UPS & DOWNS

This illustration was inspired by an image I took on Broadway — in Brooklyn. If you know anything about Broadway — in Brooklyn — you know it’s the major thru-street over which the J train line runs, resulting in miles of overhead tracks. This means that this particular street is cast in darkness for much of the 24-hour day. Walking down Broadway is a portal into a manmade evening, with all the attendant dankness a place without sunlight promises. Any litter and detritus blown into this region becomes wet and odorous from rainfall, and lingers soddenly, never receiving the purifying mercy of sunshine. Walking down Broadway is a metaphor for accepting the darker eras of the journey, in the knowledge that more warmth and light are waiting, just around the corner.

With this illustration, I was interested in creating an interplay between similar patterning that both flattened the image visually, and lent dimension conceptually. I hope you see and feel what I mean. I’m attaching some alternates that I played with here too, in terms of introducing some visual grit to this street scene, as well as emphasizing the darkness of night and the journey, and the hope for renewal of both. I like them all, but I appreciate the clarity and simplicity of the original the best. It really captures the original intent, and allows you to focus on the patterning, which is busy enough. I think this will look great printed.