# 85 - Painting "Spring Garden Scene" Finds A Warm Home
Julie Nelson, Manager of the Philadelphia Senior Center, introduces me.
Photo: AMP Studios
Fellow Art Lovers:
Many of you must know by now that my artist’s studio – where
I do my work painting – is now up in North Philly, not far from the
intersection of Frankford and Allegheny Avenues. But just a few short years
ago, I had my studio at 9th and Spring Garden Streets, in a building
that was built to house the headquarters of the Reading Railroad but became 915
Arts, where artists created their oeuvres in 100 studios. Because of a
small fire and the city’s discovery of safety violations, the artists had to
find other quarters. But back in the building’s artistic days, I often used to
walk along Spring Garden Street to get to my studio.
One day, on my way to work, every surface on Spring Garden Street
seemed to glow under an overcast sky. And before me, I discovered a scene that
just had to be painted. It was a simple moment in time, with a vendor in his
food cart preparing an order for a customer, and a young woman jogging by at
the same time. I felt good about the scene, so the painting, “Spring Garden
Scene,” just seemed to paint itself. Frankly, I was pretty pleased with the
work. But for some reason, it just didn’t click with the visitors to my studio.
Now, back to the present. Just several weeks ago, Julie
Nelson, the manager of the Philadelphia Senior Center (on South Broad Street
just south of Lombard), visited my current studio and declared she loved “Spring
Garden Scene.” You see, the Philadelphia Senior Center is a warm place with a
lot of welcoming people and a wealth of activities, and I decided to contribute
a painting to it.
The occasion for presenting the painting was last Thursday
afternoon, January 11, 2018, during a ceremony on a Day of Service honoring Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. in the center’s large auditorium. In the audience were
maybe almost 50 people – mainly members of the center – plus my wife Catherine,
a good friend and painter, Jim Stewart, and the center’s executive director,
Mary Ellen Bolden. Julie had asked me to say a few words about the painting and
about myself. So after an introduction, I thanked the center for accepting and
displaying my work, and then I talked about my ideas for the painting and my
artistic career.
Then followed a spirited session of questions and comments. Several
of the center’s members mentioned that they recognized the scene just as soon
as they saw the painting because they had lived or worked in the area. Several
people they said they felt proud because the painting showed the real Philly
with real Philly people. And one person said the surface of the painting seemed
to glow. But what they liked most was the cart owner’s dog in the foreground.
You see, I mentioned to them that, when I’m just about finished with a
painting, I ask myself: What can I add to make the painting as expressive as
possible? And in this case, I decided to add the cute, little dog where there
had been none in the scene I first saw; basically, I was exercising my artistic
license. That story bought on a round of laughter and applause. Only one other
comment brought such a spirited response, this time applause; this was when I
explained that I was attracted to the scene because it showed real Philly people
of different ethnic groups enjoying each other.
I knew from the beginning – from the moment I walked into
the center for the first time – that I wanted to donate a painting. But now there
are other elements that make me feel even better about the gift: The ceremony,
the spirit and humor of the people attending ceremony, the appreciation and
sweetness I felt, and seeing “Spring Garden Scene” in a prominent place in the
center. When I think about the number of people who will see my painting, I
hope so much that it will continue to give them pleasure.
By the way, if you want to see the original blog posting,
which is # 46, you can go the listing in the right margin of this page and
click on the dates 2/23/14-3/2/15. And
if you want to see how the painting is exhibited and get a feeling for the center,
you can visit it: Philadelphia Senior Center, 509 South Broad Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19147, 215-546-5879, and its website is www.philaseniorcenter.org
If any of my of fellow painters or other artists – for
example from the Philadelphia Sketch Club or the Manayunk Roxborough Art Center – want to know the
process I followed to make this gift, please shoot me an e-mail, and I’ll fill
you in. It’s not rocket science, but it may be helpful.
Thanks for listening.
Best,
Bill
posted by William Kosman @ 10:21 AM
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