This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
As Sharon Florin climbs the wide staircase to her top-floor studio, an act that she has done going on 40 years, it reminds her of how much things have changed.
The three-story red-brick building started out life as a factory in the 19th century, and by the time she and her canvases came in 1980, her floor had been divided to house artists like herself.
Advertisement
There used to be five of them. As the last one to arrive, Sharon got the smallest space.
But it has a big window, and the bright light seduced her.
Back then, she had a full-time office job. By necessity, painting, her passion, was relegated to nothing more than a weekend pursuit.
Growing up in Woodhaven, Sharon had always been attracted to color and texture and recalls being enchanted by an exotic second-grade art teacher who had red hair and green stockings.
Advertisement
After taking an oil painting class the summer of her 15th year, Sharon knew that an artist was what she was going to be.
Upon her graduation from Adelphi University, she continued her studies at The Art Students League of New York.
She set up a studio in her bedroom and armed herself with a 35-mm camera.
The photos she took – of antique buildings watched over by god-fearing angels and glaring gargoyles – became the basis for her realist architectural oils.
“My work is in the tradition of such painters as Edward Hopper,” she says. “He told the story of time through the buildings of a small town, and I narrate the City of New York. Each building, window and architectural ornament tells its unique tale.”
Advertisement
Sharon found herself painting the passage of time in the tale of a city that never sleeps or stays the same.
Places like Tower Records, Pearl Paint, The Bottom Line and Brentano’s seemed to vanish at the touch of her brush, which gave an urgency to her work.
Sharon shows us what we might miss ― the ornate Long Island City Fountain, the spired tower of the Sherry-Netherland hotel and the intricate bay window of Alwyn Court.
Advertisement
Playing the role of urban documentarian, she brings us along with her to Coney Island and Madison Square Garden. We stand with her on a Long Island City rooftop to see mighty MoMA PS 1 and the colossal Citigroup Building.
Or with her at our side, we reflect upon the Met Life Building and the 59th Street Bridge as they preen in the mirrors of Gotham’s glass Goliaths.
“I see the soul of the city through time,” she says. “Time changes buildings, casting shadows at different hours of the day, turning concrete, brick, stone and wood into patterned abstraction – if you’re looking.”
Sharon, as compact as her studio, has had ample time to look at – and paint – her own building. She has captured its shifting landscape on canvas twice during her tenure.
Advertisement
About a year ago, a fancy beer hall/pub called Bierocracy took up residence on its corner.
In years past, the ground floor held a shuttered bar, an office and a printing establishment. Later, a series of restaurants, most notably the Jackson Avenue Steakhouse, anchored the building.
For a long time, the second floor was taken up by a factory where seamstresses sewed skirts. Artists have taken their place.
The changes in Sharon’s life have occurred more slowly. She had to hold her office job for two decades before taking to her easel full time.
Advertisement
“My father died in 1993, and my mother followed in 1994,” she says. “And in 1995 I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I didn’t know how much time I had left, and I wanted to use it to paint.”
It’s been a long time since Sharon painted her studio building. She doesn’t know whether or when she will do an update.
There’s a pay phone on a pole in the adjoining studio. At one time, that was the only way she and the other artists could communicate with the outside world.
Advertisement
She doesn’t remember when it was disconnected or when everyone forgot about it.
“When I’m gone,” she says, “I hope my work lives on.”
Nancy A. Ruhling may be reached at Nruhling@gmail.com; @nancyruhling on Twitter; nruhling on Instagram; nancyruhling.com; astoriacharacters.com.
Copyright 2016 by Nancy A. Ruhling
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.