Orchard St
1973
The family which commissioned this painting, is part of the history of this street. They explained to me that when many immigrants fled from persecution and poverty from Europe, they sent for family members in order to save them as well. I was told by one of those who first arrived, that by making room for those who arrived later and had no money or shelter, beds were made by putting a board between two chairs, and that is how the term “boarders” came into our language.
All the names on these buildings are those of the families who came at the beginning, struggled to create a meager living, to learn an unfamiliar language, and to bring desperate family members into their new and unfriendly land. This is why I loved painting these streets......these were and still are the stories of immigrants, and to me these are the story of this country as well.