Tribute to Charles Demuth (My Egypt) - Byram 2004 (acrylic on canvas 16" X 20")

hmm.. this was one of my first ventures into acrylics from watercolors. The watercolor technique is clearly obvious. I have never seen "My Egypt" alive and would dearly love to. The images I have seen of the painting remind me of fine China plates. In this tribute I was more concerned with replicating the forms than the colors. This is a true representation of New Jersey for me. All the glory of man and his creations: the wonderful Greek-like columns on the warehouse; the highlights from the sun and the almost sinister edifices lurking in the background. I wanted to capture more of the reality of the industrial achievement than Demuth did. His glory is (I think) a fragile work- the solid structures built by a transient man in an unsteady world. My colors are bold and arresting, more grounded - to make up for my lack of craftsmanship and ability.

Cam did take me to see his No.5 at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC -a paining for his poet friend, William Carlos Williams. JUST FABULOUS!

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.
-- William Carlos Williams

(YOU find the picture)

Among the rain

and lights

I saw the figure 5

in gold

on a red

fire truck

moving

tense

unheeded

to gong clangs

siren howls

and wheels rumbling

through the dark city

Tribute to Charles Scheeler (Lunenburg) - Dallas 2006 (acrylic on canvas 16" X 23")

Well - the roof line is all wrong! Scheeler's images themselves are deceptively simple and thought provoking (to me at least). My real fascination lies in how Scheeler applies paint to his canvases. There is a smooth elegance - an absence of stroke marks that is seductive and reassuring. Copying his paintings is a challenge; he overlays photographs, so you are constantly challenged by perspective; the texture and consistency of the paint are paramount and the color nuances meticulous. There is nothing in the world like seeing his paintings up close.

9/11 - Dallas 2005 (acrylic on board - 4' X4')

This painting came out of my reaction to 9/11. The horror of 9/11 and juxtaposition of the futile massacre of the b52 bombers at the airplane graveyard in Arizona seemed apt. This painting took over 2 years to complete, although the bulk of the work is stencilled. It was emotional thinking through the idea and laying it down. The writing along the bottom of the painting are recordings of terrorist attacks on airplanes ending with 9/11. I wanted them to look like tombstones.

Madiba - Dallas 2007 (acrylic, ink and modelling paste on board 4' X 3')

By courtesy of the owners.

" Madiba" was commissioned on completion of "Poet's of Destruction". I wanted to paint something that would mean something to the owners, and since one is a South Africa expatriate, Nelson Mandela came to mind. I have always love the inauguration speech he made at the Union Buildings at Pretoria, and thought the interlacing of "N'kosi Sikeleli" with the speech would make a powerful image. Madiba just grew out of the board. A combination of heavy and light modelling paste and water, water, water create a powerful combination of cracks, texture and glassy smoothness. The figure is about the same size as my torso - intimidating to work on at times. Instead of using different colored inks I experimented with varying teh size of the writing. I'm really happy that I can still visit with this creation once in a while.