I went this morning to Gantry Plaza State Park which looks over the East River and is across from the United Nations. I went there with those stone blocks in my mind. Over Christmas I painted there and some of you must remember that I ran into a bride and her groom who came with a camera crew to take their wedding pictures. I was very much impressed by the stone blocks which were in different square or rectangular sizes and randomly laid along a winding walk. Flowers and grasses grew around those blocks. The view reminded me of the unearthed historical site of Bombay, Italy. The sight has amazed as well as puzzled me: Why were they laid out like that? It is true the layout was uniquely beautiful. It seemed to me that they were leftovers of the Park construction because part of the river railing is made of the same stone blocks. It is logical that instead of spending money shipping them away, it might be as well to make use of them in the park. If it was the original design instead of an inadvertent outcome, it was even greater. Anyway, they are the purpose that I went to Gantry Plaza. It took me less than two hours to make the picture.
When I was done with the painting, I packed my kit and walked to the intersection of Vernon Blvd. and 50th Ave. and the subway station to take the 7 Train. I was about to get into the subway entrance when I noticed the church. I asked a smoker on the sidewalk about its name. It was St. Mary's. Suddenly, I felt an urge to challenge myself: Can I do an oil sketch of it within an hour? So instead of walking down the staircase of the station, I pulled my kit across the street to an island in the street and made this sketch in less than an hour.
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