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Most days, artist Adam Dressner toils in his East Side apartment, creating intricate oil paintings, many of which fetch well over $10,000.
Others, he lugs his art cart, which he built himself, to Washington Square Park. Amid the chaos, he sets up a pop-up studio complete with a drop cloth, a striped umbrella and a sign offering, in five languages, to paint parkgoers.
“There’s no price attached to the activity,” Dressner, 42, told The Post of his park portraits. “I think it would change the whole feeling of it. When people ask, I say it can be anything, including free.”
Using colorful acrylics on a 9×12 board, Dressner, in his trademark blue cap, paints the willing subject while peppering them with questions about themselves.
Once handed the finished product, people usually offer a donation at their discretion. Dressner declined to give monetary figures, but noted his yield ranges. “You can do quite well,” he said.
But a cash transaction is besides the point.
Dressner, an attorney turned artist, initially started his al fresco sessions in 2018 to sharpen his life drawing skills.
“Some people pay money to go to a life drawing class, where they hire a model,” said the native New Yorker. “Or I could go out to the park and people come to me. And often pay me something for it and tell me how much they like it. It’s about the connection.”
These chance interactions have forged friendships and led to commissions.
Last year, he caught the eye of “Chinatown Phil,” a popular Instagram creator known for spotlighting unique Big Apple denizens, who made a video of Dressner’s impressive process.
