Author Archives: Barry Shuchter

Asbestos Remover

Asbestos Remover (with homage to Orozco)

This was one of my jobs – removing asbestos from the ceiling of the Baker Library at Dartmouth College. On the walls of the library was a great mural, The Epic of American Civilization, by José Celemente Orozco. In homage to Orozco, I copied a portion of his mural into my painting, making sure to add Orozco’s name at the bottom of the mural.

Barista

Barista

This is a scene from the old Caffe Paradiso in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. I spent many hours there — meditative, social, and delicious. In this painting, I wanted to portray the cafe as a customer would see it, with all the tantalizing food displayed in the cases, and also as the worker sees it, with all the dirty dishes piled up beneath the cash register.

4 Jobs in 2 Blocks

4 Jobs in 2 Blocks

These are four jobs I worked at over a time-span of several years — coffee bean shop, bookstore, ice cream parlor, and drugstore — and they all happened to be a couple of blocks from each other. I consider this my “post-modern” painting. The distances in time and space are conflated into a single surface.

Michigan

Michigan

The left edge of the painting shows a view of a house and trees as seen from the ground level, with a cloud lingering above. The right side shows an aerial view of fields and streams, with the clouds floating below.

Central Square, Cambridge

Central Square, Cambridge

This was painted outdoors during an ArtsCentral event in Cambridge, MA, so that passers-by could watch and talk to artists at work. I made it a point to request a spot next to the Asmara Restaurant, so that I could take a break from painting to enjoy great Ethiopian food.

Depot Pond

Depot Pond

I don’t sign a painting until I consider it finished. I signed this one and went to sleep. That night, I dreamt of six specific changes to make to the painting – small things, but very particular. Make one of the greens in the corner more neutral. Make the circular shape in the center more triangular. When I woke up, I remembered all six changes and immediately made the changes to the painting. The painting had been merely acceptable; now it held together with consistency and without distraction, a serene representation of the scenery.

Impersonator

Impersonator

In the kindest interpretation, these are two aspects of one person. There is the casual one in a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, eating a slice of pizza. Then there is the formal one in jacket, slacks and shoes, holding a glass of wine, and surrounded by elegant furnishings. However, as the title implies, the casual one becomes an impersonator when he steps into the other’s shoes. And while he can spend some small amount of time enjoying a richer lifestyle, it is not his authentic self, to which he eventually returns.

Office Worker

Office Worker

Her body is too big for the cubicle she’s expected to work in, and her feet are too big for the shoes she’s expected to wear. She’s a vibrant person doing her best to endure a sterile working environment.