Portrait of Erika (my wife). oil on canvas. 11 x 14 inches. May 2001.
Price: £300
Portraits: (April - May 2001) Post Modernist paintings a series of portrait paintings (with poetry)
I was working extremely hard during this particular period of my life. To be blunt... I was burnt out... tired. and much in need of a rest. The stress of purchasing a property and moving into our new home was really draining me.
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Portrait of Erika (my wife). oil on canvas. 11 x 14 inches. May 2001. Price: £300 |
The following work is highly influenced by Picasso and his work. Perhaps I should have cut up these canvases... not painted and had taken the week off... gone to the movies and treated myself to a big bag of popcorn. But instead I wrote some poems and painted the following work.
Rain drops fall
off her eye lashes
When it's cold
outside icicles
form from her
tear drops
In the Spring
flowers blossom
on her check bones
and I love her
and I want to spend
the rest of my life with her.
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| Self Portrait. oil on canvas. 20 x 28 inches. May 2001. Price: £500 |
Peggy Gibson from the modern artists gallery wass extremely supportive and encouraging towards me at this time. I had not really written much poetry nor taken my poetry seriously for some years. It was her comments that sparked up my poetic juices.
In this particular work I was thinking about Picasso and his 'Weeping Woman' painting that is in The Tate Modern Private collection (London).
When you are tired, stressed, and having trouble sleeping. You do not have the energy to work on large canvases. You will notice that the following paintings are all under two feet in dimension.
Self Portrait. Oil on Sac. 10 x 12 inches. May 2001 (Sold)
Private collection of Marisa Guagenti - London
I received a great deal on satisfaction upon completing this particular canvas. And the color selection was something rather new for me.
I have been trying to use more browns and burnt umbers for many months, but must admit that I have felt rather unsuccessful at adding this range of color to my palette for a long time now. This painting has been the only real hint of progress in my attempts to grow more familiar with browns.
In the Spring of 2000 Patricia Sing from Beaux Arts (22 Cork Street) visited my studio. She was very encouraging and said to me, 'You have an incredible sense of color'. But I had to disagree with her. For I feel so distant from color, and have been struggling with this aspect of painting since the the day I picked up a paint brush. When you look at Vincent van Gogh, Matisse, Miro... and how they connected so freely with color. It is hard to feel remotely positive about your own abilities as a painter... especially when you do such monocromatic work as the Beatle Juice series. And despite all your efforts expand your palette you consistantly fail.
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Face Mask. oil on linen. 20 x 28 inches. May 2001 Available through Modern Artists Gallery. Price: £485 |
I tried to created a grid of horizontal and vertical lines in the background which would contrast against the gestured curves used in the outlining of the face. And it was my intention not to over work the facial structures in an effort to create gaps... windows of transparency... thus allowing the painting to breathe and connect the face with the background.
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Self Portrait. oil on linen. 20 x 28 inches. Jan - May 2001. (Sold) |
electricity
sunlight
flower petals
falling out of your eyes
the sky is falling
falling
and you are floating in your bed
in the middle of the ocean
you can not sleep
but you must get some sleep
fall
fall
fall asleep
satellites
stars
the nightingale sings to you
with its chest pressed against a thorn
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Tribal Woman. oil on canvas. 14 x 24 inches. May 2001 Available through Modern Artists Gallery. Price: £485 |
wishbone
fire dancer
sun child
dance
run
pray
sing songs
celebrate the dead