Blog

This blog traces my influences, studio practice, learning, and teaching of art.

"Ganesh" oil painting


Ganesh
is the most popular
of the Hindu gods.
Representing the removal
of obstacles, this little
statue was given
to me by my friend,
Dr. Howard Telson.
The Hindu religion
accepts all religions
as true.
Even atheism
is accepted.
This is all in theory, though. The Hindu Nationalists are destroying hundreds of Christian churches in India (10-15-08).

"Family" oil on shaped linen

This little one is like a shrine and dated 1954.
I would have been 2 years old then.
A Cleveland critic said the arches remind him of a tacky Italian restaurant. A Cape Cod dealer said he couldn't frame them and, "Nothing sells a painting like a gold frame." A true friend said," You paint niches because you think of all of life as being sacred."

"Wanderlust"


This still life was painted in MCMXCVII. An ancient vessel with an image of a chariot and warrior is contrasted with a contemporary travel mug bearing the image of a space shuttle vehicle. Thoughts about love, the past & future, the Challenger disaster and a Dave Mathews lyric ran through my head: "hike up your skirt a little more and show the world to me". The painting is titled "Wanderlust".

Happy Mother's Day


This print: "Many Happy Returns" was commissioned by the Southern Ohio Museum in Portsmouth in 1993.
The museum was going to celebrate their 15th birthday. I had a few pictures in a still life exhibition there. We brainstormed to make a print as a fundraising gift. Their logo has an Ionic column, so of course I was interested. A drawing about birthdays and reincarnation was done on frosted acetate and exposed directly to an offset litho plate. It was printed at Evans printing in Chagrin Falls, OH. It is technically an original offset print. Usually offset prints are reproductions in that a camera image of an original image is used.

Portrait of George Stiros


This portrait is done in the "See Through Greek Vase" style, circa 1986.
I wonder how many people believe in reincarnation. I would like to. As a kid I would draw pictures in front of the fireplace mantle which had two Ionic fluted columns. I somehow came up with the idea to make cardboard sandals, which didn't last very long on the concrete pavement of E. 214th Street. As an adult, a psychic friend told me I was a Greek model who wanted to be an artist.

Three Cherries


I painted the plein air landscape part of this painting on the terrace of Belvoir Terrace in the Berkshires. Western Massachuesets is truly a cultural and natural paradise. The stone texture, Greek vase and cherries were painted months later in the studio. As I was painting the sunset, someone remarked, "Oh a little of this, a little of that." I call it assymilating styles.

Upon Mount Sinai


In 1988 I made this print. It is a copper plate engraving, hand printed and water colored. The lines are cut by hand into copper using a burin which has a diamond shaped point. A Jewish friend showed me how to draw the Hebrew characters indicating the Ten Commandments. They are also written, not in the King James old English language but in the common everyday speech of The Book. "Thou Shalt Not Kill" translates to"Don't Kill". "Thou Shall Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Wife" translates to "Don't Be Envious Of Anything Your Neighbor Has". A child should be able understand them.

The plate has been steel faced so that a large edition (400) can be printed. In intaglio printing the metal wears down so that the image begins to fade slightly each time it is printed. The electroplating slows this down.

The Eye Of Providence


What else are you gonna do at 4 in the morning? Pray. Mount Sinai was drawn surrounded by clouds and triangular rays of light. A subtle eye shape can be seen above the mountain. The all seeing eye can be traced to Egyptian mythology and Buddhism. It can also be seen on the U.S. one dollar bill.

I'll miss the polaroids

The life of a mannequin is difficult. The first pose was a challenge to hold. Here, Jonah is thrown out of the ship. My roomate poses as a shipmate. I pray as Jonah in the whale.
The Polaroid was great medium for artists. It's now defunct. A Japanese Co. bought the rights to it. Maybe it will reappear. My roomate became dissillusioned with the "life" of a struggling mannequin. He slept most of the day and kept me awake watching TV at night until he found another line of work with CNN. Hi Jim McGinnis, where ever in the world you are.

Jonah Prayed


Jonah prayed and I did too. This was a difficult time for me. It was the late 80's. The intaglio copper plate was engraved at a Lynnie's farm in Massachusets. I was farm sitting, picking vegetables for pasta prima vera and letting the sheep in and out for grazing. Alone, I had a lot of time to pray and meditate and had beautiful vision.

CWRU, Design and Color 101


Angie put a lot of thought and originality into adapting the Tesselation Linocut project to her own purpose. Her boyfriend has a cat. She created a marquee type frame for a mixed media cat picture. One could call Angie the "John Waters of Tesselation": over the top and riveting. She's also blogalicious.
Check out more of her artwork and that of other CWRU art studio classes at our exhibition (April 28 reception 5-7PM, closes May 2)at the Art Studio Building.