We observe others as a way of understanding ourselves. My mixed media paintings are individualistic narratives which explore personage through self-presentation, facial expressions, & gesture. I often focus on the under-revered, appreciating the subject’s presence & dignity, giving pause to honor the person, who is often additionally venerated by envelopment in color & pattern. Many of the paintings are on repurposed substrates such as bubble mailers, which add an environmentally friendly component. I have also started to reconfigure the overall shape of the paintings beyond the “square” & am additionally experimenting with adding more substantial 3D elements, like sculpted fabric, which offer a higher relief element to the images. An optimum goal is to inspire working for a more socially & environmentally just world, encouraging people to appreciate & love one another, & to in turn understand the importance of social justice & respect for our earth and all its creatures.
Click below to see full images and a slideshow.
Dracena
It’s Raining Love
Big Beatty Board Boss Brent
Squatters Club, Cuba
Waiting to Wait
The 7th Coming of the Technicolor Dream Clouds
The artist’s comments, below, arranged similarly to the images above.
I met this woman in a small village in China near The Great Wall. She was sitting on the walkway outside her home & gestured to me to sit & visit with her. She offered me her cushion, making herself much less comfortable. Here, she is a figure of reverence, possessing strength & righteousness
Here, the figures are caught in a moment of family antics. The pure happiness and amusement in their gestures brings a vicarious sense of appreciation for the force of good in the world.
This is one of the board members of Goodwell Museum in Beatty, NV (Nevada’s gateway city to Death Valley). I was invited to make a piece about the area for the museum’s biennial. He cuts quite a figure and is a dynamic orator.
In Cuba I met a few rockers shooting the breeze in an otherwise empty courtyard. The place was a squatter’s music club with walls covered with graffiti and a sprinkling of anarchy symbols–a nighttime gathering spot for misfits & malcontents. Being a friendly group, we immediately hit it off despite the language barrier. They communicated by enthusiastically listing band names & displaying their tattoos.
This painting
represents a
heartfelt greeting I
had in China with
two young women.
This is a portrait of my husband who is an immense source of stability in my life. I liken the pose to Albrecht Dürer’s Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight, which for me has similar themes and symbolism.