Art in the Afternoon (fish in the morning)

Home

Galleries

Watercolors

Prints & Giclees

Oil Paintings

Charcoals

New Work

Commissioning Artwork

Shows, Events, News

Talking about Art

About the Artist

Email Naima at

artpm [at] verizon.net

or call 212 964-8465

Mailing address is
PO Box 980
New York, NY 10272

All work copyrighted
© Naima Rauam

Watercolors		Click here for purchasing information

		Cold Snowy Night (Fishmongers on South Street) $1,200 – watercolor – 11" x 15" unframed The sidewalks of South Street became the display and sales area for fish dealers doing business before the Fulton Fish Market moved to the Bronx in 2005. A million pounds or so of seafood came and went every night in this open-air wholesale market. This scene is harsh, yet it captivated me. The lights, bright as they might be, seem no match for the night. Successive layers of figures and boxes of fish are less illuminated as they recede from beneath the floodlights, slipping into darkness. – N.R.


		Cigarette Break $1,200 – watercolor – 15" x 11" unframed This is Fulton Fish Market activity on the west side of South Street between Beekman Street and Peck Slip. The small buildings, dating from the early and mid-nineteenth century, are owned by fish companies. I was struck by the hardiness of the men who work at the fish market. This journeyman, conceding to the cold by dressing warmly, otherwise ignores the driving snow to smoke. I thought this a good genre portrait of a man at work. – N.R.


		Snowstorm at the Fish Market $1,200 – watercolor – 11" x 15" unframed At the corner of South and Beekman streets, dark figures in the foreground stand out in relief against the brilliantly lit area behind them. They are drawn toward the light, and the falling snow hastens their movements. The figures in the background, meanwhile, are softened by the snow, and recede. – N.R.


		Two Fish in Hand $1,200 – watercolor – 15" x 11" unframed Inside the New Building, or New Market, as this 1939 structure was called, with bright lights and an open, unobstructed display area, a salesmen busily moves salmon about his stand. Salmon, once a pricey luxury, became abundant and affordable with the introduction of farmed product. The lanky figure swinging fish echoes the slenderness of his fish. I felt a rhythm to his gesture, and found the breeziness of watercolor ideal for capturing it. – N.R.


		Keeping Warm on South Street $1,200 – watercolor – 11" x 15" unframed As soon as it got cold, old oil barrels with strategically punched holes materialized throughout the Fulton Fish Market. The fires were fed by passersby, using discarded boxes, crates and broken pallets. Contrast is key to painting fires. I wanted to bring the intense fire forward in the composition, yet not totally diminish the lights on the buildings. It is a delicate balance. – N.R.


		Selling Fish and Lobster $1,200 – watercolor – 15" x 11" unframed This scene is at 107 South Street, built in 1818, which has been four and one half stories tall since anyone alive today can remember. Its last occupants were fish and lobster dealers. I strove for a solid appearance in the deep reds of the bricks, but wanted to keep the color lively. I carried the tones in the upper areas of the composition into the boxes below. – N.R.


		Night at Fulton Market, 2005 $3,400 – watercolor – 18" x 24" unframed The fourth, and current, Fulton Market (on the block bounded by Fulton, South, Beekman and Front streets) was built in 1983 as part of the South Street Seaport development. It incorporated fish stall along South Street, which were part of the third building designed in 1950. The second building was constructed in 1882. The original Fulton Market opened on the site in 1822. This corner of South and Beekman streets was in the middle of Fulton Fish Market activity at the Seaport. Fish, ice, snow and lights sparkle, while skyscrapers above are enveloped by the night. The fish market moved from the Seaport to the Bronx in 2005. – N.R.


		View from Nassau Street $2,700 – watercolor – 22" x 15" unframed This street in the financial district is hilly, and runs toward Broad and Wall streets. The New York Stock Exchange, with flags fluttering, is at the bottom of a hill, so the lower part is not visible in this view. The massive Federal Reserve building is on the left. The financial district in lower Manhattan has a particular feel not found in other parts of New York City. With tall buildings crowding narrow streets, one block can be in utter darkness, while the next is bathed in sparkling sunshine. – N.R.


		*Schooner Pioneer* at Sunset $1,100** – watercolor – 11" x 15" unframed The Pioneer, launched in 1885, hauled sand to iron foundries along the Delaware River, and was the first of only two cargo-carrying sloops with wrought iron hulls built in this country. She was donated to the South Street Seaport Museum in 1970. Pioneer is the last iron-hulled American merchant sailing vessel still in existence today. I admire the elegant forms of the Pioneer in full sail. The sloop is a natural element in New York's expansive harbor, and sunset allows me to surround the muted tones of the vessel's sails with vibrant color. – N.R.


		Danger Keep Off $2,500 – watercolor – 15" x 22" unframed The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, the longest suspension bridge in the world at that time. It was designed by John August Roebling, the inventor of wire cable. While troubled during its construction, it has become a beloved icon, and an inspiration to artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers. I emphasize the subtle delicacy that settles over the stone and steel of the bridge on snowy days. With gulls at rest on foreground pilings, the scene is peacefully still. – N.R.


		Sailing Down the East River $1,000 – watercolor – 15" x 11" unframed The viewer has refuge under the Manhattan Bridge on the left, a good vantage point to notice the boat passing underneath, sailing toward the Brooklyn Bridge. I strove to impart a feeling to the watercolor of gently gliding along the water, so I used a light hand in painting all but the foreground bridge structure. – N.R.


		View from the Palisades $2,500 – watercolor – 15" x 22" unframed The George Washington Bridge was the world’s longest suspension bridge when it opened in 1931. It spans the Hudson River between upper Manhattan and Fort Lee, NJ. It was originally designed to be sheathed in granite, but with the onset of the Great Depression, the steel was left exposed. A lower level was added in 1962. Fog softens the heft and rigidity of the bridge’s steel and allows me to better bring out the structure’s filigree-like forms. I intensified the fog effect to accentuate the red of the light house on the far shore. – N.R.


		Three Bridges $3,800 – watercolor – 22" x 30" unframed The lower East River crossings: Brooklyn Bridge, 1883; Manhattan Bridge, 1909; Williamsburg Bridge, 1903. From the end of Pier 17 at South Street Seaport, the view up the East River is dramatic and sweeping. The boldness of the Brooklyn Bridge’s stonework in the foreground contrasts with the more delicate forms of the two steel bridges receding upriver. – N.R.


		In the Kill van Kull $1,000 – watercolor – 11" x 15" unframed The Kill van Kull is a tidal strait between Staten Island, NY and Bayonne, NJ, heavily used by container ships and oil tankers. It is spanned by the Bayonne Bridge, world’s longest steel arch bridge, built in 1931. When I lived on Staten Island, I often roamed along the shores of this busy waterway, looking for interesting compositions. I added falling snow to give the scene a more complex dimension. – N.R.


		Good Throw $1,000 – watercolor – 11" x 15" unframed In 1990 I became interested in the construction of the Cross Bay Boulevard Bridge in Howard Beach, Queens, NY, and for two years documented every phase of the building process as the new bridge went up and the old one was torn down. In this scene, I focus on the contrast between the static, blocky forms of the barges, and the graceful gesture of the dockbuilder and his rope in midair. – N.R.


		Tug Between Two Freighters $1.000 – watercolor – 11" x 15" unframed New York City’s harbor is a busy waterway, with vessels large and small making their way to myriad destinations. The light source is behind the vessel on the left, and flows toward the tug and large ship on the right. Air seems to flow with it, for there is a sense of movement. – N.R.


		Wintry Crossing $2,300 – watercolor – 20" x 14" unframed I first painted a similar composition in 1995, with a more substantial rendering of the World Trade Center twin towers. After they were gone, I again painted the scene, treating the towers in a subtle, ghostly way. I was quite attached to the buildings, and often popped up to the observation desk, just to admire the splendor of New York City–after all, it was in my own back yard. – N.R.