Abstract Bathroom Tissue Painting

"G TP #4"

4"x6" Gouache, Bathroom Tissue, Glue on Board

2012

Duct Tape Painting

"Duct Tape"

16"x24" Repurposed Duct Tape on Panel

2012

Susskind Was a Plumber

"Susskind Was a Plumber"

25"x29.5" Oil on Panel

2012

Portrain of Keyu Brownley

"Portrait of Keyu Brownley"

26"x28" Oil, Oil Pastel, and Marker on Unprimed Canvas

2012

(Detail)

Portrait Painting of Corinne Khabbaza

"Portrait of Corinne Khabbaza"

16"x24" Oil on Recovered Wood"

2012

Corinne Khabbaza grew up on the Illinois River in a small town called Meredosia.  This is where all those "flying" Asian carp are, but she wasn't much into fishing.  Corinne loved cottage cheese as a kid.  She would eat it every day and as she grew older she discovered she could taste the slightest differences in every batch.  Now as an adult she is the worlds top cottage cheese taste tester.  Corrine travels the world taste testing cottage cheese for the industries top producers.

Abstract Painting

"TP Framed"

6"x6" Guache, Toilet Paper, Glue on Board

2012

Portrait Painting of Rummage Clarke

"The Legend of Rummage Clarke"

24"x36" Oil on Canvas

2012

A bit of a neighborhood legend Rummage Clarke was the best at what he did.  No one questioned it.  He untied knots for a living.  If it was a tough knot, people came to Rummage.  I’m not sure if Rummage was his real name or not.  Nobody knew.  He had no family that I knew of, no mom, dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, or uncles. 

            Rummage was a Lebowski like personality.  He came and went as he pleased, never questioning his first instinct.  He was quick to give a friendly wave and hello, but not much for sparking up a conversation.  Folks in the neighborhood loved having him around.  The kids loved him because he would take a second to stop and play as he wandered down the street.  The adults loved him for his inexplicable knack for defeating the most horrendous, unbelievable, and incomprehensible knots in their shoes in a matter of seconds.  People would often come to him just minutes before they had to go to work begging that he conquer the knot in their shoe.  He never let them down.  Rummage never asked for anything in return for this act of talent and skill.  People would just know to give him something when he was in need.  A few dollars here and there, enough to pay the rent (there were a surprising amount of knots in this neighborhood).  A meal when he was hungry.  Do you need a new pair of pants they would ask?  The next day they would be waiting at his doorstep. 

Rummage enjoyed his craft and took it very seriously.  He would approach a knot like a painter agonizing over a color that was just right.  He was living the good life.  Free from the worries and hardships of the outside world.  Amongst all the happy days, Rummage could sense something was about to change for him.  It was like he could feel it in the air.  Like when you walk outside and just know its going to rain even before you look up to see the dark sky.  Change was coming, that much was clear.  Rummage just had to figure out what this change was. 

Dress and Suit Painting

"Dress and Suit"

20"x10" Oil on Canvas

2012

Elisa's Giant Squid Story and Painting

"Elisa's Giant Squid"

24"x60" Oil and Enamel on Canvas

2012

Elisa Minton was five years old in 1990.  She was from Sheyenne, North Dakota and went to school down the road in New Rockford.  This painting takes place in this little girl’s vivid imagination after she took a look in a book about the ocean in her elementary school library. 

Her class went to the library once a week.  Elisa and each of her classmates were allowed to take home two books a week.  She sat down at a table at the center of the large room and began to look at a book about the ocean.  Elisa loved books about the ocean and its creatures.

The library had dark blue carpet and she often daydreamed that it was the deep blue ocean.  The wooden table that she sat at was her vessel and she was the captain. Elisa looked at the book, mostly at the pictures.  She would try to make out as many words as she could.  A picture of a giant squid that washed up on an ocean shore in Japan soon caught her imagination.  People stood around it like it was some type of alien.

Elisa began to imagine the giant squid coming to life and swimming around in the blue carpet that surrounded her.  The squid was quite ugly in the picture so she imagined it as something that was a bit friendlier.  She imagined a pink squid with pretty blue eyes.   

Pigeon Painting

"Pigeon"

9"x12" Oil on Canvas

2012

Oil Painting on Hardwood Floor

"Untitled"

12"x12" Oil on Hardwood Flooring

2012

Character Growing From Flower Pot

"Character Growing From Flower Pot"

7"x28" Oil on Repurposed Wood

2012

A bird landed on a flower pot in front of an abandoned building in Detroit.  (Where did the bird come from?) (What did the building look like?) (What was it before it was abandoned?)  The bird (what kind of bird?) dropped a seed from its beak into the flower pot.  Luckily this flower pot got an hour of good sunlight a day when it wasn’t shadowed by the surrounding buildings. 

Something began to grow from the soil (what did it look like in the early stages of growth?).  A plant with large leaves grew over a few weeks.  On night (or day) the leaves spread open to reveal a creature the likes of which no one had ever seen.

In the morning when people walked by to go to work they heard a voice giving them complements (I like your hat)(you look wonderful).  Peopled turned around to see the creature growing from the flower pot.  They asked who are you?  What is your name?  Where did you come from?  What are you?

My name is ________, and I come from ________.  Why are you so happy?  Why do you say these nice things to us?  (why does he/she say all of these nice things?)  Because it is what I am meant to do.

Portrait in Amish Clothing

"Portrait #54"

48"x72" Oil on Canvas

2011

Detail

Canvas Buried Underground for Two Months

Buried #1

32"x10"

On Canvas buried underground for two months wrapped with mustard seed, walnut husks, Chinese tea leaves, plant leaves, ground coffee, and plant seeds

2011

Portrait Painting

"Tom #3"

18"x24" Oil on Canvas

2011

Abstract Painting on Recovered Wood

"Untitled"

6"x6.5" Gouache, Glue, and Toilet Paper on Recovered Wood

2011

Algerian Girl Painting and Prolouge for Khalida's Blue Dress Story

"Algerian Girl"

18"x27" Oil on Salvaged Wood and Plastic

2011

Detail

Boy: Basem (Arabic name that means “person who smiles”).  Very kind person who loves his younger sister Khalida very much and would do anything for her.

Girl: Khalida (Arabic name that means Eternal)- younger sister of Basem

From a small village called Ain Zada that sits in the mountains between the Mediterranean Sea and the Desert to the south.  There is a lake nearby.

Basem is 16 and Khalida is 14 in 1954 when the Algerian revolution began.  A group called the National Liberation Front pressured Basem and Khalida’s father, Malik, to join their revolution.  Being anti-war and pro-peace, Malik refused.  He was captured and imprisoned along with his wife Naila.  They were taken by truck to a nearby town called Ain Arnat.

When Basem and Khalida returned home that day from a walk to the nearby lake, they found their home ransacked and their parents missing.  They had no other family and no place else to go.  Basem vowed to care and protect Khalida and never leave her alone.

Basem got a job working with a local carpenter.  The pay wasn’t much but it was something.  Luckily Khalida was close friends with Nina, the daughter of a farmer who raised sheep and cattle, grew wheat, oats, grapes and olives.  Their house was on the trail to the lake that Basem and Khalida often went to.  A week after their parents were captured, Basem and Khalida moved in with Nina’s family.  Nina was an only child and welcomed the visitors. 

Two years had gone by and Basem was not 18, Khalida 16.  Basem was preparing for marriage to a beautiful woman name Amel.  Graciously Nina’s father gave Basem a small piece of his land where he was now building a house, farming ground, and raising animals. 

On the day of the wedding Khalida’s mood changed from happiness for her brother to sadness for her parents.  Even though Basem wasn’t moving away and would live nearby with Amel.  She couldn’t help but think of when her parents were taken away from her.  Where they might be, and if they were still alive.  Basem, seeing her sadness promised he would find their parents and would bring back a gift when he returned from his travels. The most beautiful dress.  Sky blue, Khalida’s favorite color. 

Two Spray Painted Heads

"N-1"

7"x10" Spray Paint and Oil on Cardboard

2011

"M-1"

7"x10" Spray Paint and Oil on Cardboard

2011

Another Portrait Inspired by Early Animation

"Christine #1"

6.5"x8.5" Oil on Canvas

2011

Red White and Blue Painting

"Popsicle"

36"x36" Oil and Enamel on Canvas

2011

I went a bit abstract for this painting.  A “bit” is an understatement.  This painting started off as a portrait.  After working on it for a while, I really hated what I saw so I covered the entire canvas with a thin layer of paint.  I busted out the house paint and added some thick layers of white letting the paint drip and fall.  I ended up calling this painting “Popsicle” because it reminded me of those red, white, and blue popsicles.  I can’t think of what they’re called…rocket ships, space ships???  Some kind of ship might be in the name.

A few days ago I came across this great artist from New Zealand named Richard Pearse.  He uses pieces of wood to construct these patterns of color.  I highly recommend having a look at his work.  I’ve been working with repurposed wood in a few of my pieces so I was an immediate fan of his.

Blue Haired Girl Painting

"Blue Haired Girl"

16"x20" Oil and Acrylic on Canvas

2011

This painting started off with me dropping a wide range of colors on the surface of the canvas.  I sat the canvas on the floor and just let the paint fall on top of it.  These splatters of paint made for a pretty interesting background.  The girl in the painting came next.  She wasn’t really based on any person in particular but seems to be influenced again by animated characters.  I wasn’t thinking about that when I painted her, but the final painting does resemble an animated character.  The girl seems a bit sad, it might be the blue and gray colors she is painted in or her dark eyes.  The hair is fanning out like it is blowing in the wind or she is posing like a model with a fan blowing.   

Hairless Ostrich Painting and Randomness for Creativeness

"Hairless Ostrich"

6.5"x8.5" Oil on Canvas

2011

As I’ve said before, I always find it fun to add a touch of randomness to my paintings.  Sometimes when I have trouble coming up with ideas I’ll get myself going by painting whatever comes to my mind or whatever I see around me.  You’re probably thinking a painting of a hairless ostrich sounds a bit random…well it is.  But there is actually a crazy amount of symbolism associated with the ostrich and the egg of an ostrich, from simplicity to fertility, and they are mentioned in biblical texts as well as Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

It is pretty random that I am even talking about the symbolic significance of an ostrich.  I guess the moral of the story is that it’s good to just start painting, no matter what it is.  Motivation is for amateurs anyways right?  I can’t remember who said that.

Most of the time I end up going in a direction that I never thought I would at the beginning.  Often a random direction that I am pretty happy with in the end.  Sometimes I will have days where nothing is working and I just have to scrap everything and start over, but at least I’m painting something, thinking, making choices, and learning.  That’s always a good exercise to move creativity forward.     

Oh, and ostriches have hair all over their heads…this one doesn’t.

Salvaged Bookshelf Face Painting

"Bookshelf Portrait"

18"x24" Oil, Charcoal, Pastel on Salvaged Bookshelf

2011

This is a painting I made on a bookshelf I salvaged from the trash.  I tore it apart and attached the shelves to a wooden picture frame.  It ended up being a little dark and sinister looking when it was finished.  I think it might be the eyes, or no eyes I guess.  I thought about painting in some eyeballs but I decided to leave it without. 

Face with One Tear Painting

"Face with One Tear"

30"x36" Oil, Acrylic, Enamel, Spray Paint, Saw Dust on Salvaged Canvas

2011

Here is a painting in made on a canvas I found in the trash.  I cleaned it up a little and painted over it a few times with house paint.  Before the house paint dried I tossed some sawdust on top of it.  This gave it an interesting texture.  I just started painting this face on it without really planning anything out. This is what I came up with.  The canvas had a tear in it when I found it.  I actually like the tear being there. 

If you want to check out an awesome artist, check out the work of El Mac.  His paintings and murals are pretty amazing.  It looks like they are resonating with sound waves or something.  Or like they are painted on ripples of water.  Check out the link to his website for a look at his work.

Orange and Blue Portrait Painting, Windsor McCay, and Jascha Hoffman

"Orange and Blue Portrait"

18"x24" Oil on Canvas

2011

I couldn’t really think of anything to write about this painting.  I’m pretty happy with how it turned out though.  As I’ve said before my paintings are often influenced by early animation.  Yesterday I came across this musician called Jascha Hoffman and his video for a song called “Some Hungry Guy”.  The video was pretty interesting to me from the get go.  So I went to his website and read that it was inspired by the work of one of the pioneers of animation, Windsor McCay.  Director Benjamin Ahr used the old panels from one of McCay’s comic strips called “Little Nemo in Slumberland”.  Little Nemo debuted way back in the day…1911 to be exact.  McCay hand-colored four thousand 35mm frames to make Little Nemo.  It took him four years to complete.  That is pretty mind boggling!

So here is Jascha Hoffman’s website and video for “Some Hungry Guy”.  It’s a little creepy, fascinating, sad, and mesmerizing to watch.  I like the song too.  It will be stuck in your head if you listen to it a couple times. 

Old School Hair Drying Chair Painting

"Hair Drying Chair"

18"x22" Spray Paint on Salvaged Wood

2011

This painting reminds me a lot of my grandmother.  When I was a child she would take me with her as she got her hair done.  She would always sit in a hair drying chair and talk with her friends or read a magazine while she waited.  As a kid this contraption was really confusing to me.  Taking into account that I was only like 4 years old, I couldn’t figure out what that round thing that came down over the top of my grandmothers head was doing.  It was just a strange looking chair to me. 

As I drove home the other day I was sitting at a red light.  I looked over into the window of a salon and saw one of those old school hair drying chairs.  I was immediately taken back to the hair salon with my grandmother.  I know it may seem like a random object to make a painting of.  I often try to add something that appears a bit random into my paintings. 

Salvaged Wood Painting

"Untitled"

14"x18" Oil on Salvaged Wood

2011

As I’ve said before, I love to use salvaged wood as a surface.  For this painting I used pieces from a wooden pallet attached to a wooden frame.  I like the way pallet wood is usually really beaten up.  It just looks like it has been through a lot in its lifetime.  Being dragged around on some dirty factory floor or gouged by a forklift.  It seems to give the wood some character.

Pink Portrait Painting

"Pink Portrait"

18"x24" Oil on Repurposed Wood

2011

"Pink Portrait” is painted on what I usually call repurposed, recovered, or better yet salvaged wood.  I found it in the trash is basically what that means.  I like to keep my eyes open for junk people throw away when I’m walking or driving down alleys.  I look for anything that could possibly be painted on.  If I see something that looks decent, I drag it home and start painting.  I especially like pieces of wood that are old and weathered.  I just like the way they look.  To me, they hardly even need paint, they are already interesting enough as they are.  One artist that I really like called Word to Mother often does this as well, and comes up with some really great paintings.  You can see some of his work at StolenSpace Gallery in London.    

Blue Bird Painting

"Blue Bird"

24"x48" Oil on Canvas

2011

Well “Blue Bird” (I know I’m pretty awesome at naming stuff) is a painting I made to go along with the “Red Bird” painting.  It wasn’t my intention at the beginning, but when the blue painting was hung next to the red one, the pair of birds seemed like a couple.  The blue painting being the male and the red one being the female. 

Red Bird Painting

"Red Bird"

24"x48" Oil on Canvas

2011

Often when I am trying to come up with an idea for a painting or if I’m just plain bored, I will draw some random lines on a piece of paper then try to see an object in the lines I draw.  I guess it could be compared to finding pictures in the clouds.  This painting started off with a line that looked similar to a question mark without the dot at the bottom (?).  It reminded me of the neck of one of those huge birds that hang around the water.  A heron or a flamingo or something like that.  So I decided to make it into a painting.  I didn’t look at any pictures of birds when I painted this, I just painted it as I thought it should look.  So I guess I’ve got some kind of imaginary bird here.

 

I’ve always been interested in ancient forms of text from cultures like the Sumerians and the Egyptians.  I had also become a fan of Jose Parla and Renta’s work for a while and I really enjoy how they incorporate types of writing and text in their pieces.  So I decided to try to come up with some kind of written text of my own.  I suppose you could call it a “font” if you’d like, since each symbol represents a letter in the English alphabet.   You can see what I came up with on the right side of the painting.  This was my first use of this text in my paintings and I have since used it many more times.