Artist's Statement: In a time of minimalist breakfasts and the rushing about they connote, here is a blast from the past, a gift to the stomach, and a sign pointing away from the frenetic - a full English breakfast, served in a restaurant/hotel in a small town in Cornwall. Oil on Linen 16 x 20 in Go, eat your bread joyfully and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already accepted your deeds. Ecclesiastes 9:7 "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at

Artist's Statement: This painting, and the one posted last Friday, show the view from a kitchen (more precisely - standing at the kitchen sink). Placing this painting next to the first one works to make more apparent the cold of deep winter. The contrast in the lighting between the first and second paintings works to make the winter light seem unwelcoming; nature shooing us out of our yards and into our shelters. Oil on Wood Panel 17.75 x 24 in Spring passes and one remembers

Artist's Statement: This series of paintings of the odd, the curious, and the strange, shows items I came across in two curiosity shops in an historic district in Tampa, Florida. The elf is a weird, ambiguous creature –– sometimes, on the side of the general good, as at the North Pole or in The Lord Of The Rings; often, as in much folklore, a devious character, intent on harming or at least confusing humans. The elf in this painting reflects both possibilities. Dressed in pin

Artist's Statement: This series of paintings of the odd, the curious, and the strange, shows items I came across in two curiosity shops in an historic district in Tampa, Florida. I saw this puppet set far away on a back wall in a curiosity shop. He looked like he had been used as a child's toy but long since discarded. To me, in the moment, he seemed alone and lonely with no other toys or other company on the shelf near him. I painted this puppet as an expression of some of m

Artist's Statement: This series of paintings of the odd, the curious, and the strange, shows items I came across in two curiosity shops in an historic district in Tampa, Florida. A hat with a matching feather atop a hat stand which also displays an intricate necklace and an elaborate mask. The hat and its plume resonate in color with the adjacent velvet bow. In contrast with earlier postings, in this painting the stand performs its usual, mere supporting function. It is the e

Artist's Statement: This posting is the third of three charcoals showing individual triplets, at the age of four, at moments of preternatural solemnity. This charcoal shows the other of the two boys of the triplets, but by happenstance shows only the left side of his face. The full portrait is of a cousin. Both children appear solemn; the cousin’s gaze is less guarded. Charcoal Drawing 11.5 x 8.5 in When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for w

Artist's Statement: This posting is the first of three charcoals showing individual triplets, two boys and a girl, at the age of four. The preternatural solemnity in each portrait reflects past circumstances of great familial difficulty followed by great familial love, support, and understanding. This portrait is of one of the two boys, about to open a present, after which his expression changed from solemn anticipation to simple happiness. Charcoal Drawing 14 x 11 in Childre

Artist's Statement: Coelho’s statement fits the eyes of my son, who was the model for both of these portraits. As for the passage from Hugo, B’H’ my son is not poor, but those who know him would agree that the stars do pass through his soul. Mr. Cool Oil on Panel 18 x 24 in His Eyes Oil on Panel 14.25 x 17.5 Your eyes show the strength of your soul. Paulo Coelho The Alchemist What Is Love? I have met in the streets a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his c

Artist's Statement: This color study shows Miriam a little older than in the painting posted last Friday. She has now followed her baby brother, Moses, in his basket of reeds, along the banks of the Nile, to a swampy area where he will be rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter. My model for this color study is another of the remarkable sisters I mentioned in last Friday’s posting. These three sisters are similar enough in appearance to serve as models for the same historical person,

Artist's Statement: When I first started taking seriously the idea that I might be an artist, before I had taken any classes, I began to work in charcoal, with my favorite subjects being books and fine glassware. This drawing is one of my earliest and most favored. I have given it to the scholar in my life. Charcoal Drawing 13 x 16 in Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it

Artist's Statement: The subject of this portrait is the daughter of a friend of a friend. To me, the young woman is day dreaming, looking off into another world. Oil on Canvas 19 x 14.5 Beauty is the illumination of your soul. John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. Audrey Hepburn Art as an Oasis™ Art as

Artist's Statement: The subject of this portrait is a good friend, in whom strength and calm inhabit beauty. Oil on Panel 19 x 23.5 in I will be calm. I will be mistress of myself. Jane Austen Sense and Sensibility She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes; George Gordon, Lord Byron She Walks in Beauty Art as an Oasis™ Art as an Oasis is a series of occasional postings from

Artist's Statement: The model for this painting is now a fashion model in Chicago. While still in the Twin Cities, she posed for me for numerous paintings. One day, she arrived at my studio just after posing for a fashion shoot, still wearing beautiful flowers in her hair and an exotic scarf. I instantly took down the canvas I had been working on and set out to create an entirely different vision, which became this painting. Oil on Panel 18 x 22 in I know your soul. Everythi

Artist's Statement: During my visit to Tsinghua University in Beijing, a student gave me a tour of the grounds and further, off campus, to see the Old Summer Palace. We walked around the Palace grounds for several hours. There is a beautiful public park on the grounds where hundreds of people, families and students strolled and enjoyed the view and the calm and serenity of the park. When I returned to the States I had my model pose in a kimono I had bought in China, to revive

New Release! As an interlude, below is one of my most recent works, finished just last week – a pelican I saw on a pre-Covid visit to Tampa, Florida Aquarium. As I was staring at the pelican, behind glass, thinking of its beauty and captivity, I found the pelican staring back at me. Oil on Belgian Linen 30 x 24 in What, wouldst thou have me turn pelican, and feed thee out of my own vitals? William Congreve Love for Love, Act II, Scene 1 He wondered why the pelican was the sym

Artist's Statement: Oil on Belgian Linen 24 x 30 in Time is more complex near the sea than in any other place, for in addition to the circling of the sun and the turning of the seasons, the waves beat out the passage of time on the rocks and the tides rise and fall as a great clepsydra [water clock]. John Steinbeck Tortilla Flat A fragrant breeze wandered up from the quiet sea, trailed along the beach, and drifted back to the sea again, wondering where to go next. On a mad im

Oil on Panel 26 x 20 in And ne'er did Grecian chisel trace A nymph, a Naiad, or a Grace Of finer form or lovelier face. Walter Scott Canto I, stanza 18 Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time? That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past