Empire State in Snow

This morning, I awoke to a city transformed by a graceful snowfall. In the early morning hours, the city felt peaceful. I tried to capture the view from my window with the Empire State obscured by a blanket of gently falling snow.

Amaryllis

With all the bitterly cold weather the past week, I am dreaming of spring! I have an amaryllis growing that I envision will soon burst into bloom, as in this piece.

Bringing Home the Tree

I have one final Christmas tree image for the year. My husband and I bought our first Christmas tree this year. We trekked up and down Broadway on a bitterly cold Sunday searching for the perfect tree at the right price. We finally settled on a roughly 4 foot Fraser, which I am proud to say I negotiated down $10 off the original price. It was great fun carrying the tree home through the city. We were even stopped by two women who remarked that it was the most adorable tree they had ever seen!

Christmas Tree

The first snowfall of the season transformed the city this weekend into a winter wonderland! This is a scene of Central Park in the snow with a Christmas tree in the foreground.

The Perfect Tree

Over the last few weekends, Christmas tree sellers have magically appeared on street corners up and down Broadway. It's entertaining to watch families choose the perfect tree. Children enjoy this unique city festivity immensely. Scenes such as these inspired this piece which is black construction paper on white drawing paper.

City Skyline: Central Park

In this piece, I portrayed a treetop in Central Park with the Citigroup building in the background at sunrise. In the northern section of Central Park, which is hilly, you can almost forget about the skyscrapers as the trees tower above the horizon.

City Skyline: Birds

In this piece, the third in my "City Skyline" series, I cut out a scene of two birds on a lamp post with the Empire State building in the background at sunrise. I painted the sky with watercolors. There is a spot at 110th St. and Central Park West where the street lamps dwarf the city's skyscrapers. From this perspective, birds on a lamp post appear larger than the Empire State building!

City Skyline: Midtown

This is the second piece in my "City Skyline" series and shows midtown buildings at sunset. I painted the sky with watercolor and cut out the buildings with color-aid paper.

City Skyline: Empire State Sunset

The other day I witnessed a brilliant sunset. The sky was a blaze of red, orange and purple with the Empire State building in the background. Looking up, I thought how New Yorkers rarely observe the sky, as it is typically obstructed by buildings. I felt inspired to begin a series of pieces focusing on the sky with iconic New York City buildings in perspective.

November Afternoon in Central Park

Last weekend, we enjoyed a long walk through Central Park. The weather was relatively mild and when the sun peaked out, the foliage looked brilliant against the NYC skyline. I particularly enjoyed the warm red, yellow, and orange leaves glowing in the sun.

Fall Moon

Last Sunday, my husband and I took a walk in Central Park around 4pm. We were not prepared for the sun to set around 4:30pm! Turning around, we headed back home and saw a full moon shining through the trees. It looked so large and luminous against the near-barren tree branches. I sketched this vision after arriving home and then created this piece using gouache-painted paper.

Upper West Side Sunset in Fall

Nearly every evening, I peer out of our window and watch the sun dip beneath the buildings on the Upper West Side. Lately, the fall sunsets have been spectacular. The sky is illuminated with deep orange tones. Set against the darkened buildings, the scene is striking. I used gouache-painted and color-aid paper to create this collage.

Miami Sunset

I had the good fortune to travel to Miami earlier in the month and was swept away by the beautiful turquoise waters, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets and lively palm trees. This piece shows a sunset over the beach. I conveniently left out the rows of condos and luxury high rise hotels that line the coast. Thankfully when you sit with your back to it, you have an amazing view of the open ocean!

Great Hill in Fall

I am very fortunate to have a view of Central Park from my living room window. The trees in the park are turning shades of yellow, orange and the occasional red. From a distance, it looks like a colorful quilt of warmly textured patterns. This piece of the Great Hill section is an attempt to capture that scene.

Autumn Lovers

I was inspired to create this piece after my sister announced her engagement. They are planning a fall wedding. The warm tones of fall seem the perfect backdrop for a celebration of partnership, love and commitment. It's also a romantic scene to envision a couple standing beneath a colorful tree with swirling leaves falling around them.

Red Leaf

I really enjoy the shape of oak leaves! In these pieces, I tried to abstract on the shape of the leaf by cutting out one red leaf and pasting it against a fall sky blue background and then using the negative image to create an impression of the leaf. These leaves have a very organic shape which is accentuated by using only two colors.

Autumn Leaves

Walking through the city, you become aware of fall's arrival as you hear leaves of all different shapes and sizes crunching beneath your feet. Here is a collage of some of the colorful leaves I have seen in my jaunts around the city over the past week!

Autumn in Morningside Heights

The other evening, I walked down Morningside Drive and stopped to appreciate the view of Morningside Park with Central Harlem in the background. There is a great lookout near 116th St. which is elevated over the park and affords a sweeping view of Harlem and Morningside Park. Some of the leaves were starting to turn on the trees. This is my interpretation of the scene.

Pear

When pears come into season, you know that fall is truly here! Pears have such an elegant, artistic shape. In this piece, I used bold colors and simple shapes to capture their elegance.

Apple

One of the things that I like best about fall is that apples are in season! Throughout the city, farmers' markets sell bountiful shiny mackintosh, rustic cortland's, and speckled gala apples. One of my favorites is the pale green ginger gold. It's a visual feast to see all the apples in wooden crates with their varying sizes, colors and textures. I created this cut-out with color aid paper.

Green NYC at Night in Autumn

I was inspired to create this piece after spending some time in Central Park on Sunday and envisioning colorful autumn leaves with their organic shapes against the linear skyscrapers of New York City. I used gouache paint to create the inky night sky, black construction paper to create the cityscape and gouache-painted paper to create the moon and trees. I really enjoyed cutting out the oak leaves, trying to make each shape unique, and figuring out the best way to position them in the composition.

Autumn Trees

This weekend, when I biked in Central Park I noticed a few sycamore and oak trees clustered together. The leaves were beginning to turn and they looked striking against the bright, blue sky. I tried to capture that color in this piece. The sky is a wash of watercolor and the trees are cut out with gouache-painted paper.

Half Moon

Last Sunday evening around 9pm, I opened our blinds and was captivated by a perfect half moon hanging above the apartment buildings across the street. The sky was very dark, as it was a cloudy night, which made the moon shine appear even more brilliant. To create this piece, I used color-aid paper for the buildings, gouache-painted paper for the moon and windows and black construction paper for the sky. It was a striking city scene!

Reservoir in Fall

This collage portrays the Reservoir in Central Park in early fall. The branch of an oak tree spans the composition. I like to think of New York City as a landscape that changes with the seasons and reflects the surrounding colors and vibes from nature and people! In this piece, the bright skyscrapers mirror the warm tones of the oak leaves and trees surrounding the reservoir.

Announcing ... 2010 Calendars!

I am pleased to announce that I will be creating calendars for 2010 with vibrant scenes of New York City in all four seasons! I hope that my designs will encourage you to enjoy the color and creative energy that surrounds you! Calendars will be available soon, so if you are interested in learning more, please sign up on the "subscribe via email" or "subscribe to receive updates" forms located on the right column of my blog.

Even on a dreary, rainy day, the city still comes alive with color! Colorful, bold umbrellas create a mosaic of colors on the sidewalks of Manhattan. I created the collage above with recycled and color-aid paper. The sky is watercolor.

Fall in NYC

I had a lot of fun creating this piece! Yesterday morning, I spent time sketching new ideas and this piece leaped into my mind. The seasons changed dramatically from summer to fall this year and seemingly overnight the leaves have started to turn and the cooler air has blown into the city. In this piece, I envisioned colorful leaves falling over Midtown - what a lovely sight! The sky is a wash of gouache paint and the city scene and leaves are cut out from gouache-painted paper.

George Washington Bridge from Riverside Dr.

Last week when I traveled uptown, I was struck by the sweeping view of the George Washington Bridge from Riverside Drive. In this piece, I tried to capture the way the bridge gracefully hangs over Riverside Park and stretches into Upper Manhattan. The area is quite hilly and affords grand views. I created this piece with gouache-painted paper. The bridge was cut out from color-aid paper.

First Sign of Fall

Biking in Central Park this weekend, I observed that some of the leaves are already beginning to turn! With the days growing shorter and the air feeling crisper, the warm hues of autumn are nearly upon us. I love the brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows of maple trees. Here in New York City, oak trees are more common. While oak leaves usually turn brown, I took some artistic license to make them more colorful in this piece!

Orchids

I was inspired to create this cutout after enjoying the delicate beauty of an orchid plant that we bought from Ikea. I chose a plant with bright, pink flowers and was astounded by the intricate nature of each petal. I used gouache-painted paper to create this piece.

Late Summer Sunrise

This watercolor celebrates the final days of summer! When I think of the last days of summer, I envision all the bright, sun drenched colors fading into the warm hues of autumn. This is my interpretation of a late summer sunrise.

George Washington Bridge at Night

I saw the George Washington Bridge from Riverside Drive last week in the evening. The bridge has a majestic presence, gracefully spanning the Hudson River. With the NYC at Night series on my mind, I envisioned the bridge set against a glowing moon with beautiful flowers growing on both banks of the river. Here is the result of that vision!

East River at Sunrise

This watercolor portrays the East River at sunrise. The waterfront is especially pretty during the summer when all the trees are in bloom. I kept the composition loose so that the colors and forms would blend together.

Early Morning in New York City

This is a watercolor of the sun rising over the skyscrapers of Midtown. In this abstract representation, I aim to portray the brilliant colors of the sun reflecting off the skyscrapers, with the Hudson in the foreground. Using a brush loaded with pigment and lots of water led to some surprises, such as the way the green building bleeds into the rising sun.

NYC Water Taxi

One of the many sites in Lower Manhattan are the NYC water taxis that circle the harbor. The bright yellow water taxis stand out against the city skyline and surrounding parks. I love all the action along the waterfront!

Kayaking on the Hudson

When we biked to lower Manhattan last weekend, we saw people kayaking on the Hudson River. I imagine there must be a dramatic view of the New York City skyline from the water! This collage is from the perspective of a kayaker paddling near Wagner Park. The yellow building in the background has bright blue solar panels down the sides.

Wagner Park

This past Sunday, we biked downtown to Wagner Park, located on the tip of Manhattan. The park is beautifully landscaped and affords excellent conditions for jogging, cycling and walking. There are numerous wildflowers planted carefully throughout the park, including the stunningly bold, pink flowers portrayed in this collage. With cool breezes coming off the Hudson and sailboats circling the harbor, you almost feel like you have left New York City!

Westside Market

Westside Market is a local grocery store near our apartment. I love the colors of all the fruits and vegetables displayed at the entrance to the store. It's a true visual feast! The selection of produce is especially colorful in summer, which I tried to capture in this collage. The store is always crowded with shoppers and there is usually a dog or two impatiently waiting for their owner by the entrance!

Green Empire State at Night II

Last night, the Empire State building was shining with red, white and blue lights, presumably in celebration of the Labor Day holiday weekend. I created a second collage of the Empire State at night with these patriotic colors. I continue to explore the theme of city night scenes against an urban garden. Imagine if all of the city streets were lined with trees, flowers and beautiful gardens!

Summer Sunrise

A few mornings ago, I was biking in Central Park at dawn. As I rounded the bend near East 70th Street, I noticed a blazing red sun rising over the treetops of the park. It was a stunning image which I tried to portray in this collage.

Green Empire State at Night

We have an amazing view of the Empire State building from our apartment window. This collage portrays the Empire State with its "ever day" yellow lights. This piece is part of the "Green NYC at Night" series that celebrates the urban gardens throughout New York City.

Mountain Sunset II

This watercolor was inspired by the setting sun over mountains. I tried to capture the scene by using a fully loaded brush with pigment and lots of water. That is how I achieved the effect of the mountain looking as if it is springing into the sun.

Northern Central Park

This is a collage of northern Central Park. From an aerial view, the park looks like a green blanket of trees sandwiched between the high rise buildings on the Upper East and West sides. I used gouache-painted paper to create this piece.

Ocean Sunset

In the summer we visit my grandparents who live on Cape Cod. There are often dramatic sunsets visible from their house perched on a hill overlooking the ocean. On clear evenings, we have seen some fantastic colors painted across the sky as the sun sets. This watercolor portrays one of those sunsets.

Brilliant Sunset

I am inspired by the sunsets over the Hudson River. I love when the warm colors of the setting sun blaze across the sky. This watercolor attempts to capture a brilliant sunset.

Dawn II

This is a second watercolor of the rising sun over Morningside Park. Here the full sun has risen over the treetops. I like to explore a theme through several paintings.

Mountain at Sunrise

This watercolor portrays a mountain at sunrise. I tried to capture the glow of the rising sun off of the mountain trees. When I painted the mountain, the color spread into the sky, creating an interesting effect. Through the medium of watercolor, I like to explore color and how it can be manipulated with water.

Dawn

I am captivated by the striking colors of sunrises and sunsets. I was inspired to create this piece after seeing the blazing summer sun rise over the treetops in Morningside Park. The bold, warm sun against the cool, green trees is a vibrant image. What a way to start the day!

Mountain at Sunset

This is a watercolor I created of a mountain at sunset. I love the way the mountain bleeds into the setting sun. To achieve this effect, I used a lot of water when I painted the mountain and let the paint naturally flow into the sun. Watercolor is a great medium for spontaneity. Sometimes what at first seems like a "mistake" turns out to be a surprisingly interesting blend of colors.

Sunrise

This is a watercolor I created this morning of a sunrise scene. Watercolor lends itself well to allowing colors to blend together naturally. I like to use a lot of water when I paint with watercolor so that the paint will create interesting effects, such as the way the green looks like it is shooting up.