Walking Down Washington Avenue

I recently had the opportunity to work on the 2nd season of HBO's Boardwalk Empire filmed at Steiner Studios (part of it, that is). The sets are fantastic, unfortunately I can't share those photos with you (just yet). Besides being a civilized and fun work environment, I get to walk the lovely Washington Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn on my way to and from the Navy Yard. It's quite a hike from the Clinton/Washington stop in the winter, but in the spring it's a delight! Fort Greene is filled with beautiful old brownstones and it's been experiencing a vibrant revitalization as of late.

Love these two window balconies :)

This large home has one of my favorite rooftop styles, plus I appreciate a nice porch.

Talk about a nice porch! Adore these unique places below, not your typical city homes.

Doors and Details ...

Fun to see the renovation of older buildings.

Of course, revitalization means more & more people moving to the area. Some Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods are glutted with new glass structures. This is the only one I've seen over here. I'm more of a townhouse type myself, but this looks very clean and must get some great light :D

As you near Steiner, quite a few places are in disrepair patiently awaiting their facelifts!

Kinda love this strip and the building below could be fabulous as a theater or as live/work spaces :)

Alas, enter ...One of the coolest aspects of living in New York is being surrounded by water. I continue to be fascinated by these cranes and I try to imagine this place when it was building ships in full swing.

The photo above is from the The Brooklyn Historical Society blog. Long long time ago.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard is continually expanding and I'm sure many of these empty warehouses nearby will eventually be occupied by thriving businesses.

Here, some useful reference for aging surfaces and signs :)

Re Pop looks like a swell vintage furniture shop, but I haven't ventured in yet.

Another super rooftop :')

windows!

This garden is across form the G train I take home, so time to bid adieu until the next day.

This is only one small trip down one avenue in Fort Greene. There's so much more to explore, including Pratt Institute, BAM and a slew of restaurants and bars! 

Lena wishes you one heck of a Sunday! She will likely be poised on a window sill or in her red chair much of the day :x)
Thanks for stopping by! ~A

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

My mom was in town last weekend and I had not been to the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Garden in many years. Mother's Day seemed like the perfect time to visit. I'll just say, I wasn't the only one with that idea! 

Love Peonies!

Melissa came with us after a lovely group brunch at Frankies :D

Not everyone would pose, you know who you are ;)

These beautiful grounds were transformed from a city ash heap 100 years ago this summer! Read more about it's fascinating history, research and educational programs or simply go and relax and appreciate :) 

We did not cover the full 52 acres on this trip, opting to stay on a path that lead the way to a women's room and then onto the Japanese Gardens ;) Not a bad plan really.

Bit of a feeding frenzy above.

Sadly, upon exiting this oasis, a Wendy's awaits.

I missed the Cherry Blossom Festival but I treasure this tree that blossoms each year right outside my front window :') 

*To support victims of the Japanese earthquake just click here to learn more on BBG's website.

Thanks for stopping by today. I look forward to updating you on my studio to apt move, it is improving bit by bit! -A

Happy Mother's Day 2011!

To all you great moms out there~  May you have a Lovely Day to Celebrate your Fabulosity!

Click here to learn about my mom Anne Howard and view thank you notes some of my friends wrote to their moms last year. Today we'll celebrate at Frankies with some delicious French Toast, thick cut Bacon and a refreshing Bellini :) 

Enjoy your day! 
love, 
Allyn

Charming bright home

What timing! just when I've been fantasizing about what I'd like my home and studio to look like in a perfect world, Apartment Therapy presents a lovely tour of  Amy & David Butler's home in Ohio. I have her book "Midwest Modern" and it inspires me a great deal.  

I love all the light that pours into each room, the wood floors, high ceilings, colorful touches and wonderful & extensive gardens they've planted! Click here for the tour :) 
Ok, back to clean up...
Have a great week! -A

Sunday, a day to appreciate, complain and vice versa

"Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live." ~ Mark Twain


I mentioned in my post last week that I am moving everything out of my studio and into my apartment downstairs. I have to admit that it feels great to purge myself of outdated books like "Personal Finance in your 20s" and business books for artists, including the "Handbook on Pricing & Ethical Guidelines" from 1999. I feel confident that I could write a guide book. Unfortunately, the title would be "How to Turn your Business into a Hobby". I will not part with some of my old Art Forums, Vogue and Vanity Fair mags. I will toss some of the hideous paintings I made in the early 90s, but some I still like very much! I'm lucky to have a fair amount of storage space in my apartment and I liked waking up in the smaller cozy side room, once occupied by my bunny rabbits, this morning :) It took a lot more work than I expected to make that tiny room livable. Currently, I'm confounded by furniture in my studio that no longer fits through the door. I've tried every angle for one table and even after removing the door, it just won't budge? I wondered earlier if Kate Middleton ever removed door hinges. maybe.

It's a beautiful day and  the Court Street Fair is going on outside. I usually venture out to socialize and take pictures for my blog, but with so much left to do and in desperate need of a shower, I may sit this one out. I've never gone this long without hot water. After several visits from the gas company then repairs and a chimney cleaning, all was well on Friday. By Saturday, the pleasure of a hot shower was just out of reach again. Damn me for not taking one as soon as it was back! There's some issue with the pilot light that's too dull to go into here. It's been a week and a half and I was looking at it as a blessing in disguise. It motivated me to finally start running again, in part, to sweat enough to enjoy a cold shower. Still it's not that enjoyable to go from hot, straight to cold without any stretching (lest I cool off too much ;)

I like to keep a healthy perspective on things, but sometimes it just feels good to bitch. It's more fun to do at work or having drinks with friends, but today I am by myself. I love my neighborhood, but as rents continue to rise I wonder how long I'll hang on here. I am very lucky to work in a Union, have benefits and enough free days to work on my own business. Whether painting custom murals or pursuing licensing contracts for my art & characters, I love what I do. I dream of making my living solely from my artwork, but the cost of maintaining a separate studio here in Brooklyn has become very expensive. I hope that my new live/work layout will be conducive to creativity and that I will become more organized. I regret the lack of space I'll have to work on larger projects, but I believe I will eventually find another perfect work studio to do everything I dream of doing.