#prospect heights

[wanderingnewyork]

Prospect Heights, #Brooklyn

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Students from Prospect Heights High School dressed up for their prom, 1954.

Photo: Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Public Library Instagram

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Brooklyn Museum

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Brooklyn Neighborhoods: 1/2

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Uncle Butchie

This piece was named for my mom's youngest brother, and I think this exhibition at Harriet's Alter Ego, on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, was my second exhibition, and I was doing so well, because I sold the piece before it was even hung in the show. If I recall correctly I think I was coming from the framer, and Luther Williams, a long term business owner just downstairs from me saw it and love it and purchased it on the spot. I told him he'd have to wait until the show went down to actually get it, he was fine with that.

Now I did something I probably shouldn't have done at the time, but as I said this was my 2nd exhibition. My Aunt Susan also loved this photo too, so I sold her a second print. Now overall, this isn't horrible. This was my first and only time selling something before the show even started, and also my only time selling an additional print. As I have said previously I don't think this would diminish the value of the individual pieces, because so little of my work is actually printed. The fact that I don't print everything I have shot, I would think by default makes the things I actually did print, more valuable if I was in anyway a sought after artist.

More of my work has been shared digitally on one platform or another. I am sure there are digital copies in folks hard drives all over the world. But my prints are much more limited, and there is little to no duplication. I think there may be two or three pieces where I may have printed a different size for an exhibition, and sold that piece, but if all my buyers came together, I think only three of them would have the same piece, but not in the same size.

Butchie was my uncle's nickname, his real name was the same as his dad, my step-grandfather Diveller Todd. This is a Trinidadian name, because my step-grandpa was from Trinidad, which makes my uncle half Trinidadian, like all of his sisters, except my mom who had a different dad. I don't think it's well know that I have these kind of mixes in my family all Caribbean-based except for the Gullah/Geechee that I am descendant from on my dad's side.

The other bit of history to know about this best-selling image of mine, is I never stopped walking when I took it, I snapped the photo in motion. I was attempting to be discreet. Truth be told street portraiture isn't really my jam, but this guy just looked like someone's uncle sitting there beside that classic car. I was instantly enamored by his regal bearing and beautiful shiny Black skin. It was a very Gordon Parks moment for me.

That is the funniest thing about my experience as an artist, I never quite know what will resonate with the viewers. I have never had work were one piece is universally resonate with folks, it has made it hard to have consistent sales because I never have an idea of what folks will like. I chose this image for the show, because it fit the theme of the exhibition and I thought it was technically a great portrait. It's nice that is resonated so well with everyone.

The hard thing about being an artist during that time, was that everyone expected some great explanation behind the shot, but it wasn't that deep. I was walking around with Tom in Crown Heights, and shooting my abstracts as usual, and just captured this guy as we were crossing a street. There was no huge set up, or even a request to him to take his photo. I just saw him, snapped it and kept on walking. I wouldn't even know what I had gotten till I got home and reviewed my contact sheet for the day. Digital contact sheet, this was shot on my DSLR.

[Photo courtesy of the Brown Estate]

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The latest blizzard in Brooklyn

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prospect heights, bk

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Late winter sun and Sunday in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, February 2024