51st Annual International Art Competition

From April 16 through May 29, I will be participating in the 51st Annual International Art Competition at the San Diego Art Institute. Of the 900 submissions, the painting depicted below (Windows of Cognition, 30" x 60", oil on canvas, 2010) is 1 of only 86 works accepted for the show.

Please join me at the Opening Reception, Saturday April 16, from 6 to 8 pm, at SDAI located at House of Charm in Balboa Park, 1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101-1617. Message me if you have questions.

Cause a buzz around this painting – maybe it will get the Aardvark the best-in-show award!

Fervid Los Angeles

Fervid Los Angeles (triptych), 28" x 36", oil on panel, 2011.

An abstract representation of living in contemporary Los Angeles, this work conjured up mixed feelings of beauty, fear, passion, apathy, excitement, frustration, warmth, loneliness, joy, and sadness. But taken as a whole, Los Angeles is mostly a fervid place, regardless of which side of the coin we examine, intense in spirit. Among the intensity there are lulls, and in between there are subtleties which make every experience unique.

Leopard Jasper Abstract

On a whim, I recently visited a store which sold all types of weird trinkets and books, tarot cards, crystals, pendulums, candles, incense, and fountains -- the stuff in stories often associated with witch-craft and black magic. While there, I poked around through jars of rocks and gems and picked up a polished stone which caught my eye -- strong color patterns with darks and lights, but it was the subtleties in between which intrigued me. So I bought it to use as a reference for a painting, and I found out during the course of painting that it is a birthstone of January -- my month!

Leopard Jasper Abstract (triptych), 28" x 36", oil on panel.

The Worlds of Law and Art

The Balance of Law and Art, 24" x 39", oil on canvas, 2010-2011.

Law and art can be categorized into two separate worlds, easily distinguishing one from the other, like the sun from the moon. Law is based on reason and art may be irrational; law is written and art is visual. On the other hand, the similarities between law and art are also abundant -- each begins with basic principles and relies on an analysis of society. This painting illustrates the constant rotation (or balance) of the two worlds, their similarities, differences, and interdependence.

Windows of Cognition

Windows of Cognition, 30" x 60", oil on canvas, 2010.

Summary Judgment

In a court of law, it is the job of the jury to decide issues of fact; for example, when one person says the light was red, and the other says the light was green, the jury may conclude the light was green based on the credibility of the witnesses' testimony. When there are no disputed material facts for a jury to decide, however, prior to trial a party may make a written request to the judge to rule in that party's favor. This is called a motion for summary judgment and is made on the grounds that, by applying the law to the specific undisputed facts of the case, there is no way the moving party can lose.

Succeeding on a motion for summary judgment is rare, and denial of the motion can hinge on conflicting evidence of the smallest detail or subtlety. But when summary judgment is granted, it ends a case before it even gets to trial, and thus can be considered the ultimate victory in the realm of civil litigation.

This painting is not a literal depiction or portrayal of the motion in the abstract, but it is an expression of the forcefulness and power behind an intangible human creation, something potentially terminating while at the same time delicately balancing layers: the obvious, the subtle, and what can be inferred.

The painting is a further exploration of human imperfections in contemporary society, including the power of subtlety. In a world of global communication and digitization, the language of painting, as I see it, will become even more powerful as our custom of viewing flawless images on digital screens continues to mask what makes us human – our imperfections. The human element, emotions, and intimacy of a painting will never be replaced. Just as the human element will always be an integral part of the law.

Judgment At Sunset (Redondo Beach), 30" x 30", oil on canvas, 2010.

New England Fall Scene

This is the completed commissioned work to the below sketch. What you cannot see in this image, however, is the texture of the painting, especially in the leaves of the trees. Texture, layers, and brushstrokes are invaluable aspects which bring a painting to life, setting a painting apart from photographs or digital images, reminding us of the natural and imperfect human element.

Although this is a depiction of a New England fall scene, the creation of this piece conjured up memories of the three years I lived in Syracuse, New York, where I attended Syracuse University for my Master's degree and Juris Doctorate. While I was there, I frequented the numerous lakes during spring and fall. The northeastern United States is a beautiful place...

"Nothing so fair, so pure, and at the same time so large, as a lake, perchance, lies on the surface of the earth. Sky water. It needs no fence. Nations come and go without defiling it. It is a mirror which no stone can crack, whose quicksilver will never wear off, whose gilding Nature continually repairs; no storms, no dust, can dim its surface ever fresh; -- a mirror in which all impurity presented to it sinks, swept and dusted by the sun's hazy brush, -- this the light dust-cloth, -- which retains no breath that is breathed on it, but sends its own to float as clouds high above its surface, and be reflected in its bosom still."
- Henry David Thoreau

New England Fall, 18" x 24", oil on canvas.