Manhattan, acrylic on canvas, painting in progress, 2010

Manhattan, acrylic on canvas, painting in progress, 2010

This painting in progress is the farthest along of my New York series of aerial landscapes. I recently returned from a long weekend in NYC, so this is a good time to paint my impression of the city. Manhattan is the focus in this piece but you can see parts of Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island, and New Jersey.

I'm trying to keep this piece looser and more abstract with a thicker application of paint -- adding more detail and texture as I build up the layers. There is now green space around 3/4 of Manhattan along with Central Park and the other parks in Lower Manhattan. As cities increase their populations, it's becoming more and more important to preserve the parks and outdoor space. If you've ever laid on the grass in Central Park on a Sunday afternoon, you know how relaxing it can be.

I'm also working to highlight the importance of the waterways in this large metro area. You can also see elements of industry in the outlying boroughs which is still an important aspect of New York's infrastructure. One of my next steps will be to add the bridges...

Aerial Landscapes - Urbanest Installation, June 2010

Aerial Landscapes - Urbanest Installation, June 2010

Urbanest has hung some additional aerial landscapes to include the Chicago series. It's now a mix of Chicago and Michigan aerial landscapes.

This series of paintings explores the colors and shapes of landscapes and waterways from above. They are based on images from Google maps as well as photographs I've taken from an airplane while traveling. They were painted mostly lying flat on a table so that I worked above the canvas as I painted them.

While these images relate to a universal travel experience (looking out an airplane window), they also draw attention to water in our environment - something that is abundant but is becoming a much more valuable and scarce commodity around the world. Living near Lake Michigan and in the Great Lakes region highlights water's impact on our day-to-day lives - whether we live in the city or rural area. It's something that we often take for granted but cannot do without.