Painting in the Hopper House in Nyack, NY
Earlier this week I spent three more days painting in the Edward Hopper House Art Center in Nyack, NY, Hopper's birthplace and home on and off until he was nearly 30. In April I also painted there for three days. Hopper House hosted an exhibit of my work this spring that ran from the end of March through last Sunday, The show opened in one of their downstairs spaces and later moved upstairs to hang in what was Hopper's bedroom. Carole Perry, Director of Hopper House, told me this was the first time one of their scheduled exhibitions has been presented in Hopper's bedroom. As Hopper was the primary influence on my early art career, this is a deeply felt honor for me.
Above is one of the results, Hopper Bedroom Window, Nyack, oil on panel, 13 x 8 5/8", 2012. From this window Hopper used to look east towards the Hudson River, a block and a half away. Years ago when I was studying at the Art Students League of New York, I lived in an apartment on the far Upper West Side of Manhattan. My bedroom window back then overlooked the Hudson River as well. I used to daydream looking at the tour boats make their regular circuit up and down the Hudson, never realizing I'd one day paint this new view from Hopper's space.
Here's another new painting, Hopper's Parlor, Nyack, oil on panel, 12 x 9", 2012. It's painted downstairs in what in now the main gallery space for Hopper House. I set up my French easel downstairs and used the same bentwood chair as I'd done for the upstairs bedroom oil to break up the space. Below is my easel in the parlor as seen from the front hallway.
This is staircase seen from the front hallway. On the far wall is a sign telling visitors Hopper House has opened the upstair bedroom space holding my exhibit.
Here's me working on the Hopper Bedroom Window, Nyack oil in the bedroom.
This shows a few of the paintings in the exhibit of my work installed in Hopper's bedroom.