Finding a Way
Painting and Essay by Robert Beck
The Fire Department is a huge part of life on the Upper West Side. There isn’t a day you don’t think about it. The sirens won’t let you forget. I loved fire trucks as a kid and have memories that go back to when my grandfather would take me to a firehouse near where they lived in Flatbush.
An Upper West Side firehouse is an excellent subject for my Rag column, so I stopped by the station on 77th to see if I could paint there. I talked to a captain and a lieutenant, both of whom were friendly, polite, and professional, as you would expect. They liked the idea, but told me I had to get permission from headquarters. They gave me a name and contact information.
I’ve done this before. I painted in a Philadelphia Fire Station years ago (Shout-out to Special Operations Squad #47, Grays Ferry) for an exhibition that was not unlike my West Side Canvas images. Permission came from the Commissioner’s office without difficulty. The firemen made me dinner and answered three calls while I was working. They sent me home with a beer glass, a T-shirt, and a game blanket with their squad logos as a parting gift. Nice, huh?
However, it’s commonly the case that the larger the organization I approach to paint, the greater the odds of encountering some…roadblock. As much as I’d like to take my readers into an UWS firehouse, I’d have to wait for something to open up through another channel, or by chance.
Well, chance happened, of sorts. I was walking past the station on my way to my studio when the door went up. At first, I thought it was a call, but a guy walked out and down the sidewalk to Amsterdam, and the firetruck stayed right there. No lights, no siren. I know from my initial conversations with the NY firemen that you are forbidden to take photos in the station, but you can from outside if the door is open, so I took a bunch of phone shots from different angles and used them to create sketches with a cohesive narrative.
This painting includes the heft of the fire truck, the volume and style of the station architecture (what being there feels like), some gear in grab-and-go position, and a personal moment between firemen. I know from conversations that serving the community is very important to them, and their camaraderie is the glue that holds it together. That’s what the painting is “about.”
It’s a shame that I couldn’t paint live in the firehouse lounge or kitchen, because the firemen would have enjoyed it, and so would Rag readers. It would have been fun to describe the experience. New Yorkers love their firemen.
I asked to paint in the Sanitation Department Transfer Station, but was told they have big trucks, and they don’t want me to get hurt, so don’t expect a painting of that. At least he was respectful. I also want to paint in a police station. I hope I can get in one without having to be arrested.
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See more of Robert Beck’s work and visit his UWS studio at www.robertbeck.net. Let him know if you have a connection to an archetypical UWS place or event that would make a good West Side Canvas subject. Thank you!
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The culture of the firehouse kitchen table is real! You might be interested in a fictional portrayal of FDNY I wrote based on the firefighters of this station. It’s called “Where There’s Smoke”
Love this.
Cool story. The painting almost seems timeless. Obviously a new truck on the right but otherwise it would have looked the same 50 years ago.
Even after a long time as civil servant and ultimately elected official, I’m puzzled why one cannot take a photo outside of a station as you mention, yet can with doors open. I had to navigate a lot of rules and laws over the years to put on events on public property, and did not, in my native territory of CA encounter such a prohibition. Military bases, prisons, yes!, in fact, I believe on of my election flyer poses was taken in front of our historic firehouse!
This station is on my street so I’ve passed it countless times over my 52 years living on the UWS,, each time grateful for the fire fighters who work there. This painting is a wonderful tribute to them and all the members of the FDNY.
Glad you caught the inside shots of our neighborhood fire house. Wonderful painting and really fun story.
I’ve gone down a fire pole once!
Brava from your Biggest Fan!
Beautiful painting! Feels like I’m inside the station, casually waiting for the next call to come in. There’s a serenity to the painting, a calmness. Maybe it’s a feeling of safety emanating from the proximity of these protectors.
Bill, as the artist, I get to decide the narrative—what to include and what to leave out. One of the things that caught my eye was the reflection in the firetrucks windshield of the windows of the homes outside. Yes, as a visitor, every firehouse I’ve been in feels very safe, along with a palpable sense of quiet anticipation. An awareness. A listening.
For the suggestion box— the iconic playgrounds of the UWS—too bad u missed out on Silver Moon before they closed—also Straus Park— interesting spot to paint I think
Just follow the same procedure to paint in a police station that you did to paint in a firehouse. Contact police headquarters