As we begin to wind down our residency in this vibrant Art Center of South Florida I am already beginning to feel the pangs of nostalgia. Maybe I can call it Pre-nostalgia(?). I have had my studio for just a couple of years here and as much as many locals have a disdain for the over commercialization of this road it does provide a lively atmosphere that serves as a great energizer for me. The studio I had before arriving here is now my sons bedroom. It is quite pleasant outside of there too but it is mostly populated with a quite suburbia that gives me the opposite feeling that I get from my Lincoln Road Studio. This (Pre) nostalgia has me eyeing this bustling walk way as of late. I hope you enjoy it.
One of the aspects I am aware of is the difference in the quality of light that falls over south Florida as compared to where I am from in northern New Jersey. One of my favorite paintings by George Bellows captures that northern light most strikingly. His "Winter Afternoon" painting gives me comfort. In that painting he captures the view of the Palisades where I grew up. I knew well the little jagged orange that represent the morning sun on those cliffs. I can go on and on, my point is that the representation of light is a catalyst to certain moods for me. In this painting a torrential rain had fallen over my studio in the early evening. As it often rains here the clouds moved fast and it was clear again leaving the parking lot wet. Little puddles acted like a mirror to the sky above. The light danced and jumped all over my vision bringing me a sense of excitement that I had to try and capture.
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