“Ophelia” acrylic & oil on clay panel, 2019.
Opehlia - a woman who went insane because of the irrationality of man. Honestly - I get it.
I’ve made prints of this piece available in my online shop here.
Ophelia
Nocturnal Animals
"Nocturnal Animals" acrylic, oil & brush pen on linen canvas panel, 2018.
New thoughts, figuring out new ways of deconstructing compositions and layering that leads to an impossible to photograph painting = another day in the office.
California and its Cliffs
Plein air oil on canvas, 2018.
There's just something about the rocky coastlines here in California that draw me in, and they're either wonderfully caricatured or frustratingly impossible. This one started out the later but I tamed it to the former. A little cove down the street from my house - my favorite spot to tuck away on sunny days.
Finally, West
So I've been back in California a few months but I feel like I've just gotten here as I'm only now finding time to create. Finally being able to get this painting onto canvas after thinking about it for a year and a half has been a relief.
Where the Sea ends.
"Two Ends of the Sea" Acrylic and oil on canvas panel, 2017.
Back to this. More coming this winter as I force myself into hibernation (my preferred state of being, to be honest.)
Inktober 2017
Trying to see it through the whole 30 days of inktober this time around. Here's the last week - didn't mean to, but I think I've hit on a theme here. Let's see where it goes?
If you want to follow along with my daily drawings, my Instagram is where it's at. (Where's day one you ask? Good question. You'll have to get to my Instagram to see the time lapse of it. It's a bit NSFW)
Patience is a virtue (that's really hard to abide by when all you want to be doing is painting)
Sometimes it takes a bit of letting go. What I mean is, painting is what I'd like to be doing just about every second of my life, but sometimes you have to let life have its way with you. It's been insanely (and I mean, absolutely crazy) eventful and busy since we've gotten back to California a few months ago, and I'm just now starting to hit my stride with balancing everything. Which means being able to carve out more and more time for painting. Thank everything. You can follow me on Instagram (which I promise won't be so quiet from here on out) if you want to keep up with my new pieces. Here's a little progress shot of some fresh studio work.
California, take two.
It's been about seven years but I'm back in California and I'm pretty stoked about it. Sorry for the silence, the move was a three month long odyssey. So anyway, here's some new work.
"I keep coming back" Ink & watercolor on paper, 2017.
Back to Brando
Been about a year since I was totally bent on Brando's intense gaze. High time I got back to it.
To see more in this series begun last year, click here and scroll down (there's quite a few). I have no excuse for focusing so hard on his gaze apart from being forever in love with expressive eyes.
Under the Influence
"Under the Influence" Oil pastel on toned paper. 2017.
One of the artists I adore the most is having an exhibit open this week at the Chrysler Museum, so of course that got me in the mood for a drawing. Under the influence of Toulouse-Lautrec.
No. 2
No. 2 - acrylic on canvas.
There's just something about wheatpaste graffiti in a foreign city that I've always gravitated to. I especially love seeing the decline of these pieces and catching them in a final stage of their lives. This is the second piece in my "Death of Art" series where I document deteriorating graffiti that I think are almost more powerful having been acted upon by exterior forces. Street art seems to be the best and most honest reflection of our modern selves (in my opinion) and I like to record their mature portraits.
Two Thousand & Seventeen
It's always a good thing when the first piece you finish in a new year turns out to be something you absolutely love.
What I really enjoy about this series is that, at quick glance, it's fairly innocuous. I give the suggestion, but your imagination has to do much of the work. It can be as provocative or tame as your attentions allow.
"Silk Stockings" Watercolor, charcoal & ink on paper. 2017. SOLD
Back to the Wild
After a summer so hot there was really no way for me to get out and paint (I salute you who did, you're nuts) I'm finally able to start my plein air work again. Starting small with a little wildflower patch at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.
"Wild" oil on canvas panel, 2016.
Mahalo
This series took a turn out of the meadows and into the tropical. Just in time for fall (my brain makes decisions even I don't understand.)
"Mahalo" Watercolor and ink on watercolor paper. 2016.
In the Garden of
Sketchbook experimentation leads to new things. Rolling with it.
"In the Garden of" watercolor and graphite on paper, 2016.
Moonrise Over Despotiko
"Moonrise Over Despotiko" Acrylic & oil on canvas, 9x12". 2015.
This piece was a big turning point for me in terms of subject matter, style, and personal honesty in my painting. It's by no means one I would consider a compositional success or my favorite piece, but it pushed me somewhere I needed to go. Despotiko is a small area of a small island in the middle of the Aegean Sea where you can see shards of sixth century BC pottery poking out of the ground. I visited there while studying art in Greece and there's something 'other' about this place on the planet. Some energy coupled with an absolutely gorgeous land/seascape that you can't help but respond to from a place deep within. It's stayed with me ever since I left and this is a piece that was a catalyst for me getting to a more meaningful place in my art. Despotiko is magic.
West
"West" Acrylic on canvas. 2016. 11x14"
SOLD
A fever dream of purple cacti. Missing the west coast a lot lately.
Morning on the Terrace
"Morning on the Terrace" Oil on canvas. 2016.
Memories of Italy happening on U.S. soil. Norfolk Botanical Gardens Renaissance terraces.
New Year, No Sleep
"Searching" acrylic on wood panel. 2016.
In deciding to continue experimenting with my style, I forgot that it means I'll never sleep again. This piece kept me up til 5am.
Can't decide on a title, I was going to go with "Faceplant" but I have a love/hate relationship with puns.
Mind vs. Mouth
When your brain and your mouth can't agree on what's going on.
"Mind vs Mouth" Acrylic & oil on canvas board, 2016.