I did this painting after moving to New York in 1962. Previously I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the neighborhood of 7 corners. The inner city location had vacant lots with wild, native plant weeds and old houses. It felt like a small town. I met wonderful old women survivors, living on tiny incomes. I wanted to bring them all to New York with me.
I painted Rose coming to the city through a revolving door. She's surrounded with myriad reflections of city things like the Brooklyn Bridge, a bank interior, letters, and lights. The hand emerging from the turn is still unformed, a mere gesture.
After a recent trip to New York in 1998, I look back at Rose as myself, now grown old, yet still drawn to the glitzy technology of the city. Still turning those revolving doors and emerging somewhere new.
