Off-Street Cafe

As the title says, this painting is of an indoor/outdoor restaurant that sits off Newbury Street, in downtown Boston. It's midday. The sunlight streaming into the interior brings the outdoors into the interior, beyond the low barrier separating the tables from the sidewalk. The patrons can hear the street traffic, and the passersby on the sidewalk see an inviting environment inside that invites them in. The two tables being cleared suggest that patrons have just vacated after lunch. The punctuated white shirts of wait staff and patrons are like musical notes that break up the deep red-browns of the bar's dark interior. I especially like the soft folds on the two wait staffs' shirts. Overall, there is a softness to this painting that is more evident in the original, which was intentional because the stark dark and light nature of the scene would have otherwise been overwhelming. Finally, to me anyway, this painting has an element of sophistication in its formal structure. It makes your eye roam and explore what's going on inside, just as passersby do from the street. It's one of the reasons I like to put people in my paintings: They create natural curiosity, and engage the viewer to wonder about who they are, and what they're doing, saying and thinking.

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Behind the Scene

Another painting in the Reflection series, the mirror in Behind the Scene reveals another dimension to the view of a restaurant's interior. Two wait staff have set the tables and work at their stations in preparation for expected patrons. The view of the room is from a higher vantage point, which allows a good depiction of the beautiful carpeting and dark, rich furniture. The white linen table cloths offer bright relief from an intimate and subdued environment. Light enters hesitantly from side windows, enriching the carpet pattern. Some scenes make you pause the moment you see them. This is one of them, where all the visual elements harmonize, like a good symphony. I look at this painting and it makes my eyes feel good. Click on painting to enlarge.

Inside and Out

Juried into the Hudson Valley Art Association's 79th Annual Exhibition for 2010 and the Salmagundi Club's 33rd Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 2010, this painting is a study in detail of superimposed objects. In one way, it is a trompe l'oeils, because your eye is fooled to perceive what is inside the restaurant and what is reflected outside. The other exciting aspect of this painting is the window frame. It's the most essential part because the foreground surface detail of peeling paint, nicks and dents creates a clear depth-of-field between the interior and exterior.