Matthias Maier | Stories | Week 41 | A view over the reservoir in Central Park

Manhattan in fall

Autumn is definitely my favorite time to be in New York. This week, which was actually a rather normal one, has reminded me of that once again.

New York City always has its charm. I love the snow in winter and when the sun is low between the towers on sunny days, literally pouring its light into the avenues. Spring with the blossoming trees in the streets and in Central Park. Summer, when life takes place on the streets and you can always escape to spend a few days at a nearby beach. Autumn has a bit of everything. The light of the sun, which is already becoming moody, the colors of the last flowers mingling with the changing colors of the leaves on the trees. Days that invite you to sunbathe topless in the park and others on which the cool breeze of the Hudson Valley prepares you for the coming winter. It’s neither too hot nor too cold to do everything that comes to mind.

Matthias Maier | Grasses
Matthias Maier | George Washington Bridge
Matthias Maier | Fall colors

October in Riverside Park

A week of awareness

This week was my last for this stay. That made it special, even though it was otherwise rather unremarkable. I enjoy normal life the most when I’m here. I like my studio to work in, jogging in Riverside Park, cooking and eating with friends or walking in Central Park. So I’ve been enjoying the days with all the little big things that everyday life has to offer, if you’re open to it. Watching the sun rise while I enjoy my peanut butter jelly toast and coffee at the kitchen table. Finding out which bird always sings for a brief moment in the trees outside the window in the morning (it was an American Robin). Looking out the window and admiring how the crowns of the trees fill 107th street, as if it were a stream through which the trees flow like of water. 

Matthias Maier | Orange sunrise
Matthias Maier | Good morning Manhattan Valley
Matthias Maier | Looking out of my window

Moments at home

A big surprise

And sometimes things happen that you would never imagine. The sight of an Aurora Borealis, for example, here in New York. If I had traveled to Iceland or another Nordic country, I would probably have hoped to see one. But this is certainly not one of the expectations associated with New York City. So I was all the more delighted when I looked out of the window late Wednesday evening and saw the night sky covered in a pink light that lasted a few minutes.

Matthias Maier | Stories | Week 41 | Aurora Borealis over New York City

Aurora Borealis over New York City

Midtown fall vibes

One last day of shopping in Midtown. I’m not a big shopper at all, but with the magic of the fall sun and the intense colors that October brings, it’s more fun. 

Matthias Maier | Architectural confusion
Matthias Maier | Fall at Herald Square
Matthias Maier | Old advertising

Shopping day in midtown

Giving things a meaning

In between all the everyday life, I made a second small collage from envelopes and papers that came my way during my stay here. Found objects from everyday life that are normally carelessly overlooked suddenly take on a meaning. That’s what makes creating art so beautiful for me and gives me fulfillment in my work.

Matthias Maier | Stories | Week 41 | A little paper collage

Another collage from my sketch book

Everything has its price

And then suddenly it was here, the last day for this time. Beautiful and warm and lovely, as if it wanted to make it extra hard for me to say goodbye. I hate these separations. They always remind me that we have to let go everything in the end. And so I try to grow with it and accept the separation for what it is: the price of my wonderful life on both sides of the Atlantic. Accordingly, the moment of sadness is combined with comfort and the tears at the end of my time in New York with anticipation of the coming weeks in Basel.

Matthias Maier | Good bye in pastel
Matthias Maier | Stories | Week 41 | Sunset over Manhattan

On my way to JFK

Main Image Buildings reflecting in the Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis Reservoir in Central Park