And out on the street...It's been over a year since I made a new posting, and for good reason. At the time of my last entry, my partner and I had just moved into a new loft and studio in the financial district of lower Manhattan, more or less overlooking the scene in this painting. Shortly after we moved in and got all set up, we discovered that there were serious problems with the building. At first I thought I could bring my years of experience building, fixing and making things to bear on the problems. I got certified by the Bureau of Buildings to be out on the scaffolding to see what was going on with inspection and repairs of the circa 1892 building. Unfortunately, after months of trying to herd the cats who owned the other units in the building into an understanding of the seriousness of the myriad problems with the systems and the structure itself, we realized we had to bail. This meant yet another big disruption in my painting practice, while we prepared to sell the unit and find a replacement, hopefully nearby, since we'd come to love the vibrant and diverse neighborhood. We got lucky, and eventually found a wonderful sun-drenched space less than 200' away, but the move happened during an epic blizzard with temps in the single digits and feet of snow that made the logistics a challenge. We are now happily all settled in, and my new studio has great views of the buildings and streets all around.
I've been enjoying standing on the corners with my camera rig, which let's me 'wear' my cell phone and trigger the shutter with a remote in my pocket, so I can capture the action without freaking people out. The first two paintings below are part of a new series of works celebrating the constantly changing cast of characters. Just running out to do routine errands here is like being in a film, I'm not sure how all the sub-plots connect, but it's always fascinating. The little No Kings painting I just finished today captures another kind of NYC energy, and I hope our voices are heard!
Other big changes in my routine include the sale of my liftboat studio/home, Legs III, to a local diving and marine construction firm. It was lot of work to set up the rig and get it to NYC from Louisiana, but as a young friend told me when I first considered buying it back in 2021: I never would have known what I would have missed if I hadn't done it! No regrets, and the passing of torch was made much easier, knowing it was going to be in good hands and live on as a unique vessel. I've downsized my maritime operations a bit. Now my watercraft are all able to fit inside my solar panel charged electric van; a 10' battery powered inflatable RIB, and a pedal powered kayak. I'm looking forward to more explorations of the over 500 miles of NYC waterfront this summer, and being back in the studio having fun with the brushes!
My wonderful gallery representation: LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
And as always, you can also contact me directly by email: info@sethtane.com and follow my occasional photo posts on: Instagram