"New York Standing"

When I arrived in Providence to set up a studio in September of 2001, I had brought with me some paintings from the previous year. These were paintings which I intended to open up to revision - 2000 had been a year of some personal grief. I had turned on the radio ( WGBH, Boston) as I began working in the studio, it was soon after the first plane had hit the World Trade Center. "The War of the Worlds" came to mind. As I listened to the sad news and the profound classical music over the weeks, the stark work from the previous year seemed to become universal, standing as sentinels amidst the new work as it emerged around them. " Standing" 80 x 66 in. became emblematic of New York standing. There was a painting simply entitled "Stop" 66 x 48 in., and a diptych of two 66 x 48 in., canvases which became " Requiem." These paintings formed a significant part of my 9/11 memorial exhibition: "Vision From Both Sides" September 2002 at Alva Gallery, New London CT. ( documented in video )