Solipsism, 2021

ADAM and EVE and the iPHONE

After my last show, Solipsism, I wandered around exploring various subjects as they came to mind. Soon some major themes emerged: the myths of Adam and Eve and others; the portraiture of Holbein; forgotten men; war and peace. But the main theme centered on the ubiquitous smartphone.

I have spent over 30 years honing my craft and live in the fear that this art form is fading, eclipsed by modern technology and the plethora of images that inundate our daily lives, courtesy of the smartphone. The addictive nature of this device, optimized to hook the primitive desires of our limbic system, makes them particularly worrisome. It is the sugar and fat equivalent for the mind. In that sense, I can see the connection to the Adam and Eve myth: the phone as the modern serpent.
My concerns around the smartphone echo those I harbored around television, which I explored in my earliest paintings, in particular the cultural effects of isolation and passivity.

Tangent to this, I found myself returning to the memento mori pieces of dead flowers and skulls, perhaps because I have been caretaking my aging Aunt. I don’t think of these works as morbid. On the contrary. I think of them as offering the gifts of gratitude (that I am alive), urgency (that my time is limited), and humility (death as the great equalizer).
The wars in Ukraine and Gaza had me thinking on that subject, too, and that shows up in some still lifes and figure work. Other subjects appear here and there.

Do me a favor and take your time as you view these works. This is three years of probably my greatest effort and I think it deserves your attention. So put down the phone, will you?
js, 2024

Self Effacing, Oil on Canvas, 20x16

The Abyss, Oil on Wood, 10x10, 2022

Self-Portrait with Ocular Migraine, Floaters and Distortion, Oil on Wood, 10x10, 2022

Eve and Temptress are the largest figure works in the show (I’ve been reluctant to paint big, knowing that people are running out of room). The pose for Eve was inspired by a sculpture in the Tate Britain in London in which Eve contemplates her momentous choice. I placed her in front of an image of Beth Israel cemetery which embodies the symbolism of mans’ accomplishments and his mortality.

Temptress follows a similar idea, but I envision this as after the Fall.

Eve, Oil on Canvas, 48x28, 2024

Perpetual Self Portrait, Oil on Canvas, 31x42, 2020

Accepted into Art Car Museum's 2021 exhibition "What I did over my COVID vacation".

The search for the authentic self is also expressed in Low Resolution where the face is obscured through digitization. Under a Rock is a piece I thought up as we emerged from the pandemic; a fitting metaphor for our emergence into the light. Self-Portrait with Fools Cap is my take on a traditional portrait, in particular Rembrandt’s tendency to paint himself in all sorts of costumes. What better costume for this artist than as a fool? Blurry Self Portrait is about my terrible vision, an unfortunate handicap for a visual artist.

Low Resolution, Oil on Wood, 9x12, 2021

Under a Rock, Oil on Wood, 8x12, 2020

Self-Portrait With Fool's Cap, Oil on Canvas, 24x19, 2019

Accepted into the Visual Arts Alliance 36th Open Juried Exhibition in 2019.

Blurry Self Portrait, Oil on Canvas, 24x18, 2019

BARBIE AND FRIENDS

When models aren’t available, my go-to solution is the Barbie doll. Boner (Danse Macabre) is a piece I wanted to do as an icon for the Day of the Dead. But it ended up as a full canvas. I enjoy the candle icons and especially the idea of reversing the crucifix (which was the subject of another full canvas, now sold). The Judgement of Paris is a traditional subject but here I’ve used Barbies of different races for the three goddesses (I still want to do this with live models). The background pieces are by Rubens on this and similar subjects. His Satyr is reflected in the compact where a gold-painted cherry serves as the awarded apple. The makeup serves as a reminder of the obsession over superficial female beauty. Pygmalion is what happened after being isolated in the studio for too long during lockdown. Artist and Models is both funny – aren’t I cool? – and a statement on how ridiculous I find the stereotype of the promiscuous artist sleeping with all his models (I don’t sleep with my Barbies).

Boner (Danse Macabre), Oil on Canvas, 16x24, 2020

Judgement of Paris, Oil on Canvas, 24x32, 2020

Artist and Models, Oil on Canvas, 10x14, 2020

Pygmalion, Oil on Canvas, 16x20, 2020

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS DISCONTENTS

The series I Am Not a Robot is based on the ubiquitous – and annoying – checkbox seen on almost all websites. But for me, this serves as a reminder of the illusion of free will (note that the box in these works is NOT checked). The first depicts the despairing emotional reaction to this realization (though this idea has brought me great peace). The second, with its portrait of Napoleon, is inspired by Tolstoy’s digression on determinism in his novel War and Peace: “The king is a slave to history.” The last, and largest, of the series is a self-portrait with the added emphasis of having a microchip on my temple.

I Am Not a Robot 1, Oil on Wood, 5.6x10, 2021

I Am Not a Robot 2, Oil on Wood, 5.6x10, 2021

I Am Not a Robot 3, Oil on Wood, 9x16, 2021

That cross you see in Social is a cropped Facebook icon. Zoomed is a metaphor for our virtual life under lockdowns. Dating Site Profile Picture is a self-portrait inspired by the despair I felt on dating sites in which almost all the women had at least one picture with a drink in hand. As a non-drinker, this was a turnoff, as were their pictures at sporting events. This only added to my sense of isolation and the feeling of being an outlier in our culture. My rebellion against this was to create a parody showing me passed out on a table surrounded by drugs and alcohol. And roses and candy.

Social, Oil on Wood, 8x10, 2020

Zoomed, Oil on Wood, 9x16, 2021

Dating Site Profile Picture, Oil on Wood, 9x14, 2021

THE CANDLE AS MEMENTO MORI

The pandemic has given us a small taste of what ancient plagues must have been like. No wonder death is so prevalent in medieval art. These works employ the candle as a reminder of the fragility of life. In Out! Out! one of thirteen candles has just been extinguished. Survivor is the opposite situation. The Great Equalizer is a two-sided panel in which size and status is emphasized on one side and the equalizer of death on the other. Endurance is a diptych with a comment on modernity: the LED outlasting its wax predecessor (I really did let them run out to see which would survive).

Out! Out!, Oil on Canvas, 16x16, 2021

Endurance 1, Oil on Wood, 6.5x10, 2021

Endurance 2, Oil on Wood, 6.5x10, 2021

Lost Faith, Oil on Wood, 6.7x10, 2020

Survivor, Oil on Canvas, 16x16, 2021

The Great Equalizer, Oil on Double Sided Panel, 13x10, 2021

With His Back Turned, Oil on Canvas, 16x14, 2020

STILL LIFE REVISITED

I included those ubiquitous produce stickers in Bar Code I and II. The cloudy background makes these works look like family portraits from a professional photographer. Conspicuous Consumption came about as I was learning how to use gold leaf for Icon for Eros. Someone mentioned that there are foods in which actual gold leaf is consumed and I thought that was the perfect, literal manifestation of conspicuous consumption. So here I have fruits and cakes covered in gold leaf. The roses, silver plates, and currency add to the ostentatious atmosphere.

Bar Code 1, Oil on Wood, 6.7x10, 2020

Bar Code 2, Oil on Wood, 6.7x10, 2020

Conspicuous Consumption, Oil on Canvas, 16x24, 2020

These double-sided panels explore the still life further. Life-Death is a pandemic inspired memento mori. Lead-Follow plays with the idea of how differently things can appear when seen from another angle. Spacetime Discontinuum offers a visual paradox of a photograph taken from one side in which I appear taking the photograph from the opposite side.

Life-Death, Oil on Double Sided Panel, 8x7.5, 2021

Lead/Follow, Oil on Double sided panel, 8x12, 2020

Spacetime Discontinuum, Oil on Double Sided Panel, 8x10, 2020

VENUS AND OTHER MYTHS

These three larger works serve as a complement to the traditional beauty worship of the Venus subject. Aged Venus has her looking at a younger image of herself (Velasquez's work). The Birth of Venus evokes Botticelli's masterpiece. Venus Revisited uses the same model, but taped over Titian's work, itself taped onto a background. Icarus arose during a model shoot when she and her partner were practicing acrobatic yoga and he tossed her into the air. Incredible.

Aged Venus, Oil on Canvas, 36x60, 2019

Venus Revisited, Oil on Canvas, 44x60, 2020

The Birth of Venus, Oil on Canvas, 48x42, 2020

Icarus, Oil on Canvas, 36x60, 2020

SEXUALITY

This series started with the double-sided panel Eros and Agape to represent the two sides of love: the sensual and the spiritual. Experiments with gold leaf led to Icon for Eros 1 and 2, which evokes the idolization of sexuality, in particular the female form. I think of these as modern Venus figurines. Please Wait is parody of online porn, with an added death motif.

Eros and Agape, Oil on Double Sided Panel, 12.5x10, 2020

Icon for Eros 1, Oil on Wood, 10x6, 2020

Please Wait, Oil on Wood, 5.6x10, 2021

Icon for Eros 2, Oil on Wood, 10x4.5, 2020

CANDLELIGHT

As a lapsed Catholic, I am rather obsessed with both its imagery and sexual shaming. Candlelight is a series of works using religious candle icons with a young woman to evoke these ideas. I experimented with several poses, painting each as a small work on wood, before choosing one for the large version. I also painted them in the style of 10 Generations.

Candlelight, Oil on Canvas, 48x48, 2019

Studies for Candlelight, Oil on Wood, 8x8, 2019

10 Generations: Studies for Candlelight, Oil on Wood, 8x8, 2019

WORKS IN PROGRESS

As with Solipsism, these works show a painting in progress. Figure in Progress in Progress has two layers of references, hence the redundant title. Factory Girl is a smaller diptych in which I placed the figure within an industrial setting. I've always been attracted to the juxtaposition of such images.

Figure in Progress in Progress, Oil on Canvas, 48x30, 2020

Factory Girl, Oil on Canvas, 16x14, 2020

Factory Girl in Progress, Oil on Canvas, 16x14, 2020

DOUBLE CANVASES

I first thought of Reach at a sculpture display in The Silos. The grim, ill-lit grain silos reminded me of my old series of figures in dark rooms. To add poignancy I painted a bright, open seascape above her. Similarly, Recollection shows a thought of lost love hovering above the figure.

Reach, Oil on Canvas, 60x30 and 20x30, 2020

Recollection, Oil on Canvas, 30x30 and 12dia, 2021

OTHER FIGURES

These works, which are the pre-pandemic direction originally intended for the show, use the figure to explore other subjects. Entwined used two models with long dreadlocks which we tied together as a comment on racial coexistence. Cutter only vaguely references this act of self-mutilation. Though it looks like a planet, Blue Light references a mammogram. Incubus has religious overtones and raises the subject of religion-induced sexual shame. Exhaustion and Reach are small figure studies.

Entwined, Oil on Wood, 9x12, 2020

Cutter, Oil on Canvas, 24x16, 2020

Blue Light, Oil on Canvas, 36x24, 2019

Incubus, Oil on Canvas, 48x28, 2019

Exhaustion, Oil on Canvas, 10x8, 2020

Reach, Oil on Wood, 10x5, 2020

Ulysses I and II cast a woman in the role of the Homeric hero as I visualized it in Wordsworth's famous poem: the aged warrior rousing himself for one last adventure. Like Entwined, the diptych Warriors has racial overtones.

Ulysses 1, Oil on Canvas, 10x8, 2020

Ulysses 2, Oil on Canvas, 10x8, 2020

Warrior 1, Oil on Canvas, 8.5x12, 2020

Warrior 2, Oil on Canvas, 8.5x12, 2020

St Jerome, Oil on Wood, 8x10, 2020

Adam, Oil on Wood, 10x8, 2020

RECOVERED PHOTOGRAPHS

I did these small works as a continuation of my paintings of torn and recovered photographs, exploring different themes. Flag is an obvious political reference; notice there are thirteen pieces. Recovery is another piece on self-examination and the discovery (or recovery) of the true self. Crucifix brings up religious topics, enhanced by the cross-like taping. Excised centers on sexual shame, the tear appearing just above the man's sex. Finally, Destroyed Last Supper echoes Dali's Exploding Persistence of Memory, which represented his break from his artistic past as I hope to do.

Destroyed Last Supper, Oil on Wood, 7x10, 2020

Excised, Oil on Wood, 10x8, 2020

Crucifix, Oil on Wood, 10x8, 2020

Flag, Oil on Wood, 6x10, 2020

Recovered, Oil on Wood, 10x8, 2020

FORGOTTEN MEN

I'm sure that many of us are aware of the homeless living on the streets of various cities. My heart is filled with sadness when I think of their destitution and wasted potential. The mental health and addiction issues that led these men to the streets encouraged my selection of mental health charities as the beneficiary for this show. These images are taken from my encounters with the homeless in Houston and Portland, Oregon.

Forgotten Men 1, Oil on Wood, 10x8, 2020

Forgotten Men 2, Oil on Wood, 10x8, 2020

Forgotten Men 4, Oil on Wood, 10x8, 2020

Forgotten Men 3, Oil on Wood, 10x8, 2020

Forgotten Men 5, Oil on Wood, 10x8, 2020

TEN GENERATIONS

While doing the photography work for Solipsism, I noticed how the color of photographs would shift as they are repeatedly taken and printed. I followed this process through - taking photos of photos - until the colors stabilized, usually after 10 generations. I found the shift in color and form beautiful and painted a variety of subjects.

10 Generations: Fruit 1, Oil on Wood, 6.7x10, 2020

10 Generations: Fruit 3, Oil on Wood, 6.7x10, 2020

10 Generations: Floral 1, Oil on Wood, 10x6.7, 2020

10 Generations: Figure, Oil on Wood, 10x6.7, 2020

10 Generations: Floral 2, Oil on Wood, 10x6.7, 2020

10 Generations: Monument Valley 1, Oil on Wood, 6.7x10, 2020

10 Generations: Monument Valley 2, Oil on Wood, 6.7x10, 2020

This idea of repeated imaging seemed an apt metaphor to the evolution of ideas over time, as when stories are passed from generation to generation. I captured this idea in the two double-sided panels Christ and Jefferson, focusing on the religious and political aspects of this process.

Portrait of Christ, Oil on Double Sided Panel, 9.25x8, 2020

Portrait of Jefferson, Oil on Double Sided Panel, 10x8, 2020

LANDSCAPES AND MICRO-PAINTINGS

Better than the Real Thing offers the paradox that virtual reality can sometimes be better than reality itself, i.e., we can adjust the image to our liking; in this case, by increasing the saturation until we enter a post-impressionist alternate reality. Metaphor of Perception expands this idea in multiple layers; the perception of reality (the painting), its interpretation (the taped photo over the painting), recorded as a memory (the phone camera), and finally an awareness of this entire process (the photo taped over the entire image which contains the image itself). Positive-Negative plays with the idea of a photo negative. Skylines contrasts a city and a country road. What amazed me when I put this together is how the mountain range from west Texas mirrors the shape of the Houston skyline as seen approaching the city on 59.

Better Than the Real Thing, Oil on Canvas, 16x24, 2021

Metaphor of Perception, Oil on Canvas, 16x24, 2021

Positive-Negative, Oil on Double Sided Panel, 10x8, 2021

Skylines, Oil on Double Sided Panel, 6x16, 2021

These slide holders bring back memories of my childhood when they were once quite common. I once saw them used to hold photographs at an art show. Later, when a friend said his home no longer had space for anything larger than a postage stamp, I thought "Ah Ha!" I painted each side of the paper as mirror images to further the illusion of a transparent slide.