In a New York State of Mind

by Gregg Chadwick

Super Bowl Sunday has grown to become a secular holiday that rivals Thanksgiving in the United States. I just got off the phone with my brother and our New Jersey/New York roots run deep. Sporting events from this past weekend remind me how much I carry Spike Lee's and my Grandpa Chadwick's sporting allegiances with me. Jeremy Lin's astounding play for the New York Knicks basketball squad last night proved to be a harbinger for the New York Giants inspired play today. Tomorrow morning will be a bit sweeter as New Yorkers access their newspapers of choice. For me, memories of late Saturday nights in the Village buying Sunday's New York Times at a corner grocery never fail to bring a smile to my face.

As did Clint Eastwood's inspired role in this year's Chrysler ad. I'd recognize that silhouette anywhere. Doesn't look like Carmel's Hog's Breath to me though. I've been in a Noir mood myself with a studio full of new paintings and new ideas.

In a subtle nod to union labor and the struggles in Wisconsin, a brief snippet of the protests against the soon to be deposed Governor Walker appears in the Chrysler ad.

Wisconsin's Capitol Dome glows on a cold Madison night as protestors gather to support union labor. Importantly, Clint Eastwood is also a union supporter as a member of the Screen Actors Guild. 

Tonight, I salute my Meadowlands ties from Newark, to Bloomfield, to Montclair, to Asbury Park, to Manhattan, to Columbia, to NYU. 

Congrats to New York - my city of Dreams