there is depth there is a fascinating subject.
I know of no artist who does not love magic - or optical illusion.
Street scenes, when drawn or painted with their vanishing lines,
represent one of the strongest of illusions to me. And it is that illusion
of depth that many an artist tries to capture.

After my friend and fellow artist, Neal McPheeters, introduced me to
NYC there was little else I wanted to paint. I managed to juggle my life,
subletting a studio there from another artist friend part of the year and
returning to my studio in Nashville for the remainder. Work begun in one
city would be completed in the other and so on. It was very stimulating
but very straining on relationships.

For the most part my paintings have been on the largish side, four feet
and greater on one dimension. Some of those below are exceptions,
however, and not quite so large. Thanks for looking.

"Midtown SundayAM"
35 3/4" X 27 1/2 - Oil on Panel

Visit New York and you knows the energy is overwhelming
at times. People, cars, noise, even the smells of cooking food.
Only early on Sunday mornings can you find anything like quiet.

"Bedlam Bar"
22" X 28" - Oil on Canvas

The Bedlam Bar was a neighborhood watering hole on
Columbus Ave about half a block from the studio.
- I see Salt, Pepper, Catsup and a Drink Menu -
but I don't see a Ralph Goings! ;-)

"Helene's Florist"
41 1/2" X 43 3/4" - Oil on Canvas

Speaking of realists, I happened upon a familiar storefront on Amsterdam
one day after getting off the subway at 72nd street. I stood there smiling at
the painting in my mind before realizing I should take some photos.
This piece is a tribute to a modern master, Richard Estes.

"Wall Street / Trinity Church"
47" X 35" - Oil on Panel

Money and religion make interesting bed-fellows. This piece,
appropriately enough, is in the collection of a stock broker for MLPFS.

"Studio W85 St."
20" X 24" - Oil on Canvas

I sublet a 'duplex' on West 85th Street throughout the late 1980s and early
1990s from the artist/bartender Richard Baumgart. He'd lived in the City
most all his life but preferred New Hampshire. We worked out a schedule
so that he could live and paint in NH a few months each year and I could
live in the City. It was a great studio and had a nice little garden out back
but one thing I'll never forget was the lack of chairs. There was only one
crippled cane-bottomed chair and a wooden stool in the entire place! I
finally resorted to finding myself a folding deck chair to use at the easel.
Richard is a great guy but our life styles and needs, as well as our approach
to painting, were a bit different. Here are two interpretations of 'our' studio.
My painting on the left, his on the right. I'm unsure of the dimensions for
his work but expect the medium was oil on canvas.

A Note About Copyrights
Want an image? Drop me a note! (bill at billdavisart dot com)
I'd love to know that you liked something here enought to want one
of these small res images. Otherwise;
All work © copyright Bill Davis 2008