This still life setup for this oil painting was created around - inspired by - the ornate Mexican pitcher in the center of the image. I have always loved and admired Mexican pottery, ornamentation, and design. Ripe tomatoes and a chili pepper - common ingredients in traditional Mexican cooking - surround the pitcher. Working within a Mexican aesthetic, I created a stucco background that draws from the colors in the foreground. Although blues and oranges are prominent in this image, it was created using a limited red and green palette.
Private Collection
Prints available in my Etsy shop
The setup for this painting reminds me of the classic children’s story, Indian in the Cupboard. I imagine that the little sheep crawled out of the box at night and the colorful, glass marbles spilled out after her. This oil painting was created using a limited red and green palette.
Available
$400 Framed
I painted this during a workshop with Hongnian Zhang and Lois Wooley at Partners in Art during the summer of 2019. The child is asleep in a quiet, unknown space. However, a small amount of light seeps in through the window and illuminates the arm of his sweater and the side of his face. The rest of the Canvas is covered in a dark, neutral paint for dramatic effect.
Private Collection
This oil painting was created using a limited orange and blue palette. I loved the setup, particularly the reflected light on the blue vase towards the back of the canvas. However, the fact that it was monochromatic - in this case, almost entirely blue - presented some unique challenges. It was particularly satisfying to add just a few touches of orange paint to the bowl and small ceramic box on the lefthand side of the composition.
Private Collection
Prints available in my Etsy shop
The child has built himself a blanket fort, the perfect place for reading. In this image, I tried to capture the innocence, playfulness, and imagination of a child. As adults, we no longer need to create blanket forts for ourselves; for, we stay busy enough with our own real-world houses. But children seem universally to create them. For a child, constructing a fort of one’s own is an act of budding agency. I particularly like the way that the light catches the side of the child’s face and illuminates the pages of his book. He seems all-too-serious for a child. One wonders how long the book will capture his attention? I painted this during the summer of 2019 at a painting workshop with Hongnian Zhang and Lois Wooley at Partners in Art.
Private Collection
This painting is based upon a photograph by Vero Nike of a dear friend, and philosopher, dancing tango. I was inspired to paint from the photograph because I loved light, gesture, and connection between the dancers.
$300 framed
Private Collection
Oil on 18” by 18” wood panel
Available framed through the River Gallery
You can read about this piece on my blog
I conceived of this piece, "Someone to Keep Our Children Safe," with a broken heart while mourning all the beautiful lives lost during the Uvalde school shooting. You can read the full description on my blog.
Oil on 14 by 30 inch canvas
$400
This oil painting (created in a limited red and green palette) was largely inspired by my interest over the past twenty years or so in the topic of self-deception. Masks are a symbol of deception, fakery, and hidden selves. The black mask in the composition was a gift purchased from the Kensington Market in Toronto. The dramatic shadow that it casts on the left side of the painting is suggestive of something dark and unsettling that is, perhaps, being concealed by the mask
Available
$650 Framed
The human skull, which encloses the brain, is a reminder of our own mortality and limited time on Earth. It is also provides us with an unsettling glimpse of what is hidden beneath our soft skin and emotionally expressive faces. This skull, which I had purchased for a painting setup, broke into pieces under unfortunate circumstances. Upon seeing “my” shattered skull, I exclaimed, “Well, like sucks and then you die” (hence the title of the piece).
Private Collection
Oil on Canvas, 9 x 12
Gift for a friend
Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20
Gift for a Friend
This is an oil painting of Dr. Nausheen Shah, Wayne State Physics Professor.
Dr. Shah designed and constructed a prototype for a wearable device, the Personal Ultraviolet Respiratory Germ Eliminating Machine (PUR-GEM) that uses Ultraviolet-C to disinfect air and thereby mitigate the risk of infection by COVID-19. Dr. Shah is wearing the device in this portrait. Signed prints are available in my Etsy shop.
Sold
Oil on toned panel
Looking down at baby Harley in his carrier after a crisp winter walk along Connecticut Ave, past the Woodley Park zoo, into Cleveland Park, and back home again at 2800 Woodley. If only I could carry him around with me like this once again.
Private Collection
Oil on toned panel
Private collection
I painted this in the summer of 2021 during a workshop, “The Inhabited Landscape,” with Hongnian Zhang. I first painted a color study on location at Ellicott Creek Park. I worked on the final piece in the painting studio at Partners in Art. This was painted using a limited red-green palette.
Oil on Canvas
20” by 24”
Sold
Oil on Canvas
18 by 24 in
$350
Oil on Canvas
14 by 18 inches
Available
This painting is inspired by a photo of a house that I took in Ithaca, NY. I love the rolling hills, foliage, trees, and lush misty air in Ithaca. This view captured captured some of its natural beauty.
Oil on panel
$200
Oil on canvas
Oil on canvas
Available framed - $450
Oil on panel
$250
