Coney Island
Oil on canvas
48″ x 30″
SOLD
Having lived my formative years and half my life in Manhattan, there is always the experience of New York City in my paintings. It’s energy asserts itself – you see it in the grid shapes, color juxtapositions, the tension of line and brushstroke – even as I explore sense of place in the southwest.
This piece emerged as subways, reading books on the train – the orange and yellow molded plastic seats, the gigantic freaky Ferris Wheel on the boardwalk, carnies, wind, sand, soot, white grey sky, sunset, the Atlantic, Hudson and East Rivers, walking to the pier, train maps, squeal of the tracks, smell of metal on metal, coffee shops, history, poets freaks artists musicians (friends), bodegas, fruit stands, fish market, sushi, movement, moving, stillness, stories, layers, human interconnectedness.
Sky Pixel 9 ~ Coney Island
Each one of my paintings has a story behind it.
This is from when I first began this piece from February 17, 2020 – on my instagram:
Another day, another layer. Wrapping up a bunch of paintings this week. This one is making me happy right now. It’s going to look very different, but I like its skeleton.
Soundtrack: Eric Burdon and War, some new age guy talkin’ about Pleiadians on YouTube, and The Man Who Sold the World (entire album) by David Bowie.
This is where it all began, and it all reminded me of Coney Island, right from the start. The reds, blues, and yellows. And the painting, like the city (New York), became what it was with so many layers.
I love what the pieces become – and I love the process, too. This piece could have been finished at the initial layer, but I felt the need to keep pushing. It’s almost like I have to scare myself a little, come to a point of resistance with my work and then, break through.
Have you ever had a ride on the Ferris Wheel at Coney Island? That thing is gigantic and scary and fun. Making this painting was like that.
Other paintings for sale can be found at Works for Sale.
Have a great day!
May 1, 2022
Flagstaff, AZ
holly troy ~ sacred folly 