I have always enjoyed old photographs. The older the better. You know the saying, "They just don't make things like they used to"... well, I think "they just don't take pictures like the used to". I have always loved photography in general. I still miss the dark room that I had set up in the basement of my parents house when I was in high school. I remember listening to Robert Johnson while making prints under the red light. Ahhh, no matter how you look at it, Photoshop has nothing on the old darkroom. There are many things that I like about old photos... the tones, the history, the seriousness and stillness, the memories, the clothing, the faces that you swear you recognize for some reason and one other little thing: The Mustache. I'm not talking about your everyday Tom Selleck brand of mustache. I'm talking your old school Rollie Fingers kind of mustache. The vintage kind that only certain people can pull off. Those old photos are filled with them. So, with that I've decided that I am going to start a little reoccuring theme of "great mustaches that I have found in old photos". I'm not sure where this will lead but here is the first in many... Enjoy! (Good fun!)

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Mask #1

I have been wanting to do masks for quite a while but I guess I just haven't gotten around to it. I have always been intrigued by them. (who isnt?) Then my brother and sister-in-law (everyone should be so lucky to know these two people) mention that they have located some masks that would be perfect for painting. (The two of them are amazing at finding stuff). So, for this first mask, I guess there really is no great story other than this is Mask #1 and I have to thank the two of them for thinking of me... Enjoy! (Thanks B and J!)

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I remember being a kid, laying in my bed, it was summer, the window was open and I was staring at these two cermic Indian heads that were on the wall. They were the kind of faces where the eyes followed you no matter where you went in the room. I clearly remember daydreaming about what I was going to be when I got older. All the things that I was going to do. At the age 10 or so, I was pretty sure I was going to be a football player and motorcycle racer and artist and scientist, all rolled into one. Well, only one of those came true. (I'm sure there are critics out there who say none of those came true.) Either way, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that 25 years later there are still days that I lay in bed thinking about what I am going to be when I grow up. What am I going to do next and what am I to become. It's these thoughts about tomorrow that fuel today. With that, I think I am going to go lay down, open the window and see what is to come...Enjoy! (Story included on back of card)

 
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This is the 10th in the "Paris Postcard" series. I was looking over my bookshelf and there was a bunch of papers shoved between a couple books. Among other things there were about 15 postcards that were of different photos taken in Paris during the 1920's. This one in particular is called "Jardin Des Tuileries". All the postcards are very Paris and you can hear an accordian playing and it all makes the Michigan winter seem all that much colder. With that.. Enjoy!

 
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I should start by clarifying that this is not talking about Kurt Cobain's Nirvana. I'm sure that much is obvious but I thought I should clarify. I should also clarify that I am no buddhist scholar either. I suppose I may be more of the "use-the-pages-in-a-painting" sort of religious scholar. I have read many religious books when I was going through my "learn-about-many-different-religions-to-try-and-figure-out-what-we-are-all -here-for-and-why-we-exist" stage of life. It is not that I have stopped asking those questions, it is just that I keep finding answers to those questions everywhere, but those books. I am asked weekly, sometimes more, why I only paint people. Why not paint a landscape, a car, a golfer, something more expressionistic? It is because the answers I find to most of my questions come from the people you see in these paintings. The strangers, the friends, the families, the memories, the thoughts. In turn, I hope that when we look at these and read the stories that somehow we see a bit of ourselves in these abstract faces and the stories show us all something more of ourselves. Now, that sounds loftier than it is intended. If something positive comes of these portraits, even a smile, then it is complete. I suppose I will title this "An Open Letter To All Who Ask Me Why I Only Paint People". It is not only people, it is the Examination of Nirvana. And how we all fit into it....Enjoy!

 
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The title says it best. I'm not feeling like myself today. It could be that it was around 3:00 AM before I went to sleep last night. Or maybe it was the alarm clock that kicked on four hours after that. Maybe it is the skunk smell that has been lingering around the neighborhood for the last three days. Maybe it is the hours spent rearranging these pixels that are staring back at me. Maybe it was almost getting hit on my motorcycle today. Well, let's just leave it at that. Theres nothing wrong with not feeling like yourself. At the very least maybe it makes you stop and think what it is that you are in the first place...Enjoy!

 
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My Head Is In The Clouds

Those of you who have been following my work know that I have been recycling color samples into my artwork for quite some time. Well, I ran across a bunch of 8"x8" samples that work perfectly for drawings. (instead of those little ones that you can get out of the aisle at Home Depot.) These are the big sample sheets that Interior designers can get their hands on. The color of this one is called "Tangelo". Sounds exotic. Sounds like it could be a nickname for tanned oily guy down in Miami named Angelo who is trying to score with the ladies. As in, "They Call me Tangelo... What is your name?" Anyway, let's keep it at that and as always ...Enjoy!

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It has long been my thought that self doubt is the painters biggest foe. (I don't really have any clue how true that really is because I am basing that only on my own personal experience as a painter) When these bouts happen though, production slows, things end up in the trash, motivation slips. As I write this I think this could probably be applied to more people than just painters. Not too mention, maybe self-doubt is just a segway to depression. I don't know. What does this painting have to do with any of this selfish introspection? You know... probably not a whole lot other than these were the things that I was stewing on while I tried to paint a portrait of my friends son. I feel like I blew his portrait but its the little guy that reminds me there are more important things than just swimming around in your own head...Enjoy!

 
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This is #6 in the limited edition button series. This is the limited edition of a recent painting called The Bear That Got My Friend To High School. Story:.I was talking with some friends tonight about what we were all like when we were kids. I mean, little kids. Somehow we got on the subject of security items. You know, blankets, thumb sucking, that kind of stuff. Well, one of my friends mentioned that he had a teddy bear and that he slept with it almost until high school. Of course, we all gave each other a hard time and had some good laughs. So, heres to the laughs and heres to the bear ...Enjoy!

Only 25 of these buttons will be made available. Once these 25 button are gone, that is it. I have worked with the printer to make sure that each button is individually numbered to reflect it's placement in the set. (If you are the 5th person, you will receive button #5 of 25.)

 
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