West Side Highway

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The elements of this painting are:
1.The coast of New Jersey
2.The Hudson River
3.A barge
4. Some docks
5. The West Side Highway.

The coast of New Jersey, the river and the barges have remained unchanged for many years, but those docks and the elevated highway are gone. When you drove down that elevated highway one always wanted to take a good long look at those docks as they flew past but it was impossible. You were going fifty miles an hour around very sharp curves with cars almost touching yours in front, in back, and on the side, all bordered with low steel walls. The pavement was a sort of dark yellow bricks, all wavy and uneven and full of holes, The bricks gave off a rapid corrugated buzzing sound telling you every instant exactly how fast you were going. It was a hair raising and intimidating experience. Crazy thoughts would flash through your mind and you would think, “ I’m either going to die now, or get stuck in traffic on 42nd Street two or three minutes from now.”


Dimensions: 8" x 13.75"
Materials: Acrylic on stretched canvas.
Signature: Along the bottom edge: Richard Britell May 28, 2002