The Slush Puddle Dance

The continued bitter cold along with "everything but the kitchen sink" ( rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow) during the past week, means boots and hats were the norm this week.  Whether it was climbing over piles of ice and wading through puddles of slush, boots were your best friend.  And with the wind whipping through the city, hats were also a smart addition to the wardrobe. 

January Mood

The train home was busy this week - this sketch was done in one sitting on a very crowded evening.  The line work was completed on the train, and the watercolor was done back at home over the weekend.  The colors used in the sketch reflect the overall mood of a cold dark early January evening - lots of browns and "rust colored" reds surronded by deep dark "cold" blues and greys.  On these dark winter evenings, I feel like I'm traveling home in a box with old green and yellowish fluorescent lights as the world sweeps by in heavy shades of navy blue that press up against the windows.  I know, sounds a little depressing - those  Caribbean Vacation posters that are pasted throughout the trains are starting to look very appealing.

New Years Resolutions

Here are some potential New Years resolutions for and from my fellow train riders - take a close look (click on the images for a better view) and see if any of them match yours?

Holiday Posts

Finally, I have made the time to post some of my work from the past few weeks.  The hustle and bustle of the holiday season has made me prefer just sitting and watching the scenery on the train.  And, having two of my wisdom teeth removed too didn't exactly inspire me to work in my sketchbook either, but here's what I've come up with anyway-

The signs started appearing two weeks ago, reminding commuters of the looming fair hike for mass transit on January 1st.  A single swipe on a Metrocard will rise from $2.25 to $2.50.  So I thought wouldn't it be nice if Jolly Old Saint Nick showed up on  the Main Concourse at Grand Central and started giving out free Metrocards?  I'm sure I could find a lot of people who would love for that to happen.

This past week was also the first snowfall in the city.  As I walked (no I didn't run this time) to the subway late one evening I admired the snowflakes dancing down under the street lamps.

Taking the train home this week really made me wonder what it would be like if it wasn't any train, but maybe, just maybe, the Polar Express?



Late Autumn Reflections

Hi, over Thanksgiving weekend I had more time to create some watercolor pieces that I had been thinking about for several weeks, but hadn't had the chance to complete.  The one you see above is a second try at a view of the West Village along the Hudson River.  The public pier I stood on is within walkig distance of where I work.  This is what I image the view might look like right at the start of a still chilly fall morning.

This is the same view, but this was my first attempt.  Although there is more detail in the buildings in this painting, it lacks the sense of light and contrast of my second piece. When I took a walk during my lunch break, this is closer to what I actually saw.  Sometimes, I find I have to do a picture at least twice, if not a third time to achieve the idea I had in my mind.

"As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly" - Clement C. Moore

During the last few days before Thanksgiving the final leaves of the season were blowing across the tracks in eddies and swirls as the train rushed into the city.

Happy Thanksgiving

The dreams and worries of commuters going into the holiday crunch. (Click this one for a better view)

It turns out even thirteen year olds have work to do on the train.  This young boy was preparing a draft for a research paper, I admired his concentration especially since it was close to 9:00pm on a bouncy train ride home.

Let's Have A Parade!  The view looking across Central Park to Central Park West  as the parade starts down to midtown.  Instead of commuters on the trains for Thanksgiving, there will be families, and friends old and new going into the city to celebrate the day, or find a space along the parade route.

Spotted on the Train

A collection of commuters from this past week.  Do you recognize anyone?

A Room with A Changing View

One of the few places along the train ride  where everyone looks up from their paper or blackberry is crossing the Mianus River Bridge in Cos Cob.  There could be several reasons for this including:
a.) To admire the beautiful scenery.
b.) To silently curse the lucky boater or rower is enjoying the beautiful morning instead of sitting on a train.
c.) To see if I-95 is backed up (it's within view), and whether or not their coworker who drives will beat them to the office.

Here's my response:

Simon Says

I was inspired to do this watercolor while my morning express train rushed by some of the other stations on the way into Grand Central.  There are painted signs on the station platform that remind commuters to "Watch the Gap" and to avoid the space between the platform and the train as they enter.  The painted signs are sited to line up exactly where the passenger doors will open on the rail cars.  Hence, everyone on the platform stands in little groups tightly assembled around the yellow painted signs hoping they'll be first on the train and score the last open seat for the train trip.

To the naive eye, it looks a little different.  To the young child observing this act with Dad, it goes something like this, "See Daddy, going on the train is fun, they all play Simon Says too!...We should play and step on the yellow box too."

  My train was seventeen minutes late on Monday morning, my mind kept floating back and forth between watching my fellow commuters stand impatiently on the platform, and the train yard where our usual train was stuck due to a switching problem. They ended up putting together a different set of train cars for us at the last minute.

I See You, You See Me

Well, the whole point is for you to not see me, or to not realize, that I'm making a quick sketch of you.  I admit, sleepers and nappers beware, you are a perfect target for being sketched!

Unlike some of my earlier sketches, I really tried hard to not overwork each face and only put as much detail as needed.