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Manhattan 002

11" x 15", watercolour, 2000, private collection

When I visited New York City for the first time in 1999 I knew I'd be taking a lot of photos (with my trusty Minolta) and that those photos would eventually end up as reference for some of my paintings. However, I decided to concentrate on the interesting architecture of the city rather than the typical and obvious well-known landmarks.

So, while my friend drove us around the city, I aimed my camera high and got as many shots like the one above that I could, shooting what I considered to be little-seen and/or under appreciated scenes of NYC. Sure, I took a lot of pictures of Rockefeller Center and its wonderful art deco buildings and details (seen in my subsequent paintings here and here), but I enjoyed shots like this one just as much.

Maybe I'll do larger versions of them in oil someday...


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