Skater, 2006.

Skater, 2006.

oil on canvas, 14" x 18".

This painting was based on a photo I took one summer afternoon in Thompkins Square Park. A bunch of skate rats were riding a rail they put in the center of a basketball court. There was an amazing light which I have not seen since. I tried to capture the light through the leaves by using my finger tips to erase streaks of under paint in the background. Fingers are a painters best tool. I then softened the streaks with a large soft watercolor brush. I have about ten of these of different sizes in my arsenal and use them all the time. 

If you think about painting in terms of athletics, I felt like I was in top form when I made this. It took two sessions and it has a economy of mark making that I don't have unless I've been painting a lot. It felt effortless. The only other way I can describe it is in terms of music. If I've been playing a lot of guitar, I feel a certain fluency in expressing myself through my fingers. Unfortunately I have not been painting a lot in the past few weeks, and I feel out of shape.