Book of Numbers (painting on canvas)

24 x 44 Acrylic on canvas

This is a life painting, meaning it was painted from direct observation of the model. I do very little painting from memory or other reference materials...as I begin to move away from this mode of working I'm sure the work will change. In the meantime, there are years of drawing and life painting which can be used as reference material. Interestingly, in collage there is no direct observation...much more use of the imagination.

Acrylic on canvas 36x38

Sasha in the Moonlight.

Large studio figure painting.

Focusing on constellations of light and abstract form.

Collage on media-board

This collage is based on a series of women after the artist Munakata Shiko. I have studied the works of this Japanese artist who is known mostly for his loose and large Hanga prints of divinities in Japanese culture. He illustrated the book, The Key by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki . I have been fascinated by his works of print, he was also a painter and calligrapher. I drew inspiration from some of his woodblock prints for a series of female figures. In this collage I found a fantastic book of Japanese design showing Japanese aesthetics in craft. Her body is made from imagery of an antique guilded fan and the background are images of a lacquered box.

Between

Collage on media-board.

This collage is based on a child-hood photograph. I've taken a few liberties with the composition and positioning of the figure etc. The trick with using any source particularly a photograph is not to get caught up in it. The source of this image was a faded photograph, so the colors and contrasts were not what they once were. I did sketches of the image and then set the photo aside and focused on the sketches followed by black and white paintings. It is my intention that the piece speaks for itself without showing obvious evidence of its original source.

sparrow hawk

Collage on media-board.

Based on a sparrow hawk we met at the audobon society this summer. All I knew was I wanted a bird on a branch. The trees are made of various images of stone and brick and the ground of sweaters and suits. Most of the collages come together without much thinking involved....which is best.

Ybor City

Collage on media-board

Part of a series of women who work.

There is an incredible history of women working in factories in America. One of the most fascinating stories are the women who worked in cigar manufacturing, rolling cigars. I have visited historic Ybor city in Tampa florida known for its cigar manufacturers. For this piece I looked for cigar connoisseur books and used the materials.

Cigars come in a wide range of pale browns to black. I used this spectrum for her body.

Ybor city attracted an interesting mix of ethnicities including, Italians, Cubans, Spaniards, Jews and Germans drawn to the cigar industry before the turn of the century. For more info. ck out http://www.ybormuseum.org/research/ybor-city.html There are wonderful clubs to dance Salsa throw back a few and smoke a big gar.

cover and concealment

Collage on media board

This work is based on a photograph of my brother Tim. Our father trained to be a taxidermist from Jonas Brothers in Seattle Washington. The photograph was taken of my brother in front of one of the work stations. A fox is peering out from behind the young boy. I could not resist using the photograph as an inspiration for this collage.

conversations II

Here is one more painting from the conversations series.
Painting on birch board.

Conversations I

Here is a painting from a series called conversations.

It is an abstract series that I am looking forward to revisiting soon. It is not part of the October show. These are paintings on birch board, from small 5x7 to 30x40 (canvases).

It is very difficult to pull off what is viewed as an "abstract" painting....I believe it is all abstraction...it is an arguable point. I love abstract painting, very few do it well. Here are some names I admire: Nicolas de Stael, Lucinda Parker, G. Lewis Clevenger, Gees Bend quilters. Just what I'm looking at now...

This series is an exploration of conversation, both verbal and non-verbal. I'm interested in thoughts on how we communicate, create community and resolve personal conflict. I wanted to express these things in paintings. I'll post one more before moving back to what is in the October show. I do hope to show this series some day.

"Wax-wing" collage on media board

This collage is one of the quieter pieces in the show.
Based on a cedar wax-wing baby discovered in our yard. It is influenced by Japanese woodblock and ink drawings. My mother had Japanese scrolls and books I remember seeing as a child. The simplicity and elegance of the design and drawings are enchanting. I am deeply influenced by Japanese art and thought having grown up with a Japanese mother. She is half Japanese and was born and raised in Tokyo to an American born orphan and a Japanese father. We'll save that story for another time.
Suffice it to say, I have been influenced by Eastern and Western philosophy/mythology and art.

"Evidence" collage on media board

This collage was originally based on a photograph of my mother in Tokyo taken in winter by her father. I made the figure larger and the space compressed and the figure became someone else as well. Often the work strays far from the original source. The source is a jumping off point - it is important for me to reference it rather than to be tied to it. Also, I had no idea where it would go and struggled with this piece. For a couple of weeks it sat on my shelf unresolved....it needed something and I didn't have the answer. At one point I decided that it would not be in the show. The next day I put the red scarf in and the birds. That was it! During the show I heard so many narratives regarding what this piece "means". There were some good stories...

Showing with my friend Phyllis

I have asked my friend and fellow artist Phyllis Trowbridge to show her drawings and watercolors in the Pozzi room at Gallery114. Phyllis is a plein air painter who has shown and taught in Portland for many years. I've always admired her drawings and watercolors which she has not shown very much. Drawing comes so naturally to her, she is rarely without her sketchbook. I felt her work to be a nice compliment with mine in this show as it provides a kind of rest and solace.

Book of Ruth collage

This is a collage created out of papers from industrial design magazines. The paper is very high quality as they are the kind of high-end mags kept in design reference libraries. I like the saturation of color and variety in these books. This collage was referencing a painting I did some years back. The model took two positions in the original painting session and I really liked the composition although I took some liberties here adding windows, doors etc and positioning the "two Ruths" in opposition. I'm also somewhat referencing the annunciation scene which often influences my work. Also the idea of gateways, entryways windows, I find compelling.

Gallery114 First Thursday opening

This painting is 24" x 48" portrait of a young man. I had so many questions about this one...I suppose it comes with the territory. Some misunderstood the gender which was startling to me as I know this to be a man. Maybe it was all the soft colors, some thought him to be a self portrait. Now, it is true that painters often project themselves into portraits of others. In any case, I prefer painting those who have a natural ease and fearless sense of themselves. I hope this comes across through this portrait.