On Friday I just hung 24 paintings at Parlor Hair Studio in Montclair NJ. The opening celebration is this Friday, October 18th 6-9 pm, and it coincides with the Montclair Art Walk, so there'll be plenty of places to walk around and check out! Proceeds from commissions on paintings will go to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund. In honor of that, this piece is named Rainbow In The Dark, and you can see it in Montclair now! The work hangs until mid-November, so please stop by Parlor when you can!!! Their address is 223 Glenridge Ave., right next to the awesome bookstore!!

Rainbow In The Dark                         5/13

Looking West, Warming Up!

Looking West 2/2012

Going through the archives a bit. I've been sewing and silkscreening and prepping a lot of fabric for some new creations! Very excited! I have no photos yet, as I have nothing complete, and the learning curve is a LOT of fun! I love noticing a spot of ink on my arm that's been there for days...it doesn't happen like that with watercolor!  This is called Looking West. I worked on it over a year ago, and I did name it, so I guess it's done. I remember when making it I wanted to throw some green in there, but I didn't want to go heavy on the cool colors. It was cold out and I was wanting the warm colors to penetrate the blue, or at least keep it from getting any icier. I like imagining that this blue bit is actually some kind of creature carrying a party hat to someone's birthday celebration...THIS IS WHAT COMES OUT OF ME!! And it's never too early to mark your calendars...September 21st I'll be at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick NJ. I'm hoping to have more than just my paintings there, perhaps some wearable art will grace the premises as well!

Hot Day, Sky Brush

Aaaaah! 90 degrees and other hot news! At my recent showing at The Fine Grind in Little Falls, two paintings were sold! They are chronicled here, so we can always visit Psychedelic Beatdown and Whale Outing virtually whenever we want, yay! I've had three pieces published in Catapult magazine, I've been busy. I'm also working on silk scarves! Nothing to post yet, as my technique leaves something to be desired, and I'm working on getting that skill level up right away!! Here's a piece called Sky Brush; it's one of my larger pieces. Sometimes the sky just seems like it's got oil dripping right out of it after the sun blinds you by simply opening your eyes...

Sky Brush 2012

Yummy Treats!

It's a repeat performance!  Actually, the great folks at The Fine Grind in Little Falls, have extended the stay of my watercolor show there through May! They are at 101 Newark Pompton Turnpike (Rte 23) just south of the Willowbrook Mall, and are open til 10pm or later 7 days a week. Here's a piece that's hanging there now. It's called TREATS and is my first foray into using
 rubber stamps in decades. I used to use them in my work 
constantly when I was at Rutgers, and thought I'd give it 
another shot! And it's the perfect piece to show in mentioning 
the Fine Grind, because they do have some yummy treats! 
I went there last week with my nieces Carla and Sara, and we 
had hot chocolate and sampled some wonderful flavored
 biscotti and tollhouse pie!

The Fine Grind Coffee Bar!

Yesterday I hung almost 30 paintings at a great place, The Fine Grind, a coffee bar in Little Falls NJ. My work along with the paintings of Matthew Ribaudo, an autistic teen will hang for the month of April. This is a really super place! Here is one of the pieces that is hanging; I tried to include all of my styles (I count 5) so there's a little something for everyone! http://www.thefinegrindcoffeebar.com/ Check it out! They are open til 10pm 7 days a week!

This piece is called "Christopher Walken." It reminds me of him dancing in that Fatboy Slim video, so smooth and all over the place, especially the flying part!

Sunny Day, Sunny Disposition

Psychedelic Beatdown - Watercolor - February 2013

..and the perfect time for a PSYCHEDELIC BEATDOWN! I thought this piece looked like an abstract wrestling move, hence it's name. The movement! The mat! The impact! Whoosh! It's a sunny day indeed...This Is What Comes Out Of Me!

Why, It's Called The Cackle!!!

Why it's called The Cackle! It's a creature that is clearly talking and laughing too much. It's throat is such an odd configuration that the noise it makes is much like a cackle! I had fun with this one and agonized over if I should add more purple/lavender or not. I am happy with the finished piece. This one's a mini, and I agonize over ALL my paintings - tiny or not! This is What Comes Out Of Me!

The Cackle         1/2013

Monologue

Just finished this piece and I was trying to name it, and name it AND name it! First it was Orange Crush, then I wanted to refer to the one splotch of orange that looks like a coffee cup stain (or the old Lucent logo) in some kind of clever fashion. AND I love the way the colors overlay, so I was trying to find a title wispy and colorful and, and, and....the hell with it. I realized I was talking to myself SO MUCH about what to title this piece, that it now bears the name MONOLOGUE. For everything I went through mentally, and the answer was at my fingertips. This Is What Comes Out Of Me! Court Tavern Artist's Showcase is Tonight! If you're in the New Brunswick NJ area Feb 16th between 8pm and 2am, stop by: 124 Church Street! 5 Bands are playing as well, although I don't know the names offhand!!

Whale Outing

Of course that's what this is!!! It's a couple of whales going on a picnic! They've got the basket, the tablecloth, the plankton, and a cheerful attitude like we all should have. Sometimes not putting any black in my painting deliberately really strikes me, and this is one of those. I mean, where would I put BLACK into a whale's outing? Ahhh, NOwhere! :) This is what comes out of me! Don't forget: Court Tavern New Brunswick NJ Saturday Night Feb 16th! Be there or don't be allowed at the whale's outing!!

Mathematical Hunting

Mathematical Hunting 2/2013

Sometimes things just pop in my head and I attempt to illustrate them.  Usually I don't get what I imagined and the final piece is some happy medium between my imagination and what my skills will allow me to produce. For decades I made a living rendering absolutely perfect images for people, so I am loving interpreting images in a different way now. This piece is a MINI by the way, more on that later. I noticed sometimes driving around up here that when there is a dead deer on the road, it gets marked by someone - who exactly I don't know, but I've seen more than one with orange dots spray painted on it. This is my homage to the deer and my thought process about the orange dots on the deer. Maybe there's a new breed of deer born with orange spots? Maybe it's a contest with hunters to see if they can shoot the deer in a particular spot? Maybe they are tired of being brown and this is their first foray into makeover territory? Regardless, this is my interpretation of ALL of those thoughts rolled into one expression - this painting. 100% watercolor.. AND This Is What Comes Out Of Me!! This is also one of the pieces I will have with me this coming Saturday night February 16th at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ. Myself and 3 other artists will be displaying/selling some of our works and there will be 5 bands playing downstairs. I will be debuting my MINIs. Tiny little pieces to brighten up a mood, room or gift, as well as my customized lightswitch plates. What a night! 124 Church Street; admission is free for the upstairs Art Event, not sure the admission charge for downstairs. Hope to see you there!