RECENT
FRAGMENTS
Oil on Panel, 24.5”x24.5”
This larger than life painting depicts tiny pottery fragments I have found throughout the years hiking along the Gunpowder River in Maryland. I have always been fascinated by the mystery of remnants and remains. They are like lone puzzle pieces of lives lived, of frozen moments begging for a story. There is an aching beauty in incompleteness.
ENDLESS FORMS MOST BEAUTIFUL
Oil on Panel, 30”x30”
This larger than life painting celebrates the beauty that can be found at any scale of nature. The title references the last line in Darwin’s Origin of Species. Carl Sagan famously said that the “nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, and the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are all made of starstuff.” It is with this awe and amazement that I look at Nature’s endless wealth of wonders.
CONNECTED
Oil on Panel, 7.5”x17.5””
The thistle flowers shown only lasted a day or two, raining pollen down as they withered. Not only are all living things connected (plant & animal), but life and death are the very threads of Nature’s tapestry. Without one, there would not be the other. My science background allows me to deeply appreciate that without the deaths of untold billions of individuals, the vast array of elegant lifeforms could not evolve and change. There’s an unbroken thread that stretches from those first cells on this desolate planet to us and all of the visual splendor that our amazing brains can now contemplate. As Alan Watts once said- “through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies…”
ATLAS
Oil on Panel, 9”x12”
This moth from South East Asia is the world’s largest, with a 12” wingspan. The name “Atlas” references not only it’s large size, but also the map-like patterning on the wings. Some believe it’s name is rooted in Greek mythology. The moth is said to be named after “Atlas,” the Titan, condemned by Zeus to hold the sky upon his shoulders. As with many other large moths, the Atlas only lives a week or two after metamorphosis and does not even have a mouth. Some moths have eyespots to evade predators. The atlas has wing tips that resemble snake heads…
SPIRIT TOTEM
Pastel, charcoal & gouache on Rives BFK paper, 12”x28”
I’ve had this small sculpture for years and have always liked its abstract/modern design quality.
After trying to identify its origin, I discovered it may be a version of a ceremonial "snake” mask used by the African Baga Tribe. My carving is only 18” long, but some of these masks reach up to 9 feet and are worn on top of a dancer’s head. There is a large one on display at the Met.
I have always been fascinated by the richness of human creation myths and religions. I feel nostalgic for a time when humans occupied a more primal place in the heart of Nature, where plants and animals had spirits and power to be feared or revered.
SEMPER AUGUSTUS
ARC “BEST TROMPE L’OEIL” RUNNER UP 2019
Oil on DiBond, 23”x41.5”
This large imaginative painting is an homage to my training in the Dutch Old Masters technique and the country these historic artists came from. It is also a celebration of one of the most intriguing tales of the Dutch Golden Age- “Tulip Mania”.
The tulips shown here no longer exist, but in the 17th century, they were the most coveted flowers in the world. They were so expensive that you could buy a mansion for the price of a single bulb. Like diamonds or gold, they were sold by weight. This story of beauty, obsession and tragedy remains a poignant parable for the modern age.
To learn more about Tulip Mania, click HERE
STRING GARDEN
Oil on Panel, 17.9”x24.5”
I've been an avid orchid collector for almost 20 years. The slipper orchids in this painting are wrapped in moss and tied with string- a variation of bonsai called "kokedama" in which the specimens are often suspended from above in a hanging garden. You can check out my orchid collection HERE. As I was painting these plants, I couldn’t help but see them as a family that were patiently sitting for their portrait.
APPLES
Oil on Panel, 19”x19”
I always start a still life with one object that I am drawn to. In this case, the old painted wooden bowl. Everything else fell into place seamlessly. This painting is all about color harmony, and I wanted the bright colors of the apples to radiate with life against a somber backdrop.