“At this moment I find myself political just by painting. Every time I paint an abstract picture that relies on color I think it’s a political statement.” —Pat Lipsky
What accounts for an institution’s longevity? In New York City, real estate is key. Most histories of the Art Students League credit disaffected art students with the school’s founding, its democratic government, and communal character. This is fitting. Less recognized, however, is the role non-artists played in buying prime lots along Fifty-seventh Street and erecting a building…
How to paint the city: Wander around a lot. The more aimless, the better. Buy a good camera and always carry it with you. Take many, many photos. When wandering look for the common, the unexciting, the ordinary. Take note of these scenes knowing that you will make them extraordinary. Look for the contrasts: bright…
His name was Jameson and I kept calling him Jason. His aunt had brought him to work that day, and I met him in one of my multiple trips to the kitchen to get coffee. He was playing with a Gameboy on the floor, while his aunt hustled between her desk phone and her computer….