May 2024
hot, humid–
I finally clean
the fan blades
We had a taste of summer the other day, which was enough to get me to do some spring cleaning I’ve been putting off for weeks.
Wishing everyone a month full of both rainbows and birds.
Weekend work
The first painting done with the paper Kerfe gave me for my birthday. I have many ideas.
Gouache and colored pencil drawing of my co-worker’s dog. I think she liked it.
The cherry blossoms in their new home-the Quest lab at my office. I will be adding more.
Two versions of the Zaks family. Both given to the family and the grandparents.
Just another good weekend doing some art. Be well!
Walker Building, Chelsea (Thursday Doors)
ornaments, setbacks, elegant facade—
hard not to be awed—sky intersects
no trace of modesty—metal glistens–
doors envisioned as geometry
The Walker Tower is a mixed use building with Verizon offices and luxury condominiums stretching between 17th and 18th streets in Chelsea. Named for its architect, Ralph Thomas Walker, when it was converted to condos in 2012, it was originally constructed as a commercial communications building in 1930.
I could not get even close to a good view of the whole building from the street, but above is a rendering from the real estate listings website. A two-bedroom is available for only $9 million. I have to admit it has very nice views.
Here’s the 17th street door on the back side of the building. I think this is the Verizon entrance–the condo owners use the fancier door on 18th street.
Walker was a well-known architect in his day who designed many deco skyscrapers in the New York City area, beginning with the New York Telephone headquarters in lower Manhattan. He also designed the Salvation Army headquarters on 14th Street, a building I’m familiar with from when I lived downtown. It also has a huge and elaborate entrance.
Untapped New York has a write up on a number of Walker’s buildings, with some interior photos, including the Walker building, here.
Jane Dougherty recently posted a toddaid poem, which I decided to try for myself. I’m not quite sure I got the interior rhymes in the right places, but I enjoyed the puzzle of constructing them.
And you can always find more doors at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.
Dreaming is Free (Thursday Doors)
It was not
Friday when I first
conjured up
that skylight,
that large sun filled studio–
it was in my dreams
Of course I
knew it was just pie
in the sky,
not real, but
as Debbie Harry said so
well—dreaming is free
Every time I pass this little house, just off Central Park West, I envy the owner. The skylight on the top floor resembles one I’ve often imagined as a key component of my dream art studio.
Luckily, the Daytonian exists to confirm that yes, the top floor was originally designed as an art studio, although the building was renovated into a single family house in 1994. Designed by architect Robert T Lyons in 1913, it also contained one apartment and a garage for the newly-popular automobile.
Emma Fordyce MacRae, a member of the “Philadelphia Ten” group of women artists, was the first occupant of the studio and continued working there until her death in 1974. Here’s one of her portraits that I like a lot.
The first apartment tenant was a writer of novels and plays, Fannie Hurst, who created somewhat of a scandal by living apart from her husband and keeping her own name. They had breakfast together twice a week.
The latest sale for this house was in 2000, when it sold for $6,450,000. Well, it does have a garage….It was advertised for rent, at $75,000/month in 2009. You can see a floorplan of the listing here. I could find no information on present occupants, but you can read the usual detailed history of its early years on the Daytonian, here.
It’s tulip time at the community garden.
And does anyone know what these little yellow flowers are? They are all over Central Park right now.
Don’t forget to look at all the doors at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.
The quadrille word on dVerse this week was Friday.
Abandoned Uncertainties (Thursday Doors)
“Who am I and what is my purpose?”
–W3 prompt question, Matt Synder
Sometimes I feel like a closed door
with no structure—no ceiling, floor–
abandoned to the whims of the weather–
Or perhaps under construction–
covered with warnings, instructions
designed to turn the outside world away—
My exterior is plain, bare,
and inside I’m no more aware
of where I’m going, or what I will be.
I’ve been waiting for a chance to use that abandoned door I photographed on Columbus Avenue earlier this year. Matt’s prompt at W3 (and my answer to his question) was a perfect fit.
I also picked out a couple other uncertain doorways from my archives.
Matt asked for a 9-line poem, so I consulted Muri’s Around the World list and found the tercet form Tripadi from Bangladesh. I like it a lot–both the rhythm and rhyme flow very naturally.
A closer look at that abandoned door shows that it still has possibilities–remove the paint, refresh the decorative glass, give it some new hardware–it could still provide a welcome sight at the end of a long day. That’s a good enough purpose in my book.
And be sure to visit Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion, where you will find plenty of well-used doors.
X-Ray Visions
This week, the Kick-About is inspired by X-Rays.
Green Heron (Draw a Bird Day)
you stand edged between land
and swamp—unseen you wait,
silently drop the bait–
tense, still—fishing
The Green Heron is common throughout both North and Central America. Northern populations migrate south during winter.
Unlike many heron species, green herons are solitary except during breeding season when they form monogamous pairs. They construct platforms of sticks for nesting in shrubs and trees near water.
They prefer bodies of water lined with tall vegetation as they are shy and secretive, One of the few birds to use tools, green herons employ lures to catch fish, After dropping the bait in the water, they sit and wait until a fish is spotted, suddenly springing forward to grab their prey with their beak.
Their diet consists primarily of fish, but green herons will also eat frogs, insects, snakes, worms, crustaceans and small rodents.
Green heron populations are still widespread, but declining because of habitat loss.
My poem is a one-stanza abhanga, a devotional form from India, one of many in Muri’s Around the World Scavenger Hunt. I’m quite sure herons are devoted to fishing.
Couple of paintings
One night in November my husband and I walked in on the wrong night for a party. The honoree’s daughter, husband and baby were sitting around the table. I immediately realized our mistake (they were very kind; the date and venue had been changed a few times. Still…awkward).
The peaceful scene of the three of them stuck in my mind. This is the first one I did:
My next project will be to paint this dog who isn’t going to be around much longer.
My co-worker’s dog as a young pup. She’s around 15 now.
There was just an earthquake here in NJ. I didn’t feel it but everyone is talking about it.
Have a good weekend! Nina
Park Avenue Synagogue (Thursday Doors)
merely vessels for matters of spirit–
still, the majesty moves us
and supports our journey
Every time I’ve wanted to photograph the old entrance to the Park Avenue Synagogue on East 87th Street there have been multiple cars parked in front. But this week I lucked out and got a mostly clear view of the original doorway facade.
The building, designed by Walter S. Schneider, was dedicated in 1927, with a congregation that had grown over the years through the merging of multiple east side congregations, the first having been founded in 1882.
The original doorway, in a Moorish style of cast stone, has beautiful details.
In 1954, needing more space, the synagogue expanded by building an addition next door. Designed by Kelly and Gruzen, the addition also had a wall of windows by artist Adolph Gottlieb. Unfortunately this beautiful facade was dismantled in order to further enlarge the synagogue to Madison Avenue in 1980, but you can see a photo of it and read more about Gottlieb’s work at the Gottlieb Foundation, here.
The new building is tasteful, but lacks the specialness of the original structure and its first addition. Gottlieb’s windows are displayed inside both this building, and an additional one that was added to the congregation nearby on 89th Street.
Dedicated to the children that were murdered in the Holocaust, the newest addition has two sculptures by Nathan Rapoport on the 87th Street side.
I attended the bar and bat mitzvahs of a friend’s children here. As it is one of the largest Jewish congregations in the United States, it’s not a surprise I would know someone who was a member.
The Park Avenue Synagogue website is here.
My poem is a kimo, a poetic form from Israel, for Muri’s Scavenger Hunt – Poems from Around the World.
And, as always, you can find more doors–and probably some squirrels– at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.
April 2024
grey returns
to untranquil dawn
–not even a hazy moon–
birds enter clouds
as crow’s voice lingers
The weather report has promised us another grey and rainy week. But we all know what they say about April showers…
I’m a bit late for Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday. I’ve written kind of a gogyohka peunte using the three kigo phrases she provided: tranquil dawn, hazy moon, birds enter clouds
I hope to be doing NaPoWriMo over at kblog…we’ll see.
Happy April! May it be filled with birds!
method two madness 
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