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On a Sunday afternoon a fierce five alarm fire consumed a plumbing supply warehouse in Brooklyn. As the sun was beginning to set casting long shadows, the clean up began. Amongst the many firemen on the scene dragging hoses I focused on this lone firefighter tasked with gathering up the hoses to be drained and packed on the engine.
This drawing received honorable mention in The Art of Fire fundraiser at the Fire Museum of NYC in 1997.
This is Lieutenant Kevin Kennedy on a sunny summer morning, after a house fire. I initially made a colored pencil sketch and I showed it to Lieutenant Kennedy, who was so taken by it that he commissioned me to make it into a full drawing,
Those that worked with Kevin and those that know him well, would comment on the details that were captured in the drawing. Details that were familiar to them, and made Kevin come alive in this drawing.
This painting was done from a photograph taken of a young firefighter his first week on the job. This photograph was chosen because it captured the moment this young firefighter understood the perils of the moment before him.
Years later as his retirement was approaching, his daughter purchased this painting for her father's retirement gift.
This painting went on to be exhibited in a group show at The Art of Fire fundraiser at the NYC Fire Museum, benefitting the NYC Burn Center.
When firefighters are packing up the hoses and equipment after a fire it's called "taking up." This term is also used when a firefighter is retiring.
The members of Ladder 44 in the Bronx NYC, commissioned this piece for as a retirement gift for one of their members.
In Memory of John Bauer.
John Bauer was a lieutenant of engine 276 in Brooklyn, NY. I remember him as nice guy with a smile in his eyes. He would often tell me in a fatherly tone, "go home and paint.
After his passing I did this painting in his honor and presented it to the members of his firehouse.
On yet another hot summer day, I managed to get this photo as this firefighter knelt down to wipe his face after putting out a house garage fire.
In the minute that he knelt down to wipe his face, he let his guard down. Many people have looked at this drawing and related it to 911. That is one of the great things about art, an image can transcend its physical medium to mean so many different things to those who see it.
In my drawings of arborists I was confronted by a whole new set of creative challenges. I decided to concentrate on the human form rather than the setting; which was thousands of leaves and very little sky.
The final image was interesting enough on its own and never fails to have someone ask if it is right side up or sideways.
For a time I was working across the street from a construction site and would periodically wander off to photograph the going ons of the site.
Steel delivery day was fun all around, taking pictures of the block as it lifted the steel, stories above the city. It gave me great joy to work on the details of this drawing that made it come to life.
My most popular drawing to date. So much so that it has ben plagiarized twice, by the same person. Imitation might be some sort of flattery but in this instance it might be overkill.
I was fortunate enough to be allowed to document removal of a rotten tree which was in danger of falling on a house. This fact heightened the tension of the moment and served to show me how these trees are not just carelessly taken down without a reason.
A difficult drawing but one that I enjoyed immensely as I immersed myself in the tiny details of the tree bark, the boots, ropes and harness. This was the first in my ongoing arborist series.
Overlooking the New York city skyline is not your typical place to pose for a photo, but as you can see James couldn’t resist. During the construction of a tower crane this spontaneous moment was captured.
Most of us don’t take pictures like this, so when I was commissioned to make the drawing, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The only way to do the photograph justice was to make a large scale drawing. At 24” x 30” it is my largest drawing to date. Next time maybe it’ll be me up on the crane.