Merlot – Bogle Vintage 2007

This painting is part of my ‘Poetry of the Senses,’ and is a flavor painting. Each color in the painting represents a paticular flavor found in the 2007 Bogle Merlot. The colors are meticulously chosen for their ability to interact with the other colors in the precise way that the flavors interact with one another. Prints will be available soon

Something’s Wrong with this Picture

Whenever I hear music I see color; this painting is a visual note for note interpretation of the bass line for ‘Something’s Wrong with this Picture’ by Galactic. The coloration of the woman is taken from the flavors from a Punch (Rothschild) cigar. Prints will be available soon.

Coca~cola

This painting is part of my ‘Poetry of the Senses,’ and is a flavor painting. Each color in the painting represents a paticular flavor found in a Coca-Cola. The colors are meticulously chosen for their ability to interact with the other colors in the precise way that the flavors interact with one another. This painting is actually done on three seperate panes of glass that are seperated from each other by a speacially built frame. This gives the painting much deeper depth allowing the light much more penetrating power through the layers of translucent paint. Prints will be available soon.

New York State of Mind

Whenever I hear music I see color; this painting is a visual note for note interpretation of ‘New York State of Mind’ by Billy Joel. Writing that appears on side supports of painting – Right Side: It comes down to reality, and it’s fine with me because I’ve let it slide – Out of touch…free… Bottom: I know what I’m needing, and I don’t want to waste more time. No Reasons Left side: I don’t have any reasons, I’ve left them all behind, I’m in a New York State of Mind – 11 seconds Top: It was so easy living day by day, out of touch with the rhythm, and blues – B. Joel Prints will be available soon.

Isolation

One of the first things that Dr. Rodman told us at the very first creative workshop that I ever attended was that the artist/writer was the last person that you ever wanted to ask about their art. They may say nothing or they may speak volumes – either way you will probably get about the same amount of useful information. The problem is, apparently, what the artist is trying to convey, and what is actually being said may be two completely different things. What really matters, at least to me, is the message that someone is actually receiving from my art. But, all that aside – here is what I can tell you about this piece. It is resin, oil paint and glass on wood. The glass is broken and raised above the surface of the painting about an inch, and has the rough idea of brickwork painted in white on the reverse side. Underneath the glass is a seemingly flowing and bubbling rocklike surface that was created by first carving wax into the proper shapes and then adding pure pigments to clear resin and then casting the desired shapes and melting the wax away. The skeletal figure is surrounded by the brickwork and suffocated by the resin. In a narrowing tunnel the outside world can be viewed and in it among other things, a car that the figure cannot drive, people he cannot connect with, and a sense of freedom that he has forgotten.

The ironic thing about isolation to me is that it is something that we all feel at one time or another, to one degree or another. It is a feeling that we all experience, but seldom discuss, almost like it is a cultural taboo. This painting is my way of opening this discussion; I would love to know other people’s thoughts about this subject, or any other for that matter, as well.

What is This?

Since I first lifted a brush I have constantly questioned what perception truly is. If ’seeing is believing’ then what can I truly know? Synonyms for blind in any dictionary include words like ignorant, irrational, and unreasoning. To some people I am invisible, to others their preconceived notions of what I must be clouds any true perception, which leaves me with only how I perceive myself. I don’t obsess over my blindness; I only mention it here because of how it has influenced my art. Picasso said that, “painting is a blind man’s profession,” and this is true – art is not about eye sight, but about insight. I have developed techniques that allow me to use my hands in place of my eyes, and to paint by touch alone. The world for me now is a far more colorful place than when I had sight. I am not limited by the ‘normal’ colors of objects and people around me. Color for me is emotion and I have developed color theories that relate our other senses to a visual medium which allows us to see the taste of a glass of wine or the sound of a song. Visual metaphors that, just as in poetry, allows for a deeper understanding of the things being compared. This painting is actually three different paintings done with acrylic on three separate pieces of glass, that come together to form the one image.

‘What is This?’ – 8” x 10” Acrylic on Glass

Western Heritage

Growing up in Texas you are surrounded by a rich tradition that is unlike any other place in the world. The idea of the Cowboy lifestyle and the freedom that it represents has always been embraced by the people of this state. It is a way of life that is older than the state of Texas, The Republic of Texas – in fact it stretches back over 400 years to the vaqueros that worked the plains of what is now Texas and New Mexico. Living in this part of the world the culture becomes a part of you in ways that you often don’t even realize, but always appreciate. The paintings that I have done here are an attempt to understand this way of life a little better, and to show my appreciation for what it represents. Each of the painting are Gouache and India Ink on heavy watercolor paper.

The Last Moment

The glass tips and falls towards the floor; it is still whole and perfect, but in another instant it will no longer exist. This is of course just a symbol for the unalterable change that occurs all around us, and within us every moment. It has long struck me how effortlessly we build our perception of a world of permanence from the actual mutable existence that we all live in. It is a wonderful trick that we are each capable of; even more so because it does not reflect reality. Our perception of time is subjective, but even more than this time itself is relative and not a constant. The atoms that make up everything we know are themselves comprised of almost completely empty space. Our existence as we understand it is based upon a certain perspective, and it is very interesting what it is that you see when your perception shifts a bit. Given enough time everything disappears; which leaves us only with the moment we are in – a moment where a glass descends perfect and intact forever.

Morning Bird Song

When the day has just started and the light is only an impression on the horizon it is the birdsong that colors the land. Most landscapes have a depth of field that gives you an impression of distance. In this piece I purposefully kept the overall field two dimensional to shift the viewer’s perspective from the landscape itself to the impact that the sound coming from the birds has on its environment. The mesquite trees in the foreground are the type that grow naturally here in Texas; the way they are presented in the painting was inspired by Japanese block printing (though they are painted in this piece and not printed).

Cerveza

During our last trip to Vegas it seemed that everywhere we went Patron was on special, and of course nothing matches tequila better than Mexican beer. Even though we were in Vegas these drinks kept Mexico in the forefront of my mind, and of my dream of someday doing a show in that beautiful country. In the painting I wanted to capture the pleasure of having a few drinks in a Mexican cantina with good friends. The best cantinas are not new places that are pristine and overly kept up. A good cantina is like your favorite shirt, not the one that you wear out to impress strangers, but the one that you put on when you are relaxing at home. It may be worn, and it may even have a tear or two, but it fits you like no other and you just seem to breathe better while wearing it.

The background of the painting was done with pigmented resins which I manipulated into a unique texture that gives the painting a rougher and more distinct look and feel. I wanted the painting to not only demonstrate the feeling of a night out with friends, but to also carry the character that sitting in one of the good cantinas gives you.

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