40” x 30”, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2021
I am always inspired by music, and in creating a work of visual art, what is most real about the moment is not in the accuracy of the musician’s actual appearance. I am not interested in repeating what the musician looks like. I am interested in conveying the real feeling of the music and player.
Painting detail.
Detail of texture.
72” x 48”, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2020
There’s a lot to say about food and drink and socializing around a table. A huge part of culture and even art history. Covid-19 has really blotted out that part of our lives. This large painting was inspired by the times in 2020, looking forward to the day we could once again socialize at a bar; meanwhile, California wildfires were also raging, everywhere was smoky, I canceled a backpacking trip, and I wanted some laughter and joy.
Painting detail.
Painting detail.
Painting detail.
Painting detail.
28” x 36”, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2021
Detail of the painting.
Detail of a reptile’s head.
Detail of another reptile’s head.
Detail of texture.
36” x 48”, oil and acrylic on faux snakeskin, 2020
This painting references Picasso’ Guernica (which he created as a reaction to the bombing of the city in 1937). I painted it in 2020 as a reaction to the multiple forces piling upon each other at the same time making it difficult to breathe: the pandemic, the smoky air from the raging California fires, and the murder of George Floyd by police.
Painting detail: a bighorn sheep on a peak in the midst of smoke. I had recently gone backpacking in the Angeles National Forest and saw wild bighorn sheep. Just a few weeks later, the forest in that area burned (the Bobcat Fire) and I hoped the wildlife found ways to survive.
Another detail.