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My Mask
My Mask (2013, oil, 22″ x 30″) depicts a glaring profile of my “life mask.” The nose down, face is reminiscent of Dali’s fetus like head in his “Great Masturbator.” The mask is my defense against aging. The candle towers over the still life representing mortality and time. The monkeys speak to the three Japanese maxims of see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. My monkey however, is covering his/her genitals instead of ears or mouth, suggesting an addition to the proverb. Such cultural pressures force all of us to seek refuge behind our masks. The worn books are my life. The reflections of course, allude to the “other side.” They grow clearer and brighter.
Free Will
Free Will (2012, oil, 36″ x 48″) is a surreal self portrait depicting my struggle with the allusion of self determination. The painting was inspired by a song called Ballingall Hotel by Greg Brown. In the song Greg Brown finds himself again knocking on Ballingall Hotel’s room 22, even though each time he comes here he swears he will never return. Despite his promises he keeps returning. One day he knocks on the wrong door. He, himself answers as an old man, “so drunk and so poor.” The motorcycle of course, represents the iconoclast in me and my slavish addiction to youth. The art tools in my boot – my religion. Number 231 on the license refers to my prisoner number when in the brig during the Vietnam war. A number forever etched in my psyche. R22 of course is Greg Brown’s cursed destination. Like sirens beckoning from the maritime fog, the Ballingall Hotel calls from its astral nest. Though I try to evolve and intellectually ripen, I find myself yet again knocking on room 22.
Undesirable
Undesirable (oil, 36″ x 48″, 2007 reworked 2012) The painting revisits a tumultuous time in my life, the Vietnam War Era. Age along with its gift/curse of wisdom necessitates a different painting than the one I did in the early ‘70s (see gallery 2 Vietnam) on the same subject. The painting seeks to portray my role, in my biased reality as I remember it. The composition enfolds my undesirable discharge. “Undesirable”- without honor, deserving of scorn – the fate of military fags, dopers, and Peace Pussies – faded piss yellow paper with unimaginative type set. Above the discharge is a grim sky. A sky of war, tainted with the ochre of death. In the distance the crimson storm of war spawns the white hot aurora of baneful ruination. On the right horizon line is the American flag with an erection. The “Star Spangled Boner,” signifying America’s machismo for war. Draped over this “glory sword” is America with her hands tied by the yellow ribbon of a weeping mothers praying for the safe return of their children. To the left of the document, body bags recede into the dusk of eternity. The black fog of war rolls in from the right obscuring truth from falsehoods, reality from fiction, good from evil and right from wrong. Vietnam like most American wars was neither righteous nor evil. Elements of both can be cited to support history. Behind the bars in a deteriorating military justice system is prisoner 231. Frightened, confused, certain only of his will to survive. Vietnam is the true victim. She is fragmented to near total destruction. The implacable light of war rips though her once beautiful body threatening to end her naive grasp at spiritual virginity. The painting is deeply personal and makes no attempt at vilifying America for its fight against communism. The cause was noble. The war ill conceived. My brothers on the wall were braver than me and warrant my eternal gratitude. I honor them.
Art in America
Art in America (1981 oil, 23” x31”) chides homo erotica’s influence on American art. The toilet paper tongue is not only a gift for the anus but also a criticism of some art. Vaseline, the toilet with a hint of a nipple, and the cellophane in the trash, explicate the homo erotic theme. The magazine in the waste basket speaks for itself!
Colorado Cowboy
Colorado Cowboy (1982 oil, 36” x 48”) pokes fun at the popularity of Western Art in CO. The hard working cowboy with his spurs and worn boots sits on the toilet. His weathered hands hold a can of Coors. On the stained floor lies spent cigarette butts. Of course the macho cowboy’s secret is revealed by the red French panties. The painting talks about the human tendency to keep part of who we are, a secret. It won Best of Show at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.
Super Suck
Super Suck (1982 oil, 36” x 48”) is an often misunderstood work. Staunch feminists at a show in Boulder furiously accused the painting of “attacking female genitalia.” The piece actually talks to the exploitation of woman and how some societies have relegated them to little more than a shiny, household appliance. Like other works, it points to businesses’ obsession with using sex to sell.
TNT
TNT (1979 oil, 48” x 26”) echo’s the explosive power of youth’s libido. Like Super Suck, it also points to businesses’ obsession with sex in selling. On a personal note, Taco refers to my love of spicy fast food, and of course my youthful obsession with the vagina. Tits, the pink taco, and spicy food were the dreams of my springtime! A shiny car was the magic carpet to those dreams.
Big Daddy
Big Daddy (1975 oil, 17 1/2″ x 29″) is an example of what I call Peripheral Art, that studies the fleeting images often glimpsed at very edge of our visual field. They are surreal and flashing. Is that really Idi Amin I saw at a fast food restaurant called Big Daddy’s? Fast food restaurants are a frequent theme in my art. They symbolize my America much as the Paris cafe did for the French impressionists. The bold neon and fluorescent lighting is a stark contrast to Europe’s turn-of-the-century gas lamps, but they reflect perfectly the harsh and hectic times we are enduring.
Crystal’s Painting
Crystal’s Painting (1985 oil 24″ x 36″) was made for a beautiful little girl suffering from a terminal brain tumor. It’s of Crystal’s favorite characters. The painting is now at the Children’s Hospital in Denver. Crystal is now one of God’s most beautiful little angels.