Union Course
Still terrible at posting stuff here, I’m finishing a painting of the Dublin House, making sketches for new ones to start, so where is any of that? Lazy. Here’s a rough idea for a new painting. It’s acrylic, which I’m liking for quickly trying things out. The speed and lack of preciousness helps to generate some fresh ideas that hopefully last through the transfer to the slower medium of oils. That’s the plan. The subject is the interior of the Union Course Tavern in Woodhaven, Queens, which makes a claim to being THE oldest bar in the five boroughs. Sorry, McSorley’s, but 1853 is the claim and it’s a hard one to beat. Union Course refers to the racetrack of that name which made Woodhaven a destination for sporting types beginning in the 1820s. Back in the mid-Nineteenth Century the tavern was called the Blue Pump Room. The sign behind the bar used to hang outside when it belonged to the Neir family. The glory days are just about over, and there is none of the hype that draws the fratboys to McSorley’s, but this is the honest neighborhood shot and a beer joint you used to find on every block and now — good luck, buddy. So, by all means, go there. If the door is locked don’t be afraid to knock.
