'Generationals' 

This is the only work entirely done in stipple, mostly for the ability of being able to render the leather look of the books and the woodgrain of the shelf... it is, as most all of my works, a multiple statement of ideas, from the obvious of progression from child blocks to educated books to creativity in structuring a bonsai, to the also obvious of vegetation to constructive use to cycling back to controled working of vegetation... there is, too, a strong sense of purposefulness, where little is left to whim and much to goal directiveness...

"FaceOff" 

What started out as an odd idea, "Stoned Face", has turned into a series, with "SumKissed", and now "FaceOff", and the possibility of a few more yet to come... these are, as is obvious, erotic works, celebrating the lusciousness of being a sexual being, using a stone face as a counterpointing to achieving humor among it, without a downputting of the sexuality... more sense of life than others, yet each as said celebrates aspects of being human, thru the sexuality as expressed by the female figure...

'SumKissed' 

Breakthrough Like many of this type, the oasis in midst of nothingness, this has a refreshing look to it-- and is different in that there is no specific life shown, just the water, and the implication of human life by the way of the step stones on the pool, which not only indicate humanity, but a flourishing one, with the hint of much more offstage..

'The Yearning Tree' 

'Wish Area' Using a take-off on the wisteria, utilized the idea of what it was which was and/or still wished for as measures of importance to me..... using the floral as the means of having the past in shade, established the lost desires from my youth, when played Tarzan for three years at a summer camp - hence the loincloth around the knife handle - a life loved but in the past, never to be able to be again.... the manuscript is in the light - something being done and wished to be eventually...... the recorder is half in, half out in the shade - something of playing music still is wanted, and is yet a possibility..... the ring is another like that - memories of in the past, yet a willingness to have that again, a marriage.... the lotto ticket - the ultimate in wishfulness, and the least likely to come to being, as the bending of it into deep shadow...... the issue of art - well, the work itself is real, so there is no need of wishing, as it is an actual....... there was only one other item which should have been added - a newspaper clipping of the shuttle going up.......

'after jim davies 

'hob knob' The first was the color work, an attempt many years ago, of doing a trompe l'oeil work, and patterned this after one of Jim Davies'...... it was such a nicely rendered one that when back into the pen/ink, decided to try my hand using the pen.... both works were well received, especially in how well the seeking to getting the realism was achieved - even the pen/ink was considered a success..... of course, could not resist playing with the word, hobnob.......

'The Garden' The idea of a garden behind closed doors is not new - one of the oldest is the myth of the Garden of Eden..... here, however, note a few twists to the notion - the gate is latched from the outside, not the inside - the 'grass is greener on the other side' motif is used, along with the idea of potentiality being thru this gate - the play off of 'The Wizard of Oz' movie, where the present is black/white, and the inviting world is in color...... all is implying that the future is there for us to make of it as we would - be it a new day or new life, all is a newness to be explored and made use of.....

'Garden Fruit' This is another which at first glance seems as if some animal study, but which is quickly noticed as being transcendal.... the idea of a colorful snake wrapped at the top of vegetation, like bananas, or popsicle on a stick, struck me asanother humorousness, all the moreso with the biblical referencing to the 'garden snake', and a certain fruit...

'Overseer" Animal studies, per se, never really interested me - always considered them as means to ends, the ends being furtherance of human endeavorings... this one was of interest because of the stern authoritarian look on its face, which I then posited on a fence post, again playing with words in the theme/titling... there is. of course, an alliteration to the mindlessness of such beings, both in the familiar usage of the word in regards to slaves of the antibellum as well as the totalitarian of governments, communism in particular - indeed an inevitability of its practicality... there is also the humor of looking up at something which in reality is so small.....

'Laissez-Faire' This is another of those 'bicentennial' works, the pro-capitalisticness so clearly seen in the shape of the rattler and the board lines behind....... one of my favorite flage of that time was the 'don't tread on me' one - which this again shows forth so vividly....

'cymbal' This was one of my 'bicentennial' works, both a celebration of the fierce independency of my forefathers, and the discreptitude which has to large degree replaced it... that is why the 'zen'ness of the title, a sort of take-off of the 'one hand clapping' routine, along with the sound of what the bird stands for - and a hope such standing will not disappear.....

'Paper Tiger' Many years ago, I had done a flawed work - the brush slipped, and unwanted marks were on the canvas... but in a moment of inspiration, ruled four lines and transformed that flaw, along with additional scribbles to make balance, into a 'modern art' piece within the canvas..... another inspiration, and a mouse appeared looking up at this supposed work - a mouse on a shelf..... called 'Critic', it sold readily, even as it was no original in thought [Norman Rockwell, for instance, did a similar viewing]... other calls came for more of this mouse..... this here is one of them, another whimsical piece with important metaphysical overtones.......

'the gambler' One of the things oft overlooked is the use of alliteration - that is, here is a little tree frog climbing its way acrioss a gigantus flytrap plant.... if it were just a work of nature, it would have been placed within its own proper setting. but here it is seen in a pot, and on a shelf - both indicative of humanity.... note the pot is irregular, so that while it is circular [indicating the cyclic nature], it also indicates that the cycling is not smooth, that there are highs and inpredicables along the way.... of course, as seen, the 'gambler' is rising over all this - the very human solution to things......

'Generation Gap' 

'Veneration' These two are examples of doing the opposite and having each respectively coming out positive.... originally was to be used as presenting a pro and an anti view of things, but discovered that my nature is such that can only see the pro of things - note that each presents a positive about the distinguishing brick..... on the one hand, having one new among a bunch of old can show that there is a continuance, an additive which together bond them all into a whole of strength.... but, note, too, that the same can be said of having an old among the new - that there, too, is a bonding which contributes to the whole..... as to why one is a rough painting, and the other a detailed pen/ink, it is in that over the years decided the second one would best rendered as detailed as can [and yes, have considered re-doing the first one as another pen/ink, to get a matched pair].... in each case, tho, note that the differences are as analogies to humans, of course, and that the differences are stressed as, in each way, of value in and of itself....

'First Light' one of the favorites of mine was the artist Maxfield Parrish..... just as was 'Tributary' an inspirational tribute to him, so is this, my version of his 'Day Break' work.... indeed, more or less copied the leafry in the background off of his work, so as to let others in on the tributing idea.... this was one of a woman having her first daybreak in her new apartment, books still piled against the wall, and only a mattress to sleep on.. there is a warmth and freshness about it, tho, which was not seen in Parrish's work, allowing much in the browns and oranges here instead of the heavy bluing seen in the original.... very definitely a 'sense of life' work here.... one of positiveness and anticipation of the coming day, of a new adventure in the making...