Big Blizzard on Sixth Avenue(Homage to Wiggins)
The Big Blizzard, from January 22-24, 2016, dropped the most snow on New York City since records were first kept in 1869. Venturing out on Sixth Avenue and 12th St. I came upon a scene worthy of capture.
The broad expanse of Sixth Avenue was dense with swirling snow and empty of sound and the usual rush of vehicles. Moving uptown was one intrepid walker, a shock of multi-ringed, multi-colored umbrella and yellow shopping bag. Down the Avenue, a storm-clouded, multi-turreted shape, the formidable Jefferson Market Library, appeared, looming above partially visible pedestrians. The landmark building, originally built to house civil and police courts and famous for its 100 foot high tower and fire watcher's balcony, was voted one of the ten most beautiful buildings in America by a poll of architects in the 1880s and saved from demolition in 1961.
Big Blizzard on Sixth Avenue(Homage to Wiggins) could be New York 100 years ago. The subtitle, "Homage to Wiggins", is for my fellow Salmagundians, the Wiggins family, three generations of Artist Members. Guy C. Wiggins, the second generation, is especially known for his paintings of New York City landmarks in snow that still inspire.
Bio
Neil Allen is a New York-born, Greenwich Village-based fine art photographer with a particular sharp eye for city life. An Artist member of the Salmagundi Club and the Salmagundi Photo Group, in October, 2019 he presented his first one-person show, "Neil Allen's Vibrant Greenwich Village," at the Salmagundi Club. Photos from the show and photo book of the same name are featured on this website.
In the spirit of Henri Cartier-Bresson, he photographs what he sees-spontaneous street shots, environmental portraits, cityscapes and occasional still lifes and landscapes. Since he first showed photos in 2018, he has received numerous awards and citations in Salmagundi Club and other competitions.
Artist's Statement
As a photographic artist, the magic I seek is conveying singular moments in time and making you feel you are there with me. My goal and joy are to move viewers with photo images that capture and present the color, humor and irony of the human condition, the sometime metaphysical connections between people and their surroundings and the sublime beauty of the natural world.