Brick Cafe, 2012, oil on linen, 9 x 11 inches
Welcome to Astoria everyone! Brick Cafe, a french style bistro located on the corner of 31st Ave and 33rd St has been a favorite eatery for many locals, and you can't blame them, the place has good food, affordable prices, friendly service, and a cozy rustic space. I know I'm starting to sound like some sort of commercial, but this has been one of my favorite places to eat in Astoria, and it doesn't hurt that I live less than a block away! I have always enjoyed the vibe of the place, and it's great to see people sitting outside in the summer enjoying pleasant conversations over food and wine. The decor of the place has always been to my liking, for a while I was on the search for a rustic wood dinning table that would be similar to theirs because I felt that's what a well put together kitchen/dinning room should look like. The exterior has always been colorful as well, and as a painter anything with color has always attracted me. It has always been on the back of my mind to paint this place, but always put it off because it sits on a busy corner. I couldn't put it aside any longer and one afternoon I walked right over and painted in the warm afternoon sun. Just as I thought, this busy corner brought a lot of onlookers and people who were pretty much breathing down my neck. It's just one of those things that come with the job I guess. Regardless of the nice afternoon and the nice light and colors in front of me, this turned out to be be a difficult painting. I'm not a fan of architectural perspective, and this two point perspective painting proved to be challenging. Not to mention that there were more little details than I expected to find, but after a long session and a few touch ups in the studio I think this turned out to be a nice little painting.
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