Following my agency paintings at Headroom Digital and SS+K, Mark Ferdman of Freedom + Partners was kind enough to invite me to their space on 20 Jay Street in DUMBO. It was a four day process that took nearly two weeks, thanks to the weather of late.

Here is the 8th floor view from Freedom and Partners.

All set-up and ready to go; I can see many of the buildings from the SS+K and Woolworth pieces…

Starting out with Red, trying to identify the curvature of the span.

Fully drawn in, one of my favorite parts of this composition is the smoke-stack in the foreground… it interestingly/awkwardly eclipses much of the Manhattan Bridge foundation in the foreground.

Per usual, next comes the big blue sky.

The water is always many shades, but a deeper blue/green serves a strong foundation.

A lighter, almost reflective blue…marking up the picture.

Many warm buildings and elements throughout, introducing a muted orange.

Getting into some detail on the bridge with an off-aqua color.

Mmmm…. a round of darks, nothing like it to shape up the composition.

Finally, capping off the day’s effort with some deep reflections in the water.

A view of the entire scene at the end of day one.

Starting with the secondary tones on the bridge, creating that third dimension – it’s all the rave.

Bringing in a green tone for some reflective shadows, and of course, the foliage in the background.

Adding a blue tone to the base of the Manhattan Bridge, and smearing a bit of the color on the water surface with my fingers for good measure (and good mess.)

Oranges throughout, and in the sky around the bridge… setting a ground for the final sky color.

Bringing in the highlight on the trusses of the bridge, adding some to the water and roof.

A nice mellow yellow, creating building structures in the background…

A round of greens, for the reflective lights, water and sky. This may seem a bit over-kill, but there was something drawing me to this tone, as a way to end days two and three.

Returning to my picture, the sky and water were feeling like something I did after a hard night of drinking – so the sky and water were my first order.

As the sky and weather continue to change, the water becomes a landscape in current flux.

Working a round of light, dry blues.

Here comes a round of darks, reflecting on the water beneath the bridge and worked throughout.

Adding a warmer tone to the structure of the bridge… little actual differentiation between the sky and structure.

Adding some aggressive yellows, particularly on the building in the foreground to help differentiate the light and planes.

A heavy aquatic re-work, capturing the blues and greens.

Fixing the roof and putting the smaller touches throughout.

The final, after many vertical stripes to complete the bridge.

A detail of the smokestack, roof and water.

Another detail of the bridge itself.

A set of buildings along the FDR with some trees changing colors.

The Woolworth Building makes a cameo. I want to thank Mark Ferdman, Freedom + Partners and Made by MIR for the incredible hospitality.