A Little Life

Blood Groove

The sample, in its crystalline vial, was snapped shut, mixed carefully, sealed into an envelope, sent to the lab and the results arrived in an email a few weeks later. The centuries fell away in crisp black and white and the reel of history was played out in the graceful curves of a double helix…



Across the thirsty land, two men – nearly brothers - faced one another. Horses snorted and reared. The sunlight glinted off iron. Swords clashed, blood was spilled… The cross took the place of the crescent as a cloud cut over the face of the Moon…

We are never more distant from one another than 50th cousin. DNA tells us a different story than churches, temples, banks, and men in power. It is time to read, and to believe. The truth, this time around. We share the same Heart.

Acrylic on canvas with upholstery fabric, cotton, silk, polyester, leather and bone.
24 x 36” or 60.9 x 91.4 cm.

Sea Chantey

Calling all Sailors! From across the waters of the world comes the Song… You must listen very carefully, because it runs so quietly through the seashell of the ear and brain.



It is the Song of those who share our nature and the sea-salt composition of warm blood. Its soft, plaintive undercurrent is difficult to detect over the din and cacophony of embarkations and arrivals, the tapping-out of messages, the ringing-in of profits, assurances of security, in boardrooms and banks, and over the ticking of omnipresent Clocks.



Navigate with mindfulness of the kith-and-kindred nature of what sails alongside of you, unseen but always there.



Acrylic on canvas with upholstery fabric, silk, cotton, linen and gold leaf and mica. 30 x 40" or 76.2 x 101.6 cm.

Chac-Mool

A sort of doodle done while waiting for glue to dry on another painting. Chac-mools are normally depicted with their heads turned to the side, but this just struck me as a Chac-mool. And here comes the ship...

Acrylic, house paint and fake gold leaf on watercolor paper and upholstery fabric with photo transfer.

8.5 x 10" or 21.5 x 25.4 cm.

The Lady and Her Camel

Deep in the chintz, the Aynsley patterned sleeves, lace collar. Mouth of Africa, tiger's-eye, and a camel for her arms. She inhabits the globe without ever leaving her drawing room.

Acrylic on paper with cotton, wool, white metal, bone and glass beads, old watch. 10 X 13" or 24.4 x 33 cm.

The Devil And His Kiss

(He'll promise you anything).

Acrylic on paper with glass and stone beads and 23K gold leaf. 10 X 13" or 25 X 33 cm.

A Fool For Love

The Jester pokes fun at everyone and everything, but when he is in love he is truly a Fool. Meanwhile, a Camel passes through his Eye and enters a desert oasis in the soft background...

Acrylic paint on paper with leather, silk, wool, copper leaf, glass, bone and ceramic. 11 X 15" or 27 X 38 cm.

Pillow Talk

Another needle felted Mermaid. She will also end up on a pillow, like the first one.

Because I Felt Like It

I decided to try needle felting today. JoAnn Fabrics was open so I bought the needles, the wool roving and a felt backing. This is my first attempt. I will make a pillow for the guest room with it.

Kiss!

Acrylic on paper and reverse acrylic painting on mica.

The Sad King

Acrylic on paper and reverse painting on mica with 23K gold leaf.

The striations in the body and the "dots" in the face are part of the natural sheet mica.

The Saint

Acrylic on paper and reverse acrylic painting on mica with 23K gold leaf.

Repainting Miss Liberty, Nov.7, 2012

Acrylic on paper and mica with macaw feather.

Mica Painting

A painting on paper and sheets of mica. A very unusual mineral, it was used by Native Americans, most famously by the ancient Hopewell Indians of Ohio, to make marvelous cut-outs or hands and hawks. It has also been used as a natural glitter in frescoes. Now sold as an art material in craft shops. It peels very interestingly, and is mostly transparent, lending itself to layering of materials. In this case, I have used acrylic paint on both front and reverse, faux gold leaf behind and on top of it, and paua shells all glued down with gloss gel medium. The piece on the far left of the painting has a lot of wonderful, moss-like inclusions, right in the mineral itself. I did not paint on that piece but added it pure to the mix.

Leftovers

The studio isn't quite ready. Still needs lighting, an alternative heat source. But in between home improvement projects I can snatch a little art time here and there. I have discovered that leftover Behr paint samples make really nice little paintings on paper. A couple of them here. Just warm-ups, to be doing something other than picking out lighting fixtures, climbing ladders and snapping pictures of local wildlife...

Conversation

Beyond the Breakfast Table...

"Without leaving my house, I know the whole universe." - Lao-Tzu

My Giverny

The new house has a Japanese-style bridge over a muddy, weedy little pond. I have big plans for the little bridge and the little pond. But I will have to excavate because the pond has collapsed in on itself to a degree. Then I may paint it the same color as Monet's Japanese bridge. Or not. We shall see...

My Fish is in there... http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E3vkCSOMLis#!

The Little Free Library Hits the Newsstands!

http://www.grossepointenews.com/Articles-Features-i-2012-06-07-247178.114135-A-novella-library.html

The Captain

A new painting to be raffled off at the Navy League Ball in early June.

...and a detail...

Bubbly in a Brothel

Enjoying a glass of champagne "Under The Poppy"...

The Seashell

A companion piece to the last mermaid. Already privately owned. Acrylic on canvas board. 61 x 91 cm. (24 x 36")

The Siren and the Storm

Our new tenants in my ex-studio came to us from a very tiny house previously in which they had to put their washer and dryer in the living room and put a piece of plywood to hide it. They feel very rich in a 900 square foot house. So rich that the lady of the house wanted a painting to decorate her living room wall. And she wanted me to do it. I have painted a mermaid for her because her couch is a dark red-brown and the Caribbean blue will stand out but she is not obligated to buy it. I was able to keep the price down and I have a frame left over from years and paintings ago. She'll see it this weekend.
Acrylic on canvas with mother of pearl, pearl and paua shell fragments. 61 x 122 cm. (24 x 48")

The Flat Earth

It is said that if a mariner travels too far from the sight of land, his ship will tumble over the edge of the world into a universe filled with hideous monsters. This is only partly true. The monsters that a man may meet in the abyss on the other side of the world are the ones he carried on his vessel – stowaways he did not know were aboard. They are the monsters that condemn him to seeing only in black and white, only in shades of grey. The landscape in that lonely place is frozen and he drifts endlessly in the small areas of open water around the pack ice, plagued by doubt. Above, the known world is filled with color, warm sun, and light, variable breezes.

Acrylic and gel medium transfer. From the leather sketchbook.

My Little Library

My Little Free Library is in place!!! I am really happy!

Beyond the Mast

Beyond the Mast there are Angel guides and Compasses, Charts and serious descriptions of voracious and destructive Sea Monsters. One is instructed in the precise location of the very Edge of the World and with such guidance a mariner need never fear. Listen quietly to the voices from beyond the Mast.

Acrylic, cotton, silk, linen, photo transfer, mica and 23K gold leaf. From the leather sketchbook.

Sugar and Spice and All Thing Nice

I took a trip to our downtown Eastern Market to buy spices and then made paintings. Some spices included garam masala, curry powder, raw cocoa, Hungarian paprika, turmeric, crushed spearmint, dill seeds, lavender flowers and more... The drawing is done with coffee (Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso) and there are touches of 23K gold leaf and patent leaf on some. The whole house is fragrant.

This painting reminded me of a Byzantine icon:

A detail of the spices:

A spicy profile:

The first full-sized spice painting. Kind of Buddha-like:

Lash

She's married to the sea, no matter where she goes. Lashed to the mast, suffering the pain of lashes, gazing out across the waves from under curved black lashes. Some ties bind forever and ever.

Acrylic on paper, with gel medium photo transfer and mica. From the Leather Sketchbook.

The Sailmaker's Hands

Sometimes our fate hangs on the slenderest of threads.

Acrylic paint with gel medium photo transfer and pearl-colored mica. From sketchbook.