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I photographed my father above on a sunny day in our backyard in Jericho, Long Island years ago, and going through old papers of his I came across a story he wrote as an introduction to his work as an artist. I had never seen these pages of hand-written notes and so I eagerly transcribed them and I could literally hear him say the words that he carefully wrote down - all of which was meant as an introduction to an exhibition he was having in the 1980s - years before he passed away from esophageal cancer.  

Both of my parents were active artists, my mom taught and established a Long Island  Art League ( MIPA ) in the 1960s, she also illustrated books.  My father was known for his illustrations of birds and animals, and he got started early as a young artist who loved going to the Bronx Zoo.  He grew up on Audubon Avenue in Manhattan!

I title this blog post - Art  Is A Gift - and I feel that it truly is something unique, an ability to use your imagination and get down to details using your hands and all of your faculties.  Artists can gain a community by going to school, and both of my parents graduated from The Cooper Union ( as I did 33 years after them ).  Going to college to become an artist - isn't a guarantee to finding a way to make a living, but it is a calling! My parents both became employed as illustrators for publishing companies, and my father's love of birds and animals translated into a lifetime affair, publishing almost 20 books and  that was a real commitment.

When I was just a kid, my father and Ben Sackheim established an advertising agency in New York City and  this company had its office in the Penthouse of the Plaza Hotel.  My own education as an artist began watching my dad do his illustrations for ads that were then placed in magazines.  He  also designed a series of prints that featured  some colorful birds that people framed and put up in their homes - more than a million copies of these paintings were sold!

My dad spent years on his Birds of North America, which is still in print now.  I even worked on a revision of his bird guide, and I grew up watching him develop each page in painstaking detail.  My father used gouache on board with little, tiny brushes.  Years in the making, my father's guide books still amaze me!

Birds of Britain and Europe was the next book that he published, and once again he was involved in a project that took years to complete.  He has the good fortune to give one of his paintings to Prince Phillip in London one year after his book was published.  You can see here  a photo from the  reception as my father glances down to speak about the painting of a raptor he is giving to the Prince.

While my  father illustrated his books on birds and animals he would work on these projects at home, and that means being considerate and not interrupt his work.  At the. same time one could see him through every aspect of  the design of a page or spread, the intricate drawing and every stage of the finished art, and we are talking about years of this exposure.

When my father was at work at his desk he always had music to listen to.  He was a jazz fan from his teenage years right up to the time when he passed away.  His favorite music came from the likes of Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway.  Both of these jazz greats were Arthur's friends.  My dad even designed album covers for Duke Ellington.  I used to accompany my dad when Duke was in town and we even were allowed in to hear recording sessions with his big band.  When I say art is a gift, I mean all forms, jazz included.

In the last part of my blog post, I can leave you with an image of my father giving another gift of a painting to another form of royalty, and he was known as Duke Ellington, and my dad was so proud and happy to be associated with these greats!

Here we are in 2023!  To start it off I am working on a new small painting I intend to give to my wife Anna, for her birthday.  This little abstract is like a crystal growing in my studio.  The facets are cut like a jewel, very geometric..and the image has implied movement.  It is like a dance, but we will get to that later.  Anna is in the next room playing her piano and working her way through a new score.  Music is a big part of our lives but because of the pandemic we don't go out to hear the symphony like we used to!

I met Gary years ago when we were both students in a summer program run through Yale University in Norfolk Connecticut.  Gary was already a prolific artist and cartoonist and he has had a long lasting effect with his art and his humor.

Thinking back to those student days reminds me that I should recommend a book I am reading now about the painter Paul Resika.  He has a new book on his work published by Rizzoli in New York City.  The book:"The Art of Paul Resika" features eight decades on his paintings and has so many interesting stories to tell, and he was one of my professors when I was at The Cooper Union.

Paul Resika got us all involved in painting outdoors because of his love of the landscape.  He has also been on Cape Cod for years working around Truro and Provincetown.  His book also has new works right up to the present that feature boats in an almost abstract sense.  Here he is with one of his recent paintings ( see below ).

Paul was a student of Hans Hofmann, so the strong sense of color and composition was reinforced by his own education and he passed that on to us as we studied his examples.  Paul also visited us in Rochester, and I made a presentation with Paul at The Memorial Art Gallery which later bought one of his paintings for their collection.

Since we mentioned books, I can't help but give a round of applause for the book I am now going to start called: Mr. B.  and it is all about dance - ballet and the choreography of George Balanchine ( Mr. B ).

This is a great book especially if you like dance, and the writer Jennifer Homans has done her homework! Well researched and very engrossing , she tells a story of modern dance culture better than anyone else!

Read this book, here is the cover ( see below)..!  and Happy New Year!

BRAVO! To all of those who have supported the arts in this city and beyond.  I hope your 2023 is an active and productive one, and I look forward to seeing what you have  created!  Thanks, and Happy New Year!