Painter of the mystical, otherworldly, sensual, and whimsical.

I'm a painter living and working in the beautiful finger-lakes region of Western New York State. I am also an avid gardener and nature lover, so the lush green rolling hills, gentle streams, and majestic lakes that surround my home in this world often appear in the fantasy worlds of my paintings.

Many of the pieces draw inspiration from folk tales, myths and legends. These "teaching tales" were what drew us together around our hearth-fires for centuries, and I believe those stories still carry power.

I enjoy looking at these ancient tales, through my eyes, and painting what I see, no matter if it's beautiful or disturbing. But what's more fun is when others can see those same paintings and find something within of value that speaks to their soul directly. I do not plan for this, but am honored when it happens, and, oh, yes, do love hearing about it every time that it happens. It reminds me that maybe we are not so different after all.

Glad to meet you, and please enjoy the paintings!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

A Well-earned Salute to Pin-Up Art


Above: Illustration by WWII-era French pin-up artist Romain Hugault,
for Michael Malak's forthcoming collection of pin-up art, "Wings of Angels". 
The is Model Caitling Litzinger.


My thanks to 
Dennis Coppinger for sending this one my way.  Facebook's "the Pinup Files" is a real treat for fans and collectors of pin-up art. I love the vintage, but was so thrilled to see the top-notch work from contemporary artists  Authentic, well-done... With an aesthetic that grew out of the era before silicon and special effects. This is how I imagine the ideal "Venus..." What a great collection! 


Sunday, November 24, 2013

The Wisdom of St. Therese


My kind-hearted neighbor, bottle-feeding rescued kittens in the Spring of 2013.


"There is no artist who does not like his work praised, and the Divine Artist of souls is pleased when we do not stop at the exterior, but penetrating even to the inmost sanctuary which He has chosen for His dwelling, we admire its beauty."~St. Therese de Liseux, ie: Theresa, "of the Little Way," Story of A Soul, Chapter I

Great video: God's Gonna Cut You Down (The Boondock Saints)

"What's done in the dark will be brought to the light..." ~Johnny Cash

"And Shepherds we shall be, for Thee, my Lord, for Thee."

"Do not kill, do not rape, do not steal. These are principles which every man of every faith can embrace." ~Boondock Saints

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Love for John Donne's "Broken Heart"

Poet and satirist John Donne, a contemporary of William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I, is a long-time personal favorite. I feel his work has an intensity that remains unmatched to this day. This piece sings to me. 



The Broken Heart 
 He is stark mad, who ever says,
That he hath been in love an hour,
Yet not that love so soon decays,
But that it can ten in less space devour;
Who will believe me, if I swear
That I have had the plague a year?
Who would not laugh at me, if I should say,
I saw a flask of powder burn a day?

St. Luke, Portia. "Melancholia."
Ink on paper with digital color.
Ah, what a trifle is a heart,
If once into love's hands it come!
All other griefs allow a part
To other griefs, and ask themselves but some;
They come to us, but us Love draws,
He swallows us, and never chaws:
By him, as by chain'd shot, whole ranks to die,
He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry.
If 'twere not so, what did become
Of my heart, when I first saw thee?
I brought a heart into the room,

But from the room, I carried none with me:
If it had gone to thee, I know Mine would have taught thine heart to show

More pity unto me: but Love, alas,
At one first blow did shiver it as glass

Yet nothing can to nothing fall,
Nor any place be empty quite,
Therefore I think my breast hath all
Those pieces still, though they be not unite;
And now as broken glasses show
A hundred lesser faces, so
My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore
But after one such love, can love no more.

~ John Donne (1572 – 1631)

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Go outside, look at the sky!

Imagine if you got a call from a buddy to check the sky outside...
I'm so glad they took pictures.
For more photos from this amazing experience, click here.

Artist to watch out for: Rogan Brown.


Above: Brown, Rogan. "Seed."


Artist to watch out for: Rogan Brown.  Yes, I can enjoy the "wow" of the intricate layers of cut paper that Rogan Brown uses, but his work has its own power that shines through.  For me, this is evocative design at its finest and the non-representational as it should be: pure form shows that it can compel the imagination, without declaring itself to be anything more than shape, line, depth, repetition... humble cut paper, and so much more. MSN compiled this great slide-show collection, with still more joy to be found at the artist's website, "Paper Sculptures."
#roganbrown