Marble Columns

I call this one "QUIET ENCLOSURE".  It's an 18x24 canvas panel, with a custom frame made to look like columns as well.  Painted in acrylic, inspired by photos of Santi Quattro Coronati in Rome Italy.  I say inspired, because I almost always change reality to suit my taste.

I like the depth created by the columns in the foreground in relation to the ones in the background.  The photo had no flowers, but I thought a touch of color would cut up the neutral tones.  The red of the frame brings this out nicely.  Here is a closer look at the painting - 





I can see why a place like this would allow someone to seek spiritual matters.  It seems a peaceful place for reflection.  Now that I look closely at this photo I don't care for the way I cropped off one of my favorite parts, the detail of the under arches.  Oh well, you can see them up top.

old project, new post

Going over my blog, I noticed that I never posted my dog project.  At the time I suppose I didn't want to spoil the surprise, as it was a gift to West Springfield's artists that worked on their terrier project.  They had painted a sneaker for Springfield, so the Art & Sole project people wanted to do the same, after several rather uninspired attempts, they asked me to work something out.

My idea was to 'wrap' the not so little guy in a map of West Springfield, with just his face breaking through.  This is him finished and sitting in my little art room. (don't focus on the mess please)  I applied an acrylic mache type method for the paper tearing away. The map was by no means an accurate depiction of the city, but I tried to represent the highlights.  No easy task when your painting on a dog!

Here are a couple of details I really liked.  It was good fun, and I hope the people of West Springfield think I did their city proud. 

4th of July

Right now I am calling this one Grief.  I could use your help giving it a better name.  I'm not sure what motivated it, unlike most of my paintings I did not start with a plan.   I back painted the canvas vandyke brown and it sat for a time.  I had no other plan for it, and then one day I was angry, and painted the red crack, still unsure what direction I would go in, it sat for another long while.  Later I played with a simple landscape that would be broken up, but I was not happy with it, and again it sat for a few weeks.  I caught the end of 'Saving Private Ryan' and began thinking of a visit to Arlington when I was a kid.  Soon after the landscape became my memory of the seeming endless crosses.  I must say it left an impression, that lingered in the back of my mind.

It's an 11x14 acrylic on stretched canvas, painted around the edges.

The flags and old man were the last additions.  I'm not sure what I am trying to say.  That's usually the first thing I think of, and what most people ask when looking at a painting like this.    What does it say to you?  Is what I would like to know.

More political than mythical.  But then most myths have a start in historical legends.