The Chelsea Hotel NYC

 Developing your natural talent requires openness and time spent appreciating the work of other artists.

The "Chelsea" a registered historic landmark, was home to writers, musicians, artist, and actors such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Iggy Pop, Larry Rivers and Andy Warhol. 

Arthur Miller wrote a short piece called "The Chelsea Affect", describing life at the hotel during the 60': "It was thrilling to know that Virgil Thomson...was writing his nasty music reviews on the top floor, and that those canvases hanging over the lobby were by Larry Rivers, no doubt as rent, and that the hollow-cheeked girl on the elevator was Viva and the hollow-eyed man with her was Warhol and that scent you caught was marijuana".

Built in 1884 with Victorian Gothic architectural roots, the Chelsea was originally only 40 exquisite apartments for the wealthy. Later is was broken up into 244 spaces where you could spend one night or live for twenty years. Ariel Leve, writes that it is a "slice of old New York" a "refuge of reinvention". After all these years of owning the art work below and being curious about the Chelsea, I discovered Ariel's story in the March 2007 archive of the Sunday Times and although she writes that no one can really explain the attraction, it does make an intriguing read.  www.ariel-leve.com.

Below are the three ink drawings on newsprint entitled "Children of Joy" and written on the back were the words, "Mistakes are the Greatest Inventions." The artist is Michael Boles and he brought them to my Palm Beach gallery in the late 80's, barefooted I might add and he, too, had lived and painted at the Chelsea Hotel. 

As an artist I understand how certain spaces and people can inspire your creative spirit.