There is little need for me to remind the world here and now why this past year has been one for the history books. The ropes of society have frayed into countless individual strands of lonesome realities, pointing in different directions towards the ethers of anxiety, grief, uncertainty, regret, worry, guilt, and anger about the future of our livelihoods, families, country, civilization. But for future generations, there is much to learn from written recollections of what has transpired in the past 12 months, where the foundations of our society have been hacked at from multiple fronts, at times invisibly and inexplicably, with one shocking setback after another, by the day. In equal measures, deeply ingrained values and freedoms, formerly the pride of our ignorance, continue to be stricken from the soul of our wheat. For better or worse, time will, from this strange string of events that calls itself a calendar year, distill and harden the lessons our descendants are to learn, the conclusions to be drawn, the messages to be blared. It is difficult to sift through daily tragedy and emerge with some forward hope, but perhaps it is there, even now. I implore my fellow beings to turn to art, and find some hope and peace.
It's hard for me to consider another year in which I've turned more heavily to my artwork for sanity, solace, and structure than this year. My work in architecture is my anchor, but making art was my nights out, my weekends, my vacations, my escapes, my sustenance, my support, and hopefully a bit of support for others. Thank you to all the fine musicians, restaurant patrons, park-goers, and even some family, who've allowed me to work them into my art. While this year has dug its own little corner into my soul, let's turn a page on this one.
Here are 25 pastel pieces from this year, divided into 5 chronological acts (ink, pencil pieces, and miniature studies not shown).
Stay safe, stay strong, stay connected, live and flourish.
Snippets: 1. Behind a Spotlight in a Harlem Music Cafe, 2. In a Spell, 3. A Packed Bar in BedStuy, 4. Uplight and an Upright, 5. Shadows of the Past and Present
Snippets: 6. All Things Aligned, 7. Somewhere Between Paris and Brooklyn, 8. A Violinist and a Piece of Sky, 9. Walls Within, 10. Two-Wall Blues
Snippets: 11. Love Surrounds, 12. Adjustments, 13. Turning Heads in Crown Heights, 14. Park Bench Jazz, Before the Rain, 15. Flashbacks in a Garden Evening
Snippets: 16. A Summer Night at Cobble Hill Park, 17. Ages Pass at a Sidewalk Brunch, 18. Illuminated Openings, 19. Second Sunday Back at the Saloon, 20. A Jazz Band and a Pickup Truck
Snippets: 21. In the Basement, Among the Stars, 22. The Velvet Bridge, 23. Sunset off the Rio de l’Alboro, 24. Escargot on Union Street, 25. Sources of Warmth
