Controlled Burn

This began as a classroom demonstration, and eventually went in another direction.

Aether

I am not from the country. Most of what happens here is alien to me, and it sometimes inspires wonder. The neighbor behind us raises horses, and periodically burns his field. The first time I saw this the fire seemed to whip around wildly and reflected in the pond where geese swam indifferently. I was interested in the idea of representing all four of the greek elements in one scene. The nude figure represents the fifth element, aether, which they believed the soul is made of.

Waterhouse's "Miranda the Tempest" has always been a favorite of mine, and was an influence on this piece. It is a small painting on a 9"x12" panel.

Mother and Child

Here's an obvious reference to old Madonna and Child motifs, although without the idealization that was in fashion when most of the great ones were painted. In fact, such harsh lighting, scraggly hairs, and anxiety in a Madonna would have probably been considered vulgar or even sacrilegious in the renaissance. Out here in podunk Arkansas the stars shine very brightly. The sky in this painting is an eastern view of our backyard. Lately, the planet Venus shows up first and outshines all of the other stars, which naturally reminds me of the Bethlehem star.

This pose began as a candid moment, unstaged, and the first thing I saw was a Dorothea Lange photograph of a very similar pose. That gesture of the hand to the side of the face, the open shirt, and the baby across the lap were all perfect. I intentionally avoided really studying the Lange picture in any kind of direct way until I was finished, though.

Dorothea Lange "Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California", 1936

The red shirt on the mother was as unstaged as the gesture, but perfectly served as a shout out to Raphael Sanzi, the grand master of Madonna and child paintings. The addition of a renaissancified Arkansas landscape is another little push in that direction. Whether the "prince of painters" himself would have appreciated the comparison is another matter. I hope he would.

Dream Giver

This Painting is entitled "Dream Giver". Initially, I got the idea for the painting while viewing another of my paintings, "Iconoclast", and interpretation of Abraham and Isaac, upside down.

I liked the supernatural feeling of the boy swooping down from the ceiling, which immediately reminded me of the Inspiration of St. Matthew by Caravaggio. I really liked the way Caravaggio uses the cloth patterns to create the drama of what is going on. I like the kid drawing of a spider as a reference back to Iconoclast. As I worked out the composition, I found that the angelic figure was becoming somewhat of a sandman type being, and enjoyed the dripping flake white as a crusty sandlike substance that is actually dripping from the cloud-like thing that is the boy's body.

Just before completing the painting, I saw Caravaggio's Annunciation in Rome. I had never remembered seeing it in reproductions, although it is in one of my books. I found the angel in this one strikingly similar to my dream giver.

Ignacio Trelis Copies Cefalo Painting in Spain!

Spanish artist, Ignacio Trelis sent me a birthday greeting with this picture attached. It's a street painting of my piece "Starsheep". What an incredible way to be honored on my birthday! It's incredibly accurate too. Wow.

Coffee Sludgescape #4

A small village or encampment on a hill with smoking chimneys.

A village on a hill with smoke from chimneys.

A village on a hill with smoke from chimneys.