Artist Statement for Thirty-Six Views of One World Trade Center

A pencil sketch titled 'Birds Eye View' showing an eagle's head in the top left corner looking towards an aerial landscape of a coastline, a body of water, and a city skyline with tall buildings at the bottom.
A pencil sketch titled 'Birds Eye View' showing an eagle's head in the top left corner looking towards an aerial landscape of a coastline, a body of water, and a city skyline with tall buildings at the bottom.

A series of 36 separate stone lithograph images drawn and printed by the Artist

After the destruction of the World Trade Center on 9-11-01, a debate arose about what should be done with the site. As it turned out, very little was built on the original 16 acres for many years. 

As I was leading tours as volunteer for the Tribute tours organized by the September 11th Families Association, I watched the new One World start to rise.  The idea of making a series of stone lithograph prints showing the building and views of the new One World Trade Center took hold of my imagination.  I began studying print series that other artists had done including Japanese artists Hiroshige (One Hundred Famous Views of Edo [Tokyo]) and Hokusai (Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji) and French artist Henri Riviere (Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower).  I decided my series would be Thirty-Six Views of One World Trade Center.

A black and white drawing of a nighttime cityscape, showing a brightly lit promenade with two people standing by a fence, skyscrapers in the background, and street lamps illuminating the scene.

Overview of the project

In 2013, I began to create a series of original small edition stone lithographs (drawing on and printing from a stone) documenting the rise of One World Trade Center.  The first print in the series includes a “ghost” image of my 9-11 self-portrait towering over the WTC site.  Three years later when the new 1WTC opened, I completed the thirty-sixth print (the only one with color) showing the twin blue lights beamed each year on the anniversary of 9-11.  Each image is an “iconic” view of the new 1WTC at various points in its construction and, as such, is a historical record of the building.  Views from all five boroughs and New Jersey in all four seasons and with elements that reference the earlier Japanese and French print series.

Sketch of a cityscape with construction cranes, buildings, and construction equipment, with the Twin Towers in the background.

What is a stone lithograph print?

I begin by drawing the image in reverse on a piece of fine-grained limestone.  The drawing is covered with an etch of gum arabic and acid which binds it to the top of the stone.  Then the image is inked and run through the press to transfer the inked image to the paper.  This series is printed on Hahnemühle bright white paper.

A pencil sketch of a busy city street scene with pedestrians, skyscrapers, and storefronts, featuring a person with a bag in the foreground and tall buildings in the background.