"Setting the Stage" This was to be, and may still become, part of a series using the "theater of life" as the take-off point.... after some thought, think will revise this and add a bluebird on the handle, giving it a point of color to otherwise starkness... there is to be another work, of a well, theme/titled "Backdrop", as well as one with several chicks coming around from behind a rock, theme/titled "Entrancing"..... and a final one with a cat slipping into the birdbath, whth the birds flying off into the sky, theme/titled "Exiting"..... lighthearted, whimsical even, these would nonetheless display a joy of life and the positive, even if in minutae....

"After the Haunt"

While this was done initially as a study of doing a straw broom, it quickly became, as so often it does to me, a themed work, this time being a gentle parody of William Harnett's famous paintings [he did two versions] "After the Hunt" and, since was doing a broom, decided to double play on the idea of witches - both the whisking and the post-Hallow'een - by theme/titling it as such... as doing old brick comes easy for me [these are of course all from my head], figured the broom would best be displayed as if hung from nail in brick wall, perhaps a side part of the chimney ... there is an intention of doing a full sized broom version, complete with hat hanging on another nail, with a bat hanging from that, a cloak also hanging, and perhaps a black cat hanging on that, reaching for the bat - all, of course, continuing the parody yet at the same time, being as detailed and b/w photographic as can be, a sincere appreciated tribute to Harnett...

Reared Window This was an outgrowth of a photo showing a tree managing to grow in a narrow canyon way, where only the part above the walls has the leafry... wanting to make it more interesting, took the idea and made it as part of the 'backyard' of a home... wanting further to see it better, and to gain a sense of depth to the work, turned the left wall into a column whereas light could be seen on both close and back, and allowing for a distance viewing... underscoring this is putting the whole in the frame of a window, with a veggie on the sill [originally to be as part of vines growing on far right, but omitted for not being necessary to the work..... this, too, is a case of 'saving' a work - note the varigation of the wall, made thus by ink drips on the top right, mandating creative ways to saving the rendering, by having similar ones over the wall..... of course, the theme/title plays on multiple layers, from take-off of the Hitchcock movie to something being raised [as in growing something] as well as the act of rising.... subconsciously, it turns out there is also an eroticness to the work, using the rocks and tree as symbols for genital views [or so have been told by others]... at present, is the largest colored ink work done.....

Familial One of the possible usefulness of fantasy is as allegory - in this case, as a gift to a friend, a portrait, actually, of her as she innerly visualizes herself... there are, of couse, several layers to this, as familial could refer to either of them, as well as other things such as dragon color [which makes for differences], the three columns, and so forth - all involved with symbolisms not so readily apparent to contemporaries.... note that, in spite of the usual viewing of the beast, this is very much a benevolent presentation, one with an erotic inclination....

'Steps' One of the ways of showing humanness in works is to involve some aspect of directiveness to an existing arena - in this case, the rocky waterfall conclave. From what appears as a nature scene, one immediately notes furtherances to it, namely not just the literal steps on the right side leading to the top, but an extention above that implying habitation of humanity. Two responses can immediately be taken from this - pro-human or anti-human, depending on one's worldview. The pro sees this as an affirmation of being human, that what exists, simply exists, and is for to be made of use of - in this case not only as an aesthetic arena for one to come and do contemplation amidst the falling waters, but as an adjacent to passageway to further heights, both literally as well as figuratively. The con, of course, see this as affront to the socalled pristineness of nature, a nature in which humanity is not seen as an integral part, but as an enterloper - in which, then, the theme/title is directional to the reverse of the other's view. As such, this makes the work a litmus of one's viewing of self and one's relationship to not just the world, but to others of one's kind as well.

'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...

'Canopy' one of the funs in doing still lifes is the opportunity to play with a few oddball notions - such as the query of what is or is not seen within or without, as presented here..... the themetitle is an obvious one, yet just what is canopied remains the query- IS this an empty bottle, from which is seen a shore view, ir is it all within the bottle, cleverly arranged on the ledge so as to be presumed a part of the background... as another of the whimsical pieces of long ago (and, sadly, destroyed in a fire), there was always a delight in how the bottle so well played against the rest of the piece, and at the same time raise some strong philosophical intimations..... yes - that is right, philosophical intimations..... why? because of the determination of it being a work of visual art - remember, there is a universe within the borders of this, so it behoves asking the pertinant questions regarding just what kind of universe is seen here, including the oft overlooked one of just where 'man' is in here and what is the place of 'man' in here, what is the relationship in here of the presence, is it positive or negative, deliberate or happenstance, future oriented or past, productive or otherwise, or is there any real significance to it at all - and why or why not..... there is even reason to ask if it would have been improve by colorful fruits being incorporated into the work - perhaps at least orangeness if not reds here and there - AND of what significance metaphorically any of this would have, assuming there would even be any significance....

'propagation' Turning away for the moment from figures, here is an other example of still life, one using a living creature as an inquiry point......... there are, of course, many layers on the meaning being used in the theme/title - from the obvious one of the spouting coconut, juxapost on the once living wood table - to the query of the non-living churn and glass... notice, tho, the lack of decay in the rendering - a paeon to the living as being important, as well as the practical as being an application of the living... then there is the mouse - the 'inquiry agent' as it were, seemingly critiquing the whole of the composition... at this point, there is the shading, but with a light shadow - which will in time be darkened, as it'll improve the 'grounding' of the rendering [ nothing worse than visualizing a 'floating abstraction']......note, tho, that there is a continuation between the spouting coconut and the churn and the glass - all within the theme/titling.....