Have Your Cake and Eat it Too Oil on canvas 48 inches high by 60 inches wide 2009 Greed. A Palace and a Prison Oil on canvas 48 inches high by 48 inches wide 2008 Escher-esque in impossible geometry, the palace is a desired ideal perched on a pedestal surrounded by walls that cannot be scaled. The title suggests that which you covet and attempt to protect can ultimately imprison you. The idyllic fairy-tale like palace is both beautiful and impenetrable. Once within, it becomes impossible to escape. The grass and concrete steps have their own realistic perspective when seen from a 90-degree angle, which are parts of a memorial sculpture erected to police officers in Houston, Texas, who lost their lives in the line of duty. The source of the police memorial further reinforces the association with that of imprisonment. In order to protect something precious, we often feel we must construct walls around it, which only results in designing a beautiful prison. The only escape is through a change in perspective. House of Wax Oil on canvas 30 inches high by 30 inches wide 2008 A female and male figure stand both with their heads, breasts and private parts on fire in a darkened room surrounded by other flames. The title refers to the illusion that of relationships where passion can melt the exterior and reveal the true nature. The woman is the dominant figure with her hand raised to the light on her head and the male is in the background along with the other candles and his penis ablaze. The background candles are an homage to Gerhard Richter’s ‘Kerze’ paintings of the 1980’s. Second Sight Oil on canvas 36 inches high by 36 inches wide 2008 The woman is after a terracotta sculpture ‘Bust of a Lady’ in the Kimbell Art Museum in Dallas attributed to Italian sculptor, Gian Cristoforo Romano, c.1500. The subject of the bust is Isabella d'Este, Marchioness of Mantua. Isabella was the most celebrated woman of her day, called "la prima donna del mondo." She cultivated one of the most illustrious courts in Renaissance Italy, and wielded considerable political power, acting as regent during her husband's absence and after his death. She was also a passionate and persistent patron who invited the most renowned artists in Italy to decorate her private quarters in the Ducal Palace in Mantua. A zealous, insatiable collector, she was the first woman to build a large and important collection of antiquities. Known as the "tenth muse," Isabella was the subject of many works of art. Perhaps the most famous today is Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of her in profile in the Louvre, which corresponds closely to the Kimbell bust; both show her with the hairstyle and dress that might be worn by an eminent marchioness of northern Italy around 1500. The giant peanut came from Pike Place Nuts in Seattle. The two objects are brought together by the associations between their color and interwoven lines, shapes and patterns. The peanut turned on a 90-degree angle rhymes with that of the woman’s eyes. She is looking beyond to that which is known but unseen evoking clairvoyance as indicated in the title. Black and White and Red All Over Oil on canvas 48 inches high x 48 inches wide 2007 The title references the old newspaper joke as well as modern more shocking versions of that joke describing nuns, babies, blenders, and racism. The other side of the newspaper analogy and the painting’s imagery suggest a disaster of tragic proportion and related media headlines. As a narrative reference, the scene evokes a potential Christmas airline tragedy over frozen waters, which would make front-page headlines in the newspaper joke’s pun. Along these lines, studies have concluded that the more terror and tragedy are portrayed in the media, the more these events escalate. They are inextricably woven together in a mutually beneficial manner. Santa as a symbol embodies the essence of both childhood wonder and joy and Western commercialism. The dichotomy between Santa’s jolly demeanor and the decapitated salmon at his feet symbolize the pain and sadness that often lies beneath the Christmas holiday for many people despite the decorated and glossy exterior. In this context, Santa himself is an aberrant presence, completely futile and ridiculous, representing nothing but oblivious consumerism. The inclusion of text in the painting in the form of the word ‘adult’ reinforces the shift of the idea of Christmas being concentrated on children to one of adult desires. The life vest on the right of Santa has only the first three letters ‘ADU’ which phonetically is adieu, the French word for goodbye or farewell. Structurally, the painting is composed of open ‘A’ shapes and repeating rhymes and echoes throughout, most dominate in the top line of the buoys and the bottom line of the fish forming a triangular tent shape that references the ‘A’ of adult. The major thesis in my paintings is the notion of micro and macro patterns repeating one another in visual physical reality thus hinting at the underlying fractal geometric structure of our world; illustrated in numerous instances here by line, shape, shadow, and reflection. The shape of Santa’s left boot echoes in the shape and line of the fish directly below it, which also corresponds to the ‘L’-shaped fur trim on the right of his body. Openings in the fish bodies refer to the opening holes of the buoys as they both form a line receding into the distance. The ripples in the white fur trim of Santa’s suit match the rippling lines of snow and ice beneath his body. Santa’s face is dominated by three balls forming his cheek and nose, which then follow up to the ball of the pom-pom at the end of his hat further repeating in the round circles of the life vests on either side of his head. The negative space made by Santa’s crossed legs creates a large tent shape reinforcing the dominant ‘A’ composition and referring back to the word Adult. In-Vitro Oil on canvas 48 inches high x 36 inches wide 2007 2006 “In Vitro” echoes feelings of benign nursery story images, religiosity in the trinity composition of the figures and pose of the infant, evolutionary aspects in the similarity of patterns composing the fish brains and baby’s head and immersion in water, and scientific ethos reflected in the title. The outline of the baby’s head is mirrored in the outline of the right fish and similarities are reflected in the cheek line of child and fish. The baby’s hands reach up separately to each fish. The size of the baby’s head is similar to the oversized heads of the fish. The position of the hands and legs of the child suggest the movement of the upper most fish. I initially titled this piece ‘Trinity’ as it seemed to have a strong association to images of mother and child or parents and child. The title refers to ‘in-vitro’ fertilization and ideas related to science in biological conception. Tomb of the Unknown Widow Oil on canvas 30 inches high x 40 inches wide 2006 With an ominous atmosphere and bands of rain in the distance, a storm is imminent; however, from the far left a faint patch of blue and the muted sunshine of hope are also present. The tragedy of military death is numbed by the uniformity of repetition in both the tombstones and the silent, indistinguishable mourners. The long shadows and alternating sunlit patches echo the stakes upon which the anonymous and unblinking faces are perched. The curved top of the grave markers is repeated in the top line of the women’s heads while the tendrils of hair hanging down suggest the fringes of grass rising upwards. The piece remarks upon what is buried along with the honors and the futility in posthumous accolades. Octo-Pie Oil on canvas 36 inches high x 36 inches wide 2006 I saw a restaurant breakfast plate display of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon and was mesmerized by the whirling and linear patterns in each element and overall composition reminiscent of a spiritual mandala. The lack of any horizon line, overhead view of the image and fact that the piece can be viewed from any orientation reinforces the mandala association. The undulating patterns in the grilled brown areas of the pancakes are harmonized with the bulbous ribbed tentacles of the octopus. Octopuses are masters of camouflage and disguise, which enhances the notion in this work that ‘things are not always as they seem’ and something that at first sight may appear appetizing could have hidden dangers lurking. This applies to general concerns regarding recent contamination and food source as well as metaphoric issues of universal life choices. Yin and Yang Oil on canvas 48 inches high x 30 inches wide 2006 “Yin and Yang” alludes to biblical fables of serpents, death, and sacrifice through rhythmic spirals and repetitive steps illustrating an endless cycle of demise and resurrection, of movement aloft and descending on the same staircase. The concepts of Yin and Yang describe two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all substance in the universe where the symbols for each are embodied in the serpent’s coiled tail and the corresponding ornamental handrail. Swan Song Oil on canvas 24 inches high x 36 inches wide 2006 The setting of this small landscape is the ‘Valley of Fire’ outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, a beautiful and austere environment of a natural rock bridge over a brilliant blue cloudless sky. The only occupant in this fiery red landscape is a large white swan who sits in the middle of the barren red desert with no water in sight. He is there for his own reasons. The bird’s graceful neck and body shape are echoed in the expanse of rock bridging the valley and the enfolded lines of his feathers harmonize with the reticulated embedded crevices in the rocks. The title references ancient Greek legend, which held that the swan was mute throughout its lifetime, but sang the most beautiful and haunting song just before it died. The symbology and mythology of the swan is multi-faceted embodying light, hermaphroditism, femininity, intuition, self-transformation, gracefulness, beauty, and the marriage of opposites of fire and water, especially relevant in this painting. Blue Plate Special Oil on canvas 24 inches high x 36 inches wide 2005 This piece was conceived as a female companion work to “Head on a Platter”. The dimensions are the same; the composition similar and I chose a contrasting color scheme of orange on a blue plate to the red/green colors of its male counterpart. I set up and photographed an arrangement using a specially chosen blue plate and both fresh and canned peaches. A detailed pencil drawing was done, then a complete acrylic under painting and finally the oil glazing on top. Some of the pencil lines are purposely still visible. Peaches have always been described as the fruit that most closely resembles that of the female anatomy and I focused on enhancing those areas by superimposing actual body elements to the peach pit areas. The overall result is much more subtle than the sausages but once discovered is easily discernable. The entire composition is based on rounded forms and circular and oval shapes which inherently suggest female characteristics and sensibilities. The vibrant color and lusciousness of the ripe fruit are symbolic of the sensuality and mysterious power of womanhood. It also represents faith and acknowledgment in creativity and intuition. Dark Winter Oil on canvas 36 inches high x 60 inches wide 2005 A great deal of planning went into this work. I had a general idea of trees turning into human body parts and went through several iterations and discarded attempts before I settled on the final composition. I had a group of friends pose for me and took photographs of their arms and hands as well as pictures of my own arms. I then went through dozens of past photographs I had of various trees around the world and went out and took additional photographs of trees in Houston. I was looking for weathered, barren, oak trees with gnarled twisted limbs. I combined the outline of actual trees for the silhouette and then used the various arm photographs to ‘flesh’ out the tree form. The background is from my own photograph overlooking the ocean in San Diego. I did a complete acrylic under painting and then painted over that with thin oil glazes. I finished this painting the week of the Tsunami in Asia and felt that it almost presaged that disaster in evoking the horror within the imagery. I strongly felt the emotion of those affected and felt that the painting was tapping into that as well. I want people to allow the painting to bring out their own strong emotions for whatever personal feelings it brings up for them. The image speaks to devastation in any form. The phrase ‘Dark Winter’ also references a governmental bio-terrorism simulation exercise where leaders cope with a fictional worldwide smallpox epidemic. Gorilla Depression Oil on canvas 48 inches high x 36 inches wide 2004 This painting is related in color tone and compositional simplicity to ‘Soul Mates’. The colors are muted and dull and there are only two major elements…the gorilla and the interior hallway. I did a complete acrylic under painting and then painted in thin oil glazes over the acrylic. Images taken from my own photographs of a gorilla at the San Diego Zoo. The hallway was from the interior of a business building where I was struck by how narrow and long the passageway was. This is the archetype of depression. It is literally a monkey on the back, a dull quietness, isolation, fatigue, inertia, apathy and hopelessness. All doors are closed. The gorilla sits dejectedly but also content to wallow in his misery all the time ignoring the potential escape at the end of the hall. Untitled (Flaming Jesus Oil on canvas 40 inches high x 30 inches wide 2004 I bought a large Mexican handmade straw figure of Jesus on the cross and burned it in a brick barbeque pit in my back yard. I took several roles of film and recorded the different stages of burning. The figure was made completely of wicker and straw and was doused in turpentine to help it burn. The flames reached several feet into the air and the inner body began to glow from the heat. This was done in a ceremonial fashion and conjures implications of pagan ritual, burning man ceremony, religious fervor and blasphemy. The painting can be interpreted in many different ways…those who are Christians may see it as a testament to the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus and those who are suspect of organized religion may see it as a commentary on the hypocrisy of institutions such as the disgrace brought about in the Roman Catholic Church. Soul Mates Oil on canvas 48 inches high x 48 inches wide 2003 This is a simple painting compositionally with only two figures on a non-descript ground. The images were derived from photographs taken in Mexico. The tree is of an actual dead oak tree that found in an alley at the top of a hill overlooking San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The tree projected a feeling of death and sadness. I did not alter the tree in any way and it quite literally had a screaming face within its hollows. The pattern match for this tree was found in another photograph taken from the mummy museum in Guanajuato where the image of the baby mummy from ‘Inner Child’ also came from. The colors are dull and muted with no details in the background. There is little contrast. The strongest elements are the rhyming shapes of the tree outline and the casket. Further association is that the casket is made out of wood from the tree. The anguished faces of both the tree and the mummy are nearly identical. It represents heartache and death. The title refers to the currently popular notion of ‘Soul Mates’…that there is one perfect human match that combines with your own. The flip side of soul mates is that the association is not always one of light and happiness but just as easily can be a wrenching and painful association. The tree and the mummy are entwined with one another both in life and in death. Head on a Platter Oil on canvas 24 inches high x 36 inches wide 2003 This was taken from a photograph at a friend’s home where they had large amounts of food of all kind and in particular a huge platter of Louisiana Cajun barbeque sausage. I thought the sausages were beautiful and interesting and took several pictures of them. The idea occurred to me to combine the sausages with images of the male anatomy. I used a male model for additional photographs that were then incorporated with the platter of sausages. I did a very detailed monochromatic oil under-painting and then used transparent oil glazing to complete the work. While the piece is graphic and might be disturbing to some, it was actually intended to be more humorous than anything else…hence the title. Of course the nature of the piece is very powerful and brings up many deep feelings and emotions for both men and women so I feel the inherent tongue in cheek title helps to offset the initial graphic content. I also have a firm belief that beauty can be found in even the most unsettling places. ebay… September 12, 2001 oil on canvas 60 inches high x 48 inches wide 2003 The title refers to the day after the attack on the World Trade Center when ebay already had hundreds of items for sale with anything that contained images of New York or the World Trade Center selling for premium prices. This is a commentary on the greed and callousness of mercenaries even in the face of unprecedented disaster. I actually own this snow globe and photographed it because it was selling for as high as $500 dollars or more during this time. In taking the photograph of the snow globe there was a highlight between the two towers, which made the form of a cross. I chose to keep this ‘light cross’ in the painting in honor of those who lost their lives in the attack on 9-11. I had the idea for this painting immediately after 9-11 but was not able to paint this until quite some time later after I had some distance from the events. While a miniature replica of NYC, the snow globe also represents innocence and fragility, which allows the painting to be interpreted on many different levels. Americans no longer live in a protected glass bubble. It is innocence lost. Ghosts of Kinky Sex Past Oil on canvas 60 inches high x 36 inches wide 2002 This painting was done from two different photographs that I shot and combined together. The background of the bedroom is of a cheap motel room from my birthplace of North Tonawanda, N.Y. with an interior circa 1960. The bedspread was the exact same kind that I had on my bed as a child. The second image of the figures are mannequins taken from a mannequin supply store in St. Petersburg, Florida, another place that I had lived. This painting explores deep family, personal and sexual feelings. The mannequins were taken exactly as they were. They were actually pieces of mannequins and positioned with one torso standing up and the other standing protectively behind. The arms and legs are askew and disconnected. One figure is looking down and the other gazing into the distance. They are naked. The figure in the front is more delicate and vulnerable. The one in back, although also nude, stares out defiantly. I am interested in the patterns and repeating shapes, particularly circular. There are 3 main circles in the bedspread pattern echoed by the 3 rounded shapes of the mannequin heads and the mirror above the bed. In addition to the circular shapes, the elongated rectangle is reflected twice and there are three very strong horizontal lines that break the painting into two. There are three strong right angles echoing one another…the piece of doorframe reflected in the mirror, the section of table to the right of the bed and the portion of lampshade. This painting is also about duality. The illumination of the lamp and the dark monochrome of the mirror represent two sides of consciousness. The bottom figure’s skull is divided into two sections through the strong outline of the pillows suggesting the physical split of the corpus- callosum and that of left brain/right brain. There is also a shadowy indentation of the weight of past heads lain across the pillows. The number two is further symbolized by the two distinct sections of the painting, the two worlds of hard bed reality and a more ethereal one, the two figures, the feelings of adult and child and the two states of present experience and past memory all co-existing together. The title of this work is from my feelings regarding an intense relationship in which I felt the weight of prior associations very strongly. Symbolically, there are always the ‘ghosts’ of former lovers in bed. The unusual postures, nakedness and suggestion of sado-masochism in the bodily fragments represent this. Another underlying emotional theme is one of duplicity and concealment. Technically, I wanted to make the figures substantial due to the emotional weight they were carrying but also have them be transparent within the setting. It was important to have the top mannequin’s face blend into the pattern as she is emerging from the wall as if observing furtively. I strove to make the values of the mannequins as close to that of their backgrounds so they would melt away. The value properties in this piece are very important and in low light the top mannequin’s face disappears into the background wallpaper. She literally becomes a fly on the wall observing everything but going undetected. There are two symbols formed in the composition that have inherent meaning…infinity and 00, which is a genealogical symbol for married. The symbols are the underlying structure of the composition. Because of the delicate coloration and subtle value changes, this painting is best viewed with a spot light. Inner Child Oil on canvas 40 inches high x 30 inches wide 2002 This was taken from photographs during a trip to Mexico. The figure is an actual baby mummy in a christening gown from the mummy museum in Guanajuato, Mexico and the surrounding red walls and gates of a bull holding area from a bullfighting ring in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The title refers to the psychological concept of childhood emotions affecting adult behavior. In this instance, the child is frozen, trapped voiceless and powerless behind brick and bar, abandoned and alone. The composition is a coherent whole but with strong lines making up a radial axis image that is felt subconsciously as a pattern. The radial axis lines of the composition delineate independent planes or fields, which contain depth within geometrical forms while fitting together as a whole. It is the idea concept within the painting that I am striving to convey in a visual manner. American Virgin Oil on canvas 24 inches high x 36 inches wide 2002 I took this photograph of a mannequin covered with plastic wrap at a department surplus store in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is a wash of turpentine and oil paint in blue, gray and white. It was intended to be an under painting for a more finished oil but I liked the look of the monochrome so did not paint over it. The colors lend it a classical look especially with the columns in the background. The concept makes a statement on the view of virginity in America and the increasing rareness of it among young women and even girls. The plastic wrap represents purity and being unsoiled, kept under wraps. Valentine’s Day (Blood Bath) Oil on canvas 36 inches high x 60 inches wide 2002 This painting is of a very dear friend of mine from photographs that I took of her in the bathtub. I dyed the water bright red using several packets of a colored oil bath. The oil in the dye created interesting slicks on top of the water. I used a floor light shining down into the water as well as a camera flash. I took several rolls of film and came up with this composition of her breasts being exposed and the ambiguous expression on her face. She appears as though she has just looked up to see someone standing in the room catching her unaware. The shape of the canvas was dictated by the large oval of the bathtub and set in the cropped elongated rectangle of the marble tub surround. Her folded hand in the middle is covering her vagina and creates an opening flower shape with the darkest red color creating the depth of a hole with obvious sexual connotations. The color is indicative of blood, which provokes strong associations, but the nature of water itself is also linked with primal feelings of birth, emotion and spirituality. This is a very beautiful and sensual painting in the coloration, lines and sinuous shapes and is both a realistic portrait and allegorical narrative. This painting was drawn directly on canvas and has dozens of layers of transparent glazing in the water. It is designed to be seen under a spotlight; where the water actually seems to glow and it is possible to look into the depths of the patterns. As with most of my work, this painting is exploring lines and patterns…both physical patterns and patterns of behavior. It has two titles, “Valentine’s Day” or alternately “Blood Bath”. It was completed around Valentine’s Day in a time when I was not in a romantic relationship and felt cynical of the commercial and societal pressure of this quasi ‘holiday’. Interestingly, there is a heart shaped pattern, which occurred spontaneously that is found in the bottom left hand corner above the water spigot. Of course, the most obvious question is whether or not this woman is sitting in a bathtub of blood. Is she? If it is blood, is it her own or someone else’s? Is it from a wound or another cause? Is it physical or emotional? Did she hurt herself because of a “Valentine’s Day” heartache or did she harm another person and then go home to cleanse herself? Is she expecting someone or has she been caught unaware? This painting can be ‘red’ in many different ways…one being that the colored liquid is metaphorical and symbolizes either personal torment or taking on another’s pain and immersing oneself in the anguish of other people in order to heal and cleanse them and oneself of suffering. There’s no Place like Home Oil on canvas 36 inches high x 48 inches wide 2001 I had just started this painting when the 9-11 attacks took place and worked on it while watching all of the subsequent media coverage. While the original conception for the work had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks I found that the painting took on the dark emotional aspects of my own feelings and the overall tone of life at the time. The imagery came from a combination of photographs that I took from a gate at a castle in Prague, an actual mysterious shrouded figure standing on the Széchenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest, and the beaches at Normandy combined with a setting sun from San Antonio. Two distinct realities are represented. Where is this landscape? Is it the sun as seen from earth or is it the earth as seen from a distant world? Is the earth being destroyed or is the light circling creating one unified reality that glows through into other layers of existence? Again, related to 9-11, fear and consequence at a chosen crossroad. Which probability will be manifested? Structurally, line and pattern are very important in this piece. For example the long bar on top of the gate is about the same length as the “bar” like red shadow intersecting it on the left. It is also close to the same width. The major arc of the top of the gate mirrors the right side slope of the island. The wide part of the top of the gate echoes the curve of the blue sun in arc and somewhat circular metal area. That semi-circular shape is repeated with 2 large lines to the left side of the gate. The semi circles are repeated everywhere large and small…multiplying. After the semi circles, there are the long swooping lines in the bars of the gate that run and flow in to the lines of landscape. Small lines correspond to exact points with other forms and shapes. Pulling out in a larger view are the main directional lines of the composition. The crow leads diagonally down to the blue sun, which will then lead to the bottom right corner witch. The 9 flowing lines that all point to the shrouded figure connects back and correspond to the gate. The bottom left corner soft triangle with curved top corresponds to the lines and shape of the base. The arc of the figure’s back echoes the island, pole, top of the gate, bird and blue sun. The title is a reference to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and Dorothy’s statement. As with everything else home is relative. Big Red (Evolution of Reality) Oil on canvas 60 inches high x 48 inches wide 2001 I took a photograph of the ‘Venus Hairse’ during one of the Houston Art Car Parades. The painting portrays Houston artist and hair salon owner, Susan Venus’ well-known mannequin affixed to the top of the art car as she was passing by some trees. I was struck by the similarities between the tree foliage and the sweeping lines of the hair and the patterns created between both. The serene look on the mannequin face combined with the dark sky and swirling feel of the trees create a mysterious feeling as if she is actually affecting nature and the weather as the dismembered figure floats by. The Chick and the Duck go to Chinatown Oil on canvas 24 inches high x 30 inches wide 2001 This was taken from a photograph that I snapped behind the scenes of a restaurant kitchen in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The metal hooks and ominous dark shadows on the wall evoke an evil laboratory. This work was created with a detailed monochromatic oil under painting with many layers of transparent oil glazing on top. The title references the T.V. show ‘Friends’ that featured a chicken and a duck as pets. It was an ill-fated trip… |
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