A Long Way From Brooklyn

In love with red and turquoise

So here we have a mainly red and turquoise art work that’s all about my memories of a trip to Brooklyn.

What’s probably most interesting to me is the enormous variation in colours I saw. If you’ve been there you’ll know that there’s an awful lot of concrete and stone around. The bridge, the museums, the roads – an overwhelming plethora of urbane infrastructure.

Vibrancy and life

However, if you look more closely what you actually end up seeing is a rich tapestry of colour and texture that’s not just bound to the physical properties of the area. Of particular interest was the view out of the bay area back to the Brooklyn Bridge.

I can recall the changing light conditions as I walked over it, sometimes looking back behind me as well as in front. It was a bitterly cold day when I walked across; I remember ice being piled up on handrails and on overhead suspension wires. And oh how the sky was so blue and clear.

A festival for the eyes

The waters looked incredibly deep and formed from a rich purple hue – not at all what I had expected. As the midday sun beamed down the reflections of the buildings bounced light all around. I remember too the tones of the bricks that the buildings were made from. Old municipal constructions sitting aside contemporary glass structures really helped to highlight the depth and range of colours.

And so to the extraordinary mix of people. All sizes and shapes, all colours and religions. I loved the mix of extremes here; people going about their business in this one place. It was this kind of influence that made me want to translate my observations into a series opposing lines and shapes.