Paintings and Photographs by Gary Conger
     
 
   
 
 
   
#124 Summer Midmorning II (48 x 36)

This is my second large painting of the view looking south from the roof deck of our former building in the Flatiron. I was struck by how strong the water tanks looked this glorious morning and by the way the rising sun illuminated their aging wood. Andrew Rosenwach, whose family has made and installed these giant barrels for over a hundred years, has stated proudly: “Wood tanks make people happy”. Well, they certainly have made me happy. I hope my paintings of them will have the same effect on you.

The next two paintings are also southern views from the roof deck. “Spring Sunrise II” on the left shows a whole panorama of water tanks lit up by the rising sun. On the right, “Late September Sun” shows how the slanting light of late summer imbues the weathered wood of older tanks with rich color.

Both water tanks in “Late September Sun” were rebuilt from scratch in 2009. It was fascinating to watch workmen construct the first mammoth tank from thick planks which they then held together and tightened from the bottom up with heavy steel bands. My painting “Morning Sun on New Water Tank” (36 x 48) shows how the early morning sun lights up the new wood.
Go to the Paintings section to see it.

  
         
         
   
Spring Sunrise II (20 x 16)
Late September Sun (24 x 18)
The wood water tanks sit mostly on older, smaller buildings constructed before the high-rise era. Those buildings are still standing, and the tanks are still providing their wonderful service, circulating water throughout the building and refilling themselves via pumps and electronics whenever the water level reaches a minimum kept in reserve for firefighters.  
“#113 Summer Midmorning” (30 x 24)
Before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the view out our ninth floor windows included the top third of the World Trade Center towers. To preserve the image of what they looked like I had my web design company (Sourced Graphix) create ghost images of the proud towers that once were a dramatic backdrop for the more modest water tanks in the foreground.
If you see a painting anywhere in this website that interests you, please contact me to discuss it at gconger26@gmail.com.
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