Gallery 2 (paintings & drawings) |

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Studebaker

Studebaker (1979 oil 36” x 24”) opines on nostalgic sexual memories. A lovely foot rests on the steering wheel of a 49 Studebaker. Like sex, the Studebaker is timeless! From an artistic perspective, the painting contrasts the beautiful organic form of the female leg with the equally beautiful, inorganic form of the Studebaker dashboard – a beauty contest between Detroit and God!

Nude

Nude (acrylic 1974 48” x 48”) is an exercise of covering the canvas with washes and glazes and then bringing out the form I see in the composition. It was done while studying at CU.

BMW

BMW (1976 oil 30”x 18”) was actually a study of glass and light. It was done while studying art at CU in Boulder. I had recently started painting with oils and wanted to explore the medium and photo realism. Transparency, be it water or clear glass is an excellent subject for developing an artist’s eye.

Doreen

Doreen (2003 oil, 16” x 36”) is my most personal work. It portrays my younger sister who died in a rafting accident in the Colorado River at an early age. The cropped composition illustrates her life being cut too short. Jim Morrison said reality is past and future, and the only thing in between is a door. This is Doreen’s door. The Maxfield Parrish styling includes warm lighting symbolizing gentleness and love. Summer leaves tell of her passing in the summer of her life, never to enjoy the pleasures of fall or winter. The shadows of the leaves lead to her breast signifying Doreen’s undying love of motherhood and acknowledging her beautiful children. The river binds dimensions. It gives as well as takes. The river was not only her carriage through the door, but also my carriage to healing. It washed away my pain and afforded me the soothing gift of time. Someone once said that when a person passes, they actually die twice. The first is when breath leaves the body. The second is when someone speaks their name for the last time. Doreen’s painting is my feeble attempt to ensure her name will not fall into that silent realm.

Falling Star

Falling Star (2012 oil 7″ x 22″). “Some times I see you like the falling of a star, Maybe now it’s your turn to glimmer for a while.” Sam Wahl sang these words about Doreen, his departed mother and my beautiful sister. The painting shows the falling star and the fleeting image of Doreen as I sometimes see her. Like Big Daddy, Falling Star reflects my interest in what I call “peripheral art” that studies the dynamic images at the very edge of our field of view.

Red

Red (1974 oil 26″ x 18″) is a study of red and reflection.

Back

Back (1972 oil 21 x 24”) like BMW was done while studying art at CU. I was exploring photo realism and wanted to better understand oil paint and the process of contrasting organic with inorganic forms.

Vietnam

Vietnam (1973 acrylic and multimedia, 48” X 60”) is a young artist’s protest against the war. The imagery including the crying child, lost in chaos with barb wire crossing the canvas, screams STOP! Blood splatters the composition. I revisited the subject years later in Undesirable (see in gallery 1) where I explore the topic in more depth and with hard earned maturity.