Brooklyn Bound
2008 - 22.5"x17" Acrylic, chalk-pastel pencil, charcoal, newspaper, on wood.
Finished with two coats of Krylon Kamar Varnish #1312
(Private Collection - New York)

May 30, 2008

I have been thinking a lot about my past year living in Brooklyn. One of my favorite parts of NYC is riding the subway. The subway train conductor will announce "This is a Brooklyn bound train ..." for any trains heading from Manhattan to Brooklyn. I usually ride the F-Train.

After moving here, I soon learned that most of the bad things you hear about NYC are not true. It is true there are many rats living in the city, but they are not the size of cats. This urban myth inspired the giant rat below the yellow house. The stories about two headed giraffs running wild in NYC are true. They originated in Williamsburg (Brooklyn), and some have migrated across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan.

The walking fish symbolize the evolution and constant change of the city, especially Brooklyn. The flying pink pig was inspired by Roger Water's inflatable pig that was released into the sky at the Coachella Music Festival. The pig was missing for a few days but was eventually recovered in pieces. Note: I searched for these photos after the painting was completed, so the middle photo is just a funny coincidence.

A few photos of the painting in development: