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  • Watercolor Painting from the 233rd st Bridge in the Bronx by Noel Hefele

    14. The 233rd St Bridge

    10/28 
I painted on the 233rd street bridge. This is a short hop down from the 234th street bridge. I almost painted facing south to get a view of Albany Crescent, but looking toward the sun for the session didn’t seem like a good idea. I set up looking north over the highway with the…

  • Watercolor painting of the Broadway Drain in Van Cortlandt Park by Noel Hefele

    13. The Broadway Drain

    I painted the culvert where Hester and Piero’s Mill Pond descends underground into the broadway sewer, spilling approximately 5 million gallons of fresh water a day over the waterfall into the darkness. Earlier this summer, the poignant struggles of ducklings, Canada geese, and a swan cygnet caught in the challenging waters below the falls left…

  • watercolor painting by Noel Hefele of the old Putnam Line in The Bronx

    12. Riverdale Crossing Mall parking lot

    I painted in the BJ’s warehouse parking lot, the former site of the Stella D’oro cookie factory. This was another spot I knew of with no fence blocking the view. It’s under a sign for the larger complex, RIVERDALE CROSSING. These type of name choices are funny, solely meant to capitalize on the nearby affluent…

  • watercolor painting of the old putnam line from the 234th st bridge in the Bronx, by Noel Hefele

    11. 234th st Bridge

    Residing atop a hill, each venture out to paint becomes a pilgrimage downhill, a ritualistic merging with the watershed’s embrace. Under autumn’s azure sky, the sun cast an unseasonably warm glow, painting the day with contrasts. I explored a bit looking for where I’d paint, – checking the Bailey playground along the fence line. No good…

  • View from the Target Parking Lot in Marble Hill, watercolor by Noel Hefele

    10. View from the Target parking lot

    I painted from the rooftop parking lot of a Target. Standing atop ‘River Plaza’—once an industrial site transformed into a commercial hub—I reflected on its layers of history and change. The complex was built on the site of a former industrial site with a large warehouse housing New York Presbyterian Hospital medical records from 2002…

  • Watercolor of the view from Siren Slope by Noel Hefele

    9. Siren Slope

    I painted at “Siren Slope” – a small, overlooked hillside on the edge of Albany Crescent, next to a fire station. This is an official NYC Park, .28 acres in size, right near entrance and exit ramps for the Deegan. As a community member put it – “I didn’t know that spot had a name…

  • Watercolor painting of Tibbetts Historical End in the Bronx by Noel Hefele

    8. W 230th + Irwin

    Initially, digital maps hinted at a car-free Tibbetts Avenue, part of NYC’s open streets initiative. This avenue overlays the original path of the long-buried Tibbetts stream.  I headed out intending to paint from the middle of the car free road. I felt the need to go looking for the lost stream to see what I…

  • Watercolor painting of Hester and Mieros Mill Pond

    7. Hester and Piero’s Mill Pond

    Seated on a bench atop the dam in Van Cortlandt Park, I painted the serene Hester and Piero’s Mill Pond, a waterbody recently christened with its new name. This waterbody was created in 1699, when Van Cortlandt had his enslaved people dam Tibbetts Brook in order to power saw and grist mills. Piero was an…

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