Rush Hour on 135th Street

This piece captures a familiar yet deeply personal scene—what I see during my walks through St. Nicholas Park in Harlem. Set during the late afternoon, it depicts a hyperlocal moment of rush hour, untouched by tourism or spectacle. Real people, each immersed in the rhythm of their day—workers heading home, high schoolers trailing in groups, college students lost in thought or rushing to class.

There’s a quiet beauty in this everyday choreography. The painting reflects a feeling of sonder—the realization that everyone around you lives a life as vivid and complex as your own. Each figure here, whether mid-step or mid-conversation, carries their own unseen story, dreams, and destination. It’s a tribute to the layered, living pulse of 135th Street, where countless paths briefly converge before diverging again.