The Rocket Thrower

Designed for the 1964-65 World's Fair, The Rocket Thrower stands at 43' (13 m) tall in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, near the Unisphere. The World's Fair Sculpture Committee had selected ten modernist sculptors to create sculptures for the fair, but infamous urban planner Robert Moses favored more traditional sculptors and artist Donald DeLue was commissioned to create a work. DeLue's vision was to depict "the spiritual concept of man's relationship to space and his venturesome spirit backed up by all the powers of his intelligence for the exploration of a new dimension." It was cast in bronze at the Fonda Artista in Italy, and arrived in New York just in time to anchor the Court of the Astronauts.

New York Times art critic John Canaday wrote that it was "the most lamentable monster, making Walt Disney look like Leonardo Da Vinci." Robert Moses consoled DeLue by telling him, "this is the greatest compliment you could have. [Canady] hates everything that is good."

NYC Parks Dept. - Flushing Meadows Corona Park Monuments

Middle Collegiate Church

 A drawing from four years ago of a lamp mounted to the Middle Collegiate Church on Second Avenue. I used to pass this church every day when I was at NYU. The church was built in 1891. Last night, a fire broke out in a neighboring building and spread to the church. It looks like it's a total loss.

Forklift Friday

 They're building a new playground at my kid's school.

Bell-47D1 Helicopter

A 1945 Bell-47D1 helicopter, nicknamed the "bug-eyed helicopter." This is on display at the Museum of Modern Art, where I work. It hangs in the atrium, and you can get close up views of it from several different vantage points.

Three thousand Bell-47D1 helicopters were manufactured between 1946 and 1973 under the world's first commercial helicopter license. They were used for crop dusting and spraying, rural mail delivery, traffic surveillance, and as aerial ambulances during the Korean War. Every time I see it, I hear the theme music to M*A*S*H.

This helicopter was designed by Arthur M. Young. Young didn't invent the helicopter, but did invent the stabilizer bar and other features that made it a more successful and practical vehicle. Young studied mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy at Princeton University. After graduating, he decided to find something to invent and settled on the helicopter. He spent 12 years experimenting on his own, building working models before bringing it to Bell. 

After developing the Bell-47D1, Young decided he was done inventing things and turned his attention to back to philosophy. He spent the rest of his life developing his Theory of Process, which sought to synthesize all geology, biology, anthropology, psychology, ESP, precognitive dreams, astrology, Jungian archetypes, yoga, mathematics, and quantum physics into a single metaparadigm.

One of his metaphors was the Psychopter. "What is the Psychopter? It is the winged self. It is that which the helicopter usurped - - and what the helicopter was finally revealed not to be." No, I don't what that means.

Process drawings: Pen and ink before applying color with my usual Derwent Inktense pencils. I forgot to take a picture of the third one.

More info on Arthur Young can be found here.

Halloween 2020

 Trick or ... well, probably just trick with these guys.

Frankel's Discount Clothing

A few years ago, this store in industrial Sunset Park, Brooklyn caught my eye. Then I saw an article that the elderly owner, 3rd generation owner Marty Frankel, would soon be closing the store and retiring to New Jersey. I filed it away as a possible entry for my "Before It's Gone" series, but forgot about it.

A few weeks ago, I happened to pass by and saw a bunch of construction workers around it. I figured they were preparing to demolish it, so that weekend I made my way out to capture it. To my surprise, I discovered that it was still open for business; those construction workers were apparently just shopping. 

Finishing up the initial sketch, a man waved me in. It was the 4th generation owner Erik Frankel. The store had closed in 2017, but Erik re-opened it two years later. It seems to be surviving pretty well in spite of the pandemic and competition from Amazon.

Frankel's was founded 1890. It was originally located across the street in a building that was demolished to make way for the Gowanus Expressway. It served longshoremen when Brooklyn had a thriving waterfront. It also did a brisk business selling condoms to foreign sailors in port from countries were contraception was illegal. After the shipping business died out in Brooklyn in the 1960s, the store transitioned to selling clothes and shoes for construction workers, ironworkers, and other laborers.

Initial pencil drawing, done from across the street, beneath the Gowanus Expressway.

Inks over the initial drawing, with the typography done with markers.

Laying in the color, mostly with watercolor pencil, and watercolor wash for the sky. You may notice a typo in the signage. It was my fault and I fixed it in Photoshop for the final posted image!

This feature on Marty Frankel, written when the store was about to shutter, is well worth a read: 

Jeremiah's Vanishing New York

On the re-opening of the store: 

www.star-revue.com: Sunset Park's Frankel's Plans a Reboot

To give them some business:

https://www.frankelsny.com/

Forklift Friday: Bryant Park

 Forklift Friday! A big one at Bryant Park.