When my classmate and fellow alum published my short story, "Diner Chat", I did not understand the impact of how deep others would scrutinize its implications. Renamed "Night Sounds", I was told by my classmate/editor that she felt it reminded her of Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks", and that struck me as extraordinary in that his iconic paintings were one of countless artistic inspirations for me over the years.Hopper often conveyed soft and hard lines within his paintings, and he portrayed many scenes from a New York of the 30s-40s. Whether he used actual locales or his scenes were figments of imaginary whimsy, Hopper's techniques of structure, color, and dimension made the painting FEEL real to the viewer. We may never know if much of the painter's locations and scenes were ONCE real, but, that isn't the point is it? Just like writers, artists want to pull the viewer, temporarily into their world. And if it feels real long after one has left it, than the impact has been successful.
For some fun at the official online site for the "Mental Floss" magazine, here is a link about Hopper's "Nighthawks". I hope you will enjoy and happy reading!
