"Warriors II"

Russia invades Georgia during the Summer Olympics opening ceremonies. With every war, somebody is making a lot of weapons and money.

"Three Apples"

Painted plein air, at Zsalays Farm, this landscape avoids the "too much green" problem.

It was a hot hazy day. The distant trees are blue green. Atmospheric perspective causes distant objects to be out of focus, low contrast, and blend in with the atmosphere: blue sky. The apples and wooden window niche were added in the studio.

"Strawberries"

A 20 miniute drive away from my house is the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There are a few working farms there. These three buildings are part of a park sevices center.

"One Two Three"

It's summer so the posts are about summer things. All of these flowers were growing in my garden. The blue bells and those round violet ones didn't grow back year to year. There is too much shade, I think.

"Why I Paint Flowers"

Because the symetry of flowers is a direct expression of the golden mean, 1.618 is a unit of division and multiplication throughout natural creation. Who said, "I don't paint nature, I am nature"? Some artists naturally create compositions close to the golden mean / section. One can easily do it precisely with a calculator and a metric ruler. Art can have a healing quality for the viewer.

"Bouquet"

Lilies of the valley must have the most intoxicating scent. Red wine gives me a headache.

"Consider The Lillies"

Worried about the price of new clothes? Credit card debt? House appraised for more than it's worth? I consider the lillies of the valley that are growing along the front of the house and are spreading around to the back yard for free. This piece was shipped back and forth across the country to three different galleries untill it sold to the right collector on Cape Cod.

"Daylily"

When I moved to Twin Lakes, my friend Julie invited me to a daylily farm where the proprietor allowed us to dig up as many plants as we wanted. They are planted along the fence. Call me "Mr. Monet". My approach is definitely botanically correct, sorry Claude. There is something winsome and sad about a blossom that lasts just one day.

"Delay Is The Antidote For Anger"

That's what the fortune cookie says. In NYC (1980's) I lived around the corner from a fortune cookie factory/sweat shop on Center St. Hot fans blew the sweet smoke out of the open doors. The machines clattered. Workers, probably indentured slaves, silently placed paper fortunes on disks of hot cookie dough before they were mechanically folded. I wonder how they dealt with that anger.

"Wedding Party"

The arrival of an important guest and a present wrapped in white explain the title. The cherry blossoms indicate the time of year. I can't find the bride and groom.

"Horse Woman"

Have you ever felt like you were jumping through hoops? When I first moved to NYC I felt like it. There was a circus atmosphere in the streets. I rented a telephoto lense and went to the circus at Madison Square Garden. "The figure in geometry" was my focus.

"Spider Woman"

Kind of like a gyroscope, there was a spider web contraption at the circus. (I actually met a circus costume designer. Neil Saffron made it big time...in Hollywood.)

"Clowns"

This canvas is not quite a circle. Playing with the rotation of an ellipse and how the edge of a canvas stretcher disappears was fun.

"Peony"

Painted in the summer of 1994, this luscious still live brings back memories of a simpler time. The triangular composition conveys peace. I love the way the melon repeats the lunette shape.

How Are They Constructed ?

I am often asked this question and am glad to teach. We are here for a short while, lets share our "trade secrets". The elements are, Wood supports cut out of a single sheet of birch plywood or composite. Plastic lip. Finest Belgian linen, unprimed. Rabbit skin glue. (Those poor bunnies). White oil primer. This ground of linen and rabbit skin glue is known to last for centuries.

"Grapes, Wine and Ruggalach"

And there was the biscotti, too. One of the perks of painting food is that you can eat the models.

"Willowy Twilight I"

How it is painted varies. The Berkshire landscape was painted from a plein air study in the studio. Sunsets are the perfect solution to the dilemma of "What do you do with all that green?" Notice the derriere distant hills.

"Willowy Twilight II"

It's not done till it looks right. The addition of the loutrophoros vase creates a completely different painting. This was a wedding vase shape for holding water for the ceremonial bathing of the bride. The loutrophoros was also used to bathe the unmarried dead and was placed in their tomb.

"Violin Romance"

Jennifer DeForest taught violin at Belvoir Terrace where I was teaching painting in 1994. I painted this portrait of her. Years later after playing for the Salt Lake City Orchestra, she married and had 2 children. Somehow her husband tracked me down. I made a digital print on canvas and added 2 children sitting on the rim of the vase. This original version is available as a canvas print.

Painted in the open air, this small one is one of my favorites. There is nothing to think about, other than the sound of the waves, the sand, green trees, and crystal clear blue sky.