Water lilies @ NYBG

 

When I headed to the New York Botanical Garden earlier this month to see the Van Gogh sunflower exhibit,

I thought I would also check out the water lilies and lotus blossoms since they were peaking.

This is the first chance I have had to catch them at leisure.

I have to say that I was really impressed.  Their collection is even better than the one at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Water lilies have a storied history – petals have been found in 3000-year-old Egyptian tombs.

And, the sacred lotus Nelumbo Nucifera symbolizes eternal life in Buddhism.

Then there’s Monet, who once wrote –

“It took me time to understand my water lilies.”

“I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them.”

And they have dragonflies and koi fish too. 😊

Here are some other water lilies blogs …

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2012/11/water-lilies-lotus-flowers.html

 

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/11/water-lilies-2.html

 

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/09/water-lilies-3.html

 

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2023/08/water-lilies-4.html

 

Cheers!

PJ

 

© 2025 PJ Lehrer

 

Collaboration with Tim #41: Billionaire’s Row

 

In 2015, One57 was completed and 57^th Street between 5^th and 8^th Avenues was given a new nickname – Billionaire’s Row.  

Of course, no one actually lives there despite the great views of Central Park.  They are merely investment properties for the rich and greedy.

I took this photo from the edge of the lake in the southeast corner of the park while some of the buildings were still works-in-progress.

And then Tim did his usual fabulous job of creating artwork from my photo.

It’s going to take me a while to adjust to the new skyline. 😉

Here are some of our previous collaborations…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/04/collaborating-with-tim-13-roosevelt.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/08/collaborating-with-tim-8-brooklyn-bridge.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/04/collaborating-with-tim-6-34th-street.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/03/collaborating-with-tim-5-view-from-nyu.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/11/collaborating-with-tim-10-fdr-to-bqe.html

You can also follow us on Instagram at @pjlehrer and @timbaynesartist.

Cheers!

PJ

© 2025 PJ Lehrer

Sunflowers @ NYBG

 

To mix things up a bit this year, the New York Botanical Gardens decided to create a Van Gogh inspired sunflower exhibit.  (Running through October 26^th.)

As soon as I heard about it,  I got excited.

I’ve never had a chance to photograph sunflowers in nature – only on the sidewalks of Manhattan.

So, this would be a golden opportunity.

I immediately started pondering when the best time to go would be.

I figured that I’d look to the streets for guidance.  As it turns out, my sunflower Instagram posts in 2024 were from the first week of September.

Of course, the weather is never the same year to year.  So, when I saw them blooming in the hood the last week of August, I figured it was time.

I was delighted to see that there are many more varieties of sunflowers than I had realized.

Apparently, there are over 70, and the NYBG exhibit includes 32 different kinds.

I don’t know who enjoyed them more – me or the bees.  (There were lots of varieties of those too. 😉)

Here are some other blogs from NYBG…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2013/11/kiku.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2015/05/spring-in-bronx.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2016/05/magnolias-at-ny-botanical-gardens.html

Cheers!

PJ

 

© 2025 PJ Lehrer

LES murals

 

I’ve wanted to photograph the murals that line east Houston Street for years - ever since we rode past in a cab a while back.

So, when I decided that I wanted to check out the pickles at The Pickle Guy,

I brought my camera along and allowed some additional time for the trip.

Lucky for me, they were still there.

And just as pretty as I remembered.

It’s a good neighborhood for murals.

In addition to the string that caught my eye,

there were other interesting examples scattered about the hood.

In fact, I think the prettiest one might be the one that greeted me as I left the subway station.

Oh, and the pickles were worth the trip. 😉

Here are some other blogs of street art in NYC…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2012/09/2000-summer-of-cows.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2016/08/park-avenue-paper-chase-3.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/06/black-lives-matter-art.html

 

Cheers

PJ

 

© 2025 PJ Lehrer

Met Superfine

 

If you watched the Met Gala this year you know that the theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.

The companion exhibition is now open at The Met.

It runs through October 26^th so there’s still plenty of time to visit.

They chose to display the art –

 yes, it is art –

in a cool black multi-terraced room.

The show includes some historical pieces like Frederick Douglas’s attire,

Black Panther mementoes,

and a Josephine Baker ensemble.

I was also amused to see that one of the sponsors of the show was Instagram.  😊

Here’s a link to the website for more info…

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/superfine-tailoring-black-style/inside-the-exhibition

 

And, here are some other Met costume exhibit blogs…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2015/05/china-through-looking-glass.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2016/05/manus-x-machina-met.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2018/09/heavenly-bodies-met.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2023/02/kimonos-at-met.html

Cheers!

PJ

 

© 2025 PJ Lehrer

Amherst Roof Garden 4

 

For a decade I lavished love and care on the Amherst roof garden.

So. I am surprised that I haven’t posted more photos of it.

I can’t take all the credit for its beauty.  I  rounded up lots of volunteers from the building to help out.

We started with perennials. (They come up every year.)

Roses for the sunniest spot.

(Irises share the boxes with the roses since they come up first.)

Clematis for the trellis.

And hydrangeas,

and Rose of Sharon for summer blooming.

Then we threw in some annuals for good measure.  😊

Here are the previous blogs…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2012/02/amherst-roses.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2016/06/bearded-irises-2.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2019/06/amherst-roof-garden.html

 

Ciao

PJ

 

© 2025 PJ Lehrer