KPFK 90.7

Today, October 25, 2010, I was featured on a radio program on 90.7 KPFK Los Angeles, entitled "Hear in the City," a look at why we do what we do.

If you missed it live, you can still listen to it at: http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/
(My interview is near the middle section.)

Please also check out Hear in the City website at:
http://www.hearinthecity.org/

The Falconer

The Falconer, 27" x 40", oil on canvas, completed October, 2010.
Crumbling walls surround an eroding town. A blind man walking along the sidewalk touches a shadow which cuts across the street through a healthy grove of trees. Sitting on a limb, a falcon is perhaps leading him to his destination. Although the man appears vulnerable from his impaired eyesight, the same cannot be said about his vision.

A Recent Commission

Man at Dangberg Ranch, 20" x 28", oil on canvas.
Dangberg Ranch, a historic site and now a State Park, is located on the outskirts of Carson City, Nevada.

This painting, although more representational than some of my more recent pieces, continues with my exploration of the human condition in contemporary society. While the term "contemporary society" suggests the idea of populated cities at the forefront of technology and current political events, such a connotation should be considered improper. We live in a global society, impacting the global environment, climate, and human condition everywhere.

Here, snow is on the mountain and the grass is green. The sky is blue. But tomorrow it could be rainy and cold, or blazing hot, scorching the grass to a dry yellow. Not only is the climate significant, but the current economic crisis has a substantial impact on the future of the State Park. Such instabilities are metaphorically represented in the subtle contrasting colors, hints of dry grass, a broken fence, a lone cow, and snow-topped mountains on a sunny day. Carson City can be a land of highs and lows, and the man ponders as he walks the land...

Man On A Rowboat

The latest painting: Man On A Rowboat, 30" x 40", oil on canvas.
The painting features a man on a rowboat at dawn or at dusk, as tiger sharks linger in the surrounding waters. It is unclear whether he knows about the sharks, whether he is at peace with them or hunted by them. He is in a moment, whether in victory or loss.

Engulfed

A product of the year's oil spill disaster: Engulfed, 17" x 23", oil on canvas, 2010.
The spill is a message that reliance on domestic oil is not a long-term option. As the war shows that reliance on foreign oil is also not a long-term option, it is time to come together as a global community and demand investments in wind and solar power.

The Sidewalk

The Sidewalk, 28" x 40", oil on canvas, 2010. This painting represents my further metaphorical exploration of the human condition in the natural world. Sometimes a person must go against the flow of things...

New Painting

Well it's been a while since my last post, but I've been busy painting and building frames. This is an image of one of my newest paintings: The Lynching, 48" x 33", oil on canvas.

I thought about calling it the Execution of Prop 8, as it is a reference to one of the front-running legal and social issues of today. That title is also a play off the titles of Goya's The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid and Manet's The Execution of the Emperor Maximilian. But I ultimately decided that The Lynching is a broader, more ambiguous title which opens the painting up to interpretation.