New Work: These paintings were recently completed or in progress.
Don't Tell Me How to Paint 8 x 8. 2021 Oil on board.
I have been playing around with my painting style and I was starting to hear various comments about that. So I decided to have a little fun. The painting is basically an abstracted representation of me walking away from commentaries (purple head) coming my way.
Cityscape for Sergio 57 x 32. 2022 Acrylic on Canvas.
A pen pal Sergio in Lima Peru showed me a reproduction of a painting he was interested in for over his teal blue sofa in his new condo and we both agreed that the reproduction was too small. Since I was looking for subject matter for my next painting, I volunteered to create something similar but larger for the space and with more color. Since I did not want it to become too precious, I used acrylic and reverted back to a more graphic style I have used before. I was able to complete the painting over a few weekends, had fun doing it and it is now at home in Lima.
This is America 20 x 20. 2022 Oil on Canvas.
I felt compelled to do a painting to reflect the polarization, racial tension, and violence I am seeing and hearing about in America. I ruminated for a while on how to represent what I felt and started a new piece of work, but adjusted where I was going with it over time. This painting evolved into what it is now. There is a lot of symbolism in this painting; the background is various skin tones, the circle is an open wound, the U.S is a piece of meat with embers and a peace sign overlaying it all. The dramatic black is obviously a target with words pulled in. To determine the words to include, I asked a number of friends for the first 3 words that come to mind when they think of America, and from those I selected a subset.
J.T 11 x 14. 2021. Oil on board.
I was hiking in the Whitewater preserve near Palm Springs with a good friend John Trout who had just recently move to Palm Springs and was recovering from esophageal cancer. It was a beautiful day, and I snapped a picture of the landscape on that sunny day. John asked me to do a painting for his new home and I decided to use that photo as the base painting. John also loved Joshua Trees, so I decided to include a couple. I was in the early stages with the painting and sent John a couple of images of the work in progress. I followed up with a call and then a few texts but there was no response. Sadly, soon thereafter I found out that John had taken a turn for the worse and had passed away Nov 2020. The news hit me hard and I had to set the painting aside for awhile and when I did pick it up again, I took the painting to a different place than I originally planned. The sky became a dramatic sunset, and the Joshua Trees now took on the symbolism of John and me and our relationship. I am not ready to part with this painting and plan to keep it for quite a while – I see it and think of John and our time together.
Casa das Artes de Tavira, 16 x 26 2021. Oil on canvas.
In Oct 2019 I traveled with a group of friends to beautiful Tavira Portugal and one day while walking around admiring the beauty, we passed this building with Red doors. I was quite taken by it and snapped a couple of pictures. The images of the white building and red doors stuck with me and finally bubbled up in my mind to where I needed to get my impression of what I saw on canvas. In doing research about what that building might be, I found it was the Tavira Arts Gallery. Kismet! I enjoyed this painting tremendously in that I not only love the image but it reminds me of those beautiful slow-paced days in Tavira, the friendly people, the Sangria, the Mojama and the beach. No sooner had the painting be considered complete, Walter, a good friend saw it and fell in love with it. So it already has a new home, and Walter hopes to get to Tavira post pandemic to see Tavira for himself.
Hollyhocks, 36 x 24 2020. Oil on canvas.
My first pandemic painting.
I had painted my Condo a Fez red and planted Hollyhocks against it that were quite red. I found the red on red very striking with the green leaves so decided to try and capture the beauty of what I saw. As I started the painting, the pandemic hit and the painting provided a stress reliving outlet during the initial lockdown. As the painting evolved, the flowers and leaves took on new shapes and colors, and the background gained an playful energetic texture – I let it go wherever it was going and ended up with what I consider a very enjoyable and somewhat meditative decorative piece. I can sit and just let my eyes roam around this painting from a far, or step closer and get swept up with the sweet details.
Spring, Summer. Fall and Winter: 20" x 16", 2019. Oil on board
I grew up with these Oak trees all around so I decided to do a series focused on the Coastal Oak after doing the California Landscape series.
I have been playing around with my painting style and I was starting to hear various comments about that. So I decided to have a little fun. The painting is basically an abstracted representation of me walking away from commentaries (purple head) coming my way.
Cityscape for Sergio 57 x 32. 2022 Acrylic on Canvas.
A pen pal Sergio in Lima Peru showed me a reproduction of a painting he was interested in for over his teal blue sofa in his new condo and we both agreed that the reproduction was too small. Since I was looking for subject matter for my next painting, I volunteered to create something similar but larger for the space and with more color. Since I did not want it to become too precious, I used acrylic and reverted back to a more graphic style I have used before. I was able to complete the painting over a few weekends, had fun doing it and it is now at home in Lima.
This is America 20 x 20. 2022 Oil on Canvas.
I felt compelled to do a painting to reflect the polarization, racial tension, and violence I am seeing and hearing about in America. I ruminated for a while on how to represent what I felt and started a new piece of work, but adjusted where I was going with it over time. This painting evolved into what it is now. There is a lot of symbolism in this painting; the background is various skin tones, the circle is an open wound, the U.S is a piece of meat with embers and a peace sign overlaying it all. The dramatic black is obviously a target with words pulled in. To determine the words to include, I asked a number of friends for the first 3 words that come to mind when they think of America, and from those I selected a subset.
J.T 11 x 14. 2021. Oil on board.
I was hiking in the Whitewater preserve near Palm Springs with a good friend John Trout who had just recently move to Palm Springs and was recovering from esophageal cancer. It was a beautiful day, and I snapped a picture of the landscape on that sunny day. John asked me to do a painting for his new home and I decided to use that photo as the base painting. John also loved Joshua Trees, so I decided to include a couple. I was in the early stages with the painting and sent John a couple of images of the work in progress. I followed up with a call and then a few texts but there was no response. Sadly, soon thereafter I found out that John had taken a turn for the worse and had passed away Nov 2020. The news hit me hard and I had to set the painting aside for awhile and when I did pick it up again, I took the painting to a different place than I originally planned. The sky became a dramatic sunset, and the Joshua Trees now took on the symbolism of John and me and our relationship. I am not ready to part with this painting and plan to keep it for quite a while – I see it and think of John and our time together.
Casa das Artes de Tavira, 16 x 26 2021. Oil on canvas.
In Oct 2019 I traveled with a group of friends to beautiful Tavira Portugal and one day while walking around admiring the beauty, we passed this building with Red doors. I was quite taken by it and snapped a couple of pictures. The images of the white building and red doors stuck with me and finally bubbled up in my mind to where I needed to get my impression of what I saw on canvas. In doing research about what that building might be, I found it was the Tavira Arts Gallery. Kismet! I enjoyed this painting tremendously in that I not only love the image but it reminds me of those beautiful slow-paced days in Tavira, the friendly people, the Sangria, the Mojama and the beach. No sooner had the painting be considered complete, Walter, a good friend saw it and fell in love with it. So it already has a new home, and Walter hopes to get to Tavira post pandemic to see Tavira for himself.
Hollyhocks, 36 x 24 2020. Oil on canvas.
My first pandemic painting.
I had painted my Condo a Fez red and planted Hollyhocks against it that were quite red. I found the red on red very striking with the green leaves so decided to try and capture the beauty of what I saw. As I started the painting, the pandemic hit and the painting provided a stress reliving outlet during the initial lockdown. As the painting evolved, the flowers and leaves took on new shapes and colors, and the background gained an playful energetic texture – I let it go wherever it was going and ended up with what I consider a very enjoyable and somewhat meditative decorative piece. I can sit and just let my eyes roam around this painting from a far, or step closer and get swept up with the sweet details.
Spring, Summer. Fall and Winter: 20" x 16", 2019. Oil on board
I grew up with these Oak trees all around so I decided to do a series focused on the Coastal Oak after doing the California Landscape series.