“Serendipity” 8×16 on canvas
This months painting for our Painting of the Month series is the small but overwhelming canvas “Serendipity”.
I painted this after a trip to NYC earlier this year. I had been to New York before but it was my husband’s first trip. Being a Mets fan all his life, he really wanted to make the most of the experience. So we of course hit every tourist spot. Which included the famous dessert spot ‘Serendipity’.
Now neither of us are really big on desserts/sweets/etc. But we were trying to find the best cheesecake possible during the trip. Hitting a place each night after dinner in our quest. So we decided to go to Serendipity one night and give theirs a shot. For those that haven’t been, this place always reminds me of like a very eccentric, classy grandmas house. Just packed to the brim with ornate vintage and over the top, gaudiness.
The door is a simple hole in the wall. You step down into this small lobby like waiting area. Glass cases full of random whatnot. Bejewelled, ostentatious, one of kind trinkets type stuff. Like when your grandma sends you something from QVC.
There is always a wait. We put our names in and sat outside with several others.
We spent the thirty minute wait time people watching. In particular two couples that were clearly on first dates. One, a young couple in their early twenties who either spent time talking to each other or long breaks of silence staring at their respective phones. And then another couple we couldn’t quite figure out. The guy was in his mid forties and looked like Michael Moore bathed and groomed for a court appearance. And the woman was late twenties tops. Had that very New York sleek business professional but sexy look. The conversations they had were awkward at best. And we decided by the end of the night it had to be some kind of arrangement. It seemed perfect so many different pairings of people were gathered at this place to indulge.
Our names get called. We go inside and everything is elaborate. This is not the place to go if you are watching what you eat. This is a place you go to eat 10,000 calories and feel smitten about it. Everything is beautiful. Everything is detailed. Everything is over the top. Even the bathroom is a gorgeously remodeled water closet, with pull chain and all. Not one element of presentation has been overlooked. My husband got some kind of sundae along with the infamous frozen hot chocolate. I had a strawberry cheesecake. We ate till we felt sick and enjoyed of every second of it.
So this painting was me trying to capture that entire experience. I used the vitrail paint again here to capture the sauces for the deserts we saw on the densely packed tables around us. Acrylics to get the minute detailing that sprinkles added to dishes. I wanted that messy but contained look the desserts had. Bright colors to not only bring out the dark flavorings, but just the overall joy the place emanates. If you get a chance to try it, I highly recommend treating yourself.
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