ESSEX STREET RHYTHMS

This painting was the first large scale work in my "Frieze" series, a theme I have returned to again and again. The idea originated with the Egyptian wall paintings, where the figures are in a flattened space and the image is meant to be read horizontally. I remember thinking that  this was as if an Egyptian wall painting had suddenly come to life and moving around. 

The scene is the Lower East Side New York, where there were open markets that would sell clothing for reduced prices. I had been painting outdoor markets in Brazil, so was already fascinated with the flow of people. This idea seemed to marry itself well to the street market paintings.