June 19, 2021
As everyone probably knows by now, the NYC Democratic Primary is next Tuesday and this is the final weekend of campaigning. Pretty soon we’ll know who our next Mayor, Boro Prez, Council Member, etc will be since whoever wins the nomination here generally takes the general as well. The feature race, so to speak, is for Mayor and the Gazette caught up with our favorite candidate in Union Square on Friday afternoon: Paperboy Prince.
The occasion was an unveiling of the official Mayoral portrait, painted by artist Sonya Sklaroff. The vibrant three by four feet oil on canvas work isn’t her first featuring Paperboy.
“I’ve done several of Paperboy. First one was Paperboy dancing nude in the rain on a rooftop.” New York Nico made the video that inspired Sonya. Another portrait likewise evolved from a Nico video. This one, the official Mayoral portrait, involved a more traditional sitting. Sonya said the session was pretty long and they got to know each other during the time spent collaborating on this painting.
She then continued working on it after the session ended and the finished work is visually stunning. Dressed boldly in red with gold accents, Paperboy looks almost regal with a golden turban serving as a crown. The background is a busy affair with a clock jumping out among the various shapes and colors. People strolling through the park paused to take in the artwork. Some may have recognized that the subject and the shirtless person standing nearby were one and the same: a golden turban was seen on both.
Paperboy, Paperboy, Sonya.
Before jetting off to do some more campaigning, Paperboy did a brief interview with someone holding a mic shaped like a pepperoni pizza slice. While answering questions Paperboy sketched a little doodle that said, “vote Paperboy ASAP.”
Here’s a link to the Board of Elections site where you can find out where and when you can do that.
