The morning light in New York filters differently through my window than it did back home. It catches on the edges of buildings, creating patterns that dance across my tiny apartment floor—nothing like the vast, uninterrupted glow that would flood my New Mexico studio. But there's a beauty in this new light, fractured and unexpected, much like my journey with oil painting in NYC.
I've been in New York City for exactly one month now. One month of subway maps and bodega coffees, of street noise that never quite fades, even at 3 AM. One month of carrying my portfolio of neon oil painting landscapes through crowded streets and introducing myself as "Alex, an artist from New Mexico" more times than I can count.
Taking the Leap: Bringing My Oil Paintings to NYC
When friends back home ask me how I did it—how I finally made the move we'd talked about for years—I tell them the truth: with equal parts dreaming and practical planning.
Before the moving truck was even booked, I secured a non-artist job that could support my rent and living expenses.
Oil painting in NYC is my heartbeat, my purpose—but I knew it couldn't be my only source of income, at least not right away. There's something freeing about acknowledging this reality. It doesn't make me less of an artist; it makes me an artist who can pay for canvas and oils without checking my bank account first.
I also saved for a full year before making the move—what I lovingly call my "oopsie money." Because let's be honest, when you're bringing your oil paintings to NYC, there are always unexpected expenses. The security deposit that's higher than advertised. The subway card that you lose in your first week. The art supplies that cost twice as much in the city as they did back home.
Finding My Community in the NYC Oil Painting Scene
My goal for this first quarter in NYC has been simple but intentional: become part of the art community here. Not just exist alongside it, but weave myself into its fabric. This means going to every meeting, art fair, and gallery opening I can find where oil paintings for sale in NYC might be featured. It means introducing myself to gallery owners even when my voice shakes a little. It means connecting with other artists online and suggesting coffee meet-ups in real life.
The art world can feel impenetrable from the outside. But I'm learning that it's made up of people—real, passionate, often caffeine-fueled people—who love talking about their work and hearing about yours. Just last week, I met a mixed-media artist from Chicago who's been in the city for three years. She invited me to a figure drawing session in Brooklyn, and suddenly, my community grew by twelve more artists who appreciate neon oil painting landscapes just as much as I do.
Small Victories: My First Oil Paintings for Sale in NYC
Yesterday marked my first NYC art fair—a small outdoor event in a neighborhood park. I brought twenty prints of my desert-meets-city series, not sure if anyone would connect with these neon oil painting landscapes that interpret traditional New Mexican views through a vibrant urban lens.
By the end of the day, I had sold ten prints.
Ten might not sound like much to some, but each sale felt like a small miracle—confirmation that my oil paintings in NYC can find a home here, that my voice can be heard even amid the city's constant chorus. Each person who stopped, looked, and decided to take a piece of my vision home with them became part of my New York story.
One woman told me my use of electric blues against earthy reds in my neon oil painting landscapes reminded her of how the city feels at sunset. A man buying a print for his daughter's dorm room said it perfectly captured the feeling of being caught between two worlds. They didn't just buy my art; they understood it.
What I Wish I'd Known About Oil Painting in NYC
If you're an artist thinking about making a similar move with your oil paintings to NYC, here's what I've learned so far:
Research neighborhoods before choosing one. My tiny apartment costs more than I'd like, but it's walking distance from three galleries that showcase oil paintings for sale in NYC and a supply store that's become my second home.
Go to everything, even when you're tired. That gallery opening on a Tuesday night when you've already worked eight hours? Go anyway. The artist talk that's an hour subway ride away? Worth it. Every conversation is a potential connection, especially when you're trying to establish yourself in the oil painting scene.
Bring business cards everywhere. I had mine made with a small print of my most recognizable neon oil painting landscape on the back. People remember the image even when they forget my name.
Find your routine. The city can overwhelm you if you let it. I still wake up early, just like I did in the desert, and paint for an hour before the world gets too loud.
Keep a piece of home with you. I brought a small jar of New Mexico sand and placed it on my windowsill. On days when the city feels too much, I look at it and remember the vastness that shaped my approach to creating neon oil painting landscapes.
Between Two Worlds: The Evolution of My Oil Paintings in NYC
The truth is, I'm still in that liminal space—not quite a New Yorker, no longer just a New Mexico artist. My brush moves differently here, influenced by the pace and energy around me. My colors are changing too, becoming bolder in some places, more nuanced in others.
This transformation isn't just happening on canvas. I feel it in myself, in the way I navigate spaces, in how I introduce my oil paintings for sale in NYC to strangers. There's a confidence growing alongside the uncertainty.
I don't know exactly what my art career in New York will look like six months or a year from now. But I know that each day, I'm painting my way into belonging here, brushstroke by deliberate brushstroke, one neon oil painting landscape at a time.
If you're in the city and want to connect, or if you're another artist thinking about bringing your oil paintings to NYC, reach out. We can share a coffee, stories of home, and dreams of what comes next. After all, art has always been about connection—finding the threads that bind us across distance and difference.
Until then, I'll be here, watching how the city light plays across my canvas, finding ways to blend the desert warmth I carry inside with the electric pulse of New York that's beginning to flow through my veins and onto my neon oil painting landscapes.
Alex is an oil painter whose work explores the intersection of natural landscapes and urban energy, often using vibrant colors and textured brushstrokes to tell stories of transition and belonging. Her current series "Transition" features neon oil painting landscapes that merge elements of her New Mexico heritage with her new experiences in New York City. Follow her journey on Instagram @alex_artist or sign up for her newsletter at alexartist.com to receive updates about upcoming shows and oil paintings for sale in NYC.
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