Still Waiting for Godot

Still Waiting for Godot

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks.  Big ones, small ones, red ones, green ones.  Petosky stones. White chicken-egg-smooth stones. Stones in my shoes.  The quintessential northern Lake Michigan shoreline, punctuated with inviting brightly colored plastic Adirondack chairs.  I had to paint it - meshing the perspectives, skewing the scale.  Anyone coming?

Royal Mail

The recent Olympic Games in Great Britain brought back fond memories of my trips to England over the years, most particularly a six week study abroad course at Oxford in 1982.  Back then, all contact with friends and family in the U.S. was via airmail letters, telegrams, postcards, and the rare international phone call. I saved these fragments of international correspondence and used them as the collaged underpainting of this artwork.  "Royal Mail" was stamped on all British airmail, and became the title of the piece. Enjoy.

Mardi Gras Ramble


I recently explored the French Quarter of New Orleans with two dear friends.  My eye was drawn to the beautiful iron scrollwork on the gates and balconies as well as to the historic iron hitching posts and water meter covers.  I imagined myself strolling down these same streets during Mardi Gras, delighting in the music, masks, hats, and song.  This mixed media painting captures that feeling as I entwined collaged images of the ironwork with painted architecture, hats, masks, and beads. Hope you like it.

MOORED

This mixed media fabric/oil painting was inspired by a recent BVI sailing trip.  The young boy's mother sold fabric dresses on one of the islands.  He wanted very much to go on our sailboat, and was sad we wouldn't let him. Circumstance/geography/and socioeconomic issues all tied him to the island and became the backstory of this piece.

Romance Language

The underpainting of this piece is a collage of French grammar worksheets from my high school days.  At the time, I associated the beautiful rhythm of the French language with love and romance.  The bouquet of  poppies alludes to that feeling.  And, of course, I enjoyed the play of the two meanings of "Romance" in naming the work. Enjoy.

Three Sheets to the Wind


Sailing on a catamaran through the British Virgin Islands with friends and family was a fun-filled experience of sun/waves/laughs/cocktails/blistered lips and song-filled nights.   I titled this painting "Three Sheets to the Wind" for obvious reasons.  Let's just say it's easy to end up on your head in the dingy : )!  I hope you enjoy the painting as much as I enjoyed the tilting, rocking, rolling vacation.

  

Japanese Tea Garden II


I was very happy with the result of my first Japanese Tea Garden painting and wanted to try it again, this time focusing solely on the fish.  Like the first Tea Garden, the underpainting contains tea leaves and tea bags.  I extended the length of the canvas to include two more fish; the horizontal expanse draws the eye as if following the path of the koi disappearing off the right border.