From Cityscapes to Soft Focus
As an artist, I was initially known for my oil paintings, particularly large-scale paintings of cityscapes in deep, rich colors that felt very Gotham City. New York was my muse before I ever lived there. My work was characterized by linear, geometric patterns with organic elements thrown in to disrupt the balance. One of my last art commissions was 36 paintings for the Empire Hotel on 63rd street and Broadway.
The city continues to be my muse but I’ve traded my paintbrushes for my iPhone camera to create abstract art prints. The process and the images that result, I call ‘New York in Soft Focus.’
Light Pushing Through Darkness
The journey to making abstract art prints with digital photography was a transformative experience that began in an unexpected way. One day, as I was praying, I felt as if God was showing me images—images that resembled paintings, very vividly and clearly in my mind. These images were not what I was used to painting. They were dark with light pushing through the darkness, almost like circles. It was as if the images were directly dropped in my mind, and I hastily sketched thumbnails to capture what I saw.
Months later, while on a run, the morning sun was piercing through the trees casting spots of light on the dark pavement, just like the images I had seen in my mind. I stopped running and took pictures, thinking I would paint the images I shot.
Life got in the way, and it took another six months before I finally attempted to translate these photos into paintings. To make it more interesting, I decided to work on a large scale, using two panels to create a six-by-eight-foot painting. But the process was challenging. I hadn't painted in a long time, and capturing the ethereal quality of light pushing through darkness was difficult.
Looking back at photos I took as I progressed on the painting, I realized I preferred the initial stages of the painting. The early looseness and softness were more in line with the vision I had. Eventually, I donated the painting to a college in Pennsylvania and began another large-scale painting, but I still wasn’t getting what I was looking for.
A Serendipitous Discovery
Then, one day, sitting in the car, my daughter showed me a photo she had taken with her iPhone using an effect. Intrigued, I began experimenting with different settings on my iPhone camera over the next few weeks and months. As I pushed the settings further, the images I captured became more abstract and aligned closer with the images I had seen during prayer.
This marked the beginning of my journey into digital photography art. I started exploring the city, intentionally seeking out hidden places to shoot, using my iPhone camera to "paint" my compositions.
Walking through the city with my iPhone camera, I began to see the world differently. Every turn, every corner offered a new perspective. The city, with its concrete and glass, its grid of streets and avenues and sharp lines, transformed under my lens. The lights of passing cars, the reflections on windows, and the soft edges of buildings in the distance became a playground for my imagination. Suddenly, the mundane became extraordinary.
In this ever-moving city, I found moments of stillness and beauty. The lights, colors, and shadows created a new narrative, one that wasn't about the buildings or the streets, but about the interplay of elements that often go unnoticed. The city, with all its chaos, became a source of endless inspiration for my abstract photography.
Seeing Beyond the Surface
As artists, we learn to see beyond the surface. We are taught to draw not what we think we see but the shapes, the shadows, the colors. This perspective mirrors my approach to my abstract art prints. I am not capturing the subject itself but the elements that compose it—the light, the shadow, the colors.
Which is why digital photography art as a term doesn't quite capture the essence of my work. These images don't look like photographs. Instead, they resemble watercolors or lithographs. They transcend the original medium, becoming compositions of light, shadow, color, and form—everything I would achieve with a painting. What I am doing is technically digital photography, but the art I produce with it leans heavily into abstract art.
Some of the images I shoot hint at their subjects, prompting the viewer to see familiar shapes or forms. This interplay between the figurative and the abstract can be intriguing, but the ones that truly captivate me are those that defy representation. They invite the viewer to appreciate the colors, and the play of light and shadows, rather than looking for the original subject.
When I printed the first images in large format, I avoided glossy paper, choosing instead textured, archival art paper for my abstract art prints. I wanted the final product to feel more like a painting. The results reinforced my idea that these images were beyond photography—they were abstract art.
Capturing the Unexpected
What I find most fascinating about the process is the element of surprise. Normally, I can look at something and decide what I want to draw or paint. But with my iPhone camera, it's more about playing with settings and discovering new perspectives.
This is what happens with a piece like "Lincoln Center #1." When you think of Lincoln Center, you envision travertine and large windows. But my image revealed unexpected hues of celadon green. Was it the angle, a reflection? The unpredictability is what makes it exciting. The images capture the city in a way that reveals layers and dimensions that are often overlooked.
The Element of Surprise
As New Yorkers, we follow routines, walking the same streets and seeing the same sights daily. But when viewed through a different lens, the city transforms. My images in soft focus can turn the familiar into something unexpected. People moving at different speeds blend into one, colors merge, and the city comes alive in a way that's entirely new.
This is what I aim to capture in my work—the hidden narratives, the unexpected moments, the interplay of light and shadow that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
It's about the surprise of discovery, finding beauty in the mundane, and capturing the fleeting moments of light and shadow that often go unnoticed. It's about creating art that transcends the medium, inviting the viewer to see beyond the surface and appreciate the world in a new light.