ON LOCATION
2014/5, Watercolor and ink on paper, 22x30"
This series is a collection of experiences in cities around the world. Within each is a journal entry that draws viewers in to the moment. The text touches on reflections on what that place felt like, people Lenore encountered while creating the work and how they interacted with it, and themes that were being considered at the time (like existentialism, responsibility, and chance). These narratives bring the artist's perspective into the public space and encourage similar reflection by the viewer.
"Today is great. I've been wanting to paint the Seine since we got here, and with time running out, the weather couldn't have been nicer. Add in a chocolate ice cream, a guy playing jazz and Morris sitting with me on the bridge--perfection. Lately when things go wrong in my head i sing that song, "every day can't be the best..."Well, this one was."
"Soho:Just the right mix of luxe and industry. Grace came to keep me company today,though Im not much for conversation while Im painting. Art is serious business, after all. Eventually she wandered off and I was left with the view and gaggles of tourists("excuse, where can we find cafe in soho?" um, on every corner?)Also got filmed by a crew making a commercial (guess i look very authentically non commercial). Nice to be home and be a local,not just mistaken for one. Parlez-vous Englais?"
"The best part about being outdoors painting on a bright, sunny day is all the new people you meet, like my new Mexican friends, who provided excellent music, painting tips and offered me a beer. I declined, needing to drive home with my baby afterward, but still, gotta love the weirdness of it all..."
Painting in the Arab shuk was magical. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, even though I only had very broken Arabic to communicate with and they were all fasting for Ramadan. Everyone crowded around to watch me draw(pressure!)The little boy in the center was so excited,he dutifully posed for me for 5 minutes(a long time for him)then returned every so often to make sure I got the details right.His cousin on the stoop got embarrassed when he realized i was drawing him and so did (caught)!...
Quotes overheard and thought while under the High Line park, NYC.
Visited the century old kenees for the 1st time in 8 years yesterday...Spent 30 minutes just staring,taking it all in.Some parts I remembered were gone,but I guess some part of the old needs to disappear for things to be remade new again.Thoughts were interrupted when David woke up in his stroller.Took him next door to visit Kady though she was busy preparing a sebbit(some things don't change)....
What an awesome day,+ I almost didnt come!Trains were off sched and I didnt think Id have time to finish,but lately Im trying"not to let it stop me",whatever the It du jour is.There was a music festival going on and i didnt watch(focus,focus,focus),but enjoyed listening+feeling like a tourist in China(ironic since actual chinese tourists were photographing me)1 little girl gawked+asked her mom if she could take drawing lessons.Weather was perfect.Time flew.Is there anything better than Spring?
If I ever write a book about these paintings,Id call it Comments From Strangers.Sometimes its flattering,sometimes distracting,yet seems that every passing person feels they have to make some kind of comment.Funnily,most aren't even directed at me,as if Im just another part of the landscape thats making their day more interesting.The kids always want to linger but the parents drag them on,everyones got somewhere to be,even when theyre on vacation...Till next time, everyone.
A sunny square dedicated to a tragic figure.Also,popular spot on walking tours of Montmarte.Passed a pleasant afternoon painting,watching crowds go by,being watched by them.Its amusing listening to different guides giving conflicting info about the same place.Its less amusing when the wind on the hill blows your painting away.think I amused the crowds more than their guides..Roman passed by with a new group and said he'd pass by later,but I had to leave before he did.Montmarte:Missed Connections
Put it together and what have you got? Well, I'm not sure, really, Why Exactly was it so important for me to sit under the Manhattan Bridge all day while I stuck my kid in daycare? For some construction workers' and passing tourists' compliments? What is the point of this whole series, anyway? I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Kind of just going on this "just do it and figure it out later". If I answer "Why" I might just stop.
The day I sat on a stoop until my butt hurt(5 hours)just to do this.Pretty much knew it was doomed to begin with(you can always tell)but thats ok, its also the day I met a guy who works at shakespeare+co, talked with a portraitist who works on the bridge next to Notre Dame...gave me directions to a nearby place for "cheap eats" its funny how people assume all artists are starving, but i am sitting on a stoop, so there you go...
What can I say about Giverny?A haven of impressionism- my impressions:pretty,grateful for the experience of painting there,though I wish it'd been sunnier,and I wish I'd been equal to the task.As usual,I didn't do it justice,but then what does one gain from trying to copy Monet?Those are impossibly large shoes to fill and the goal reeks of sadness to me.Instead of living in the past, I believe it would be more useful to stop trying to walk in others' shoes, and figure out how to walk in mine.
2014, Ink and wash on paper, 22x30"
Stole 3 hours of time today,sat sandwiched bet. an ice cream shop and flower store to do this while Morris watched the baby...spotted this Haussmann-wannabe on 7th av.Is Paris just going to follow me around forever now?The sun blared so hard it burned me through my clothes....Everyone is so nice to artists,why is that?Is it bec in the moment they meet us we're more interesting than they are?representatives of whatever it is they wish they were doing instead of their day job?...
2014, Ink and wash on paper, 22x30"
2014, Ink and wash on paper, 22x30"