inspiration today: newspaper canvases

one of the things I love about New York is, any place can be an art gallery: a restaurant, a coffee shop, my hair salon. I once visited a little gallery inside an apartment building and the entrances to two of the apartments were actually in the gallery. So, as I admired a beautiful oil painting of a country cabin in the Catskills, a young couple struggled to push a stroller through the doorway of the adjacent wall. A funny little city this is; but inspiration is around every corner.

An artist named Tom Matt shows his work in these kinds of places. I was in Bazzini several months ago sampling a salsa dip when I discovered a couple of his pastel drawings hanging across from the deli counter. He takes the paper-of-the-day and on it creates a beautiful representation of the Brooklyn Bridge or a street corner on 79th and Columbus. Anyway, just a huge fan of cityscapes in general, but I particularly love his drawing style. I've posted some of my favs below, but there is much more on his website including a Paris series.

Lower Manhattan from the Manhattan Bridge

80th & Amsterdam

Brooklyn Bridge

Bryant Park, the Grace Building & Chrysler

(or the scene when I'm on my way to fashion week coming from the Times Square 2 train, past the Conde Nast building, and about to cross the street and head over to the tents!)

Central Park & The Plaza Hotel

Ludlow & Houston

Mercer Street & Waverly Place

The Flatiron Building