Paintings, Drawings, and Murals
Graphite on paper, 16″ x 20″ $500
This simple drawing was influenced by my love of Irish symbolist painter John Duncan as well as a nostalgic fondness for the depiction and style of medieval maidens. Here I sought to express sweetness and strength, harmony, grace, and earnestness. My focus in this piece is on the eyes as windows to the soul – watery, expressive, dreamy, distant, and yearning.
Edith Piaf, Pastel on Paper, 12” x 12” $250
This dramatic rendering of the great French chanteuse Edith Piaf is in an expressionist style. I wished to convey Piaf’s emotionality and intensity – her longing, ennui, melancholy, and passion. The pose and the colors reflect the feelings of the subject. The layers of pastel echo the layers of melody and emotion in her music, the warmth and the coolness mingling in a provocative entanglement of instability. Her songs vibrated with intimacy and aloofness; Edith Piaf was an emotional powerhouse that yet seemed fragile and vulnerable. I hope that through this piece, the viewer gets a closer glimpse into the complex psyche of this great lady.
Graphite on paper, 11″ x 14″ $200
This drawing was done in the Louvre in Paris, France, standing before one of Michelangelo’s unfinished slave sculptures. I hoped to capture both the tension and fluidity in these beautiful marble statues.
Pastel, 5 ft x 7 ft, 2007
This portrayal of a mermaid lounging seaside was created for the Italian Street Painting Festival in San Rafael, CA. This work was created in collaboration with artist Vonnell Osmidoff. The image was inspired by John William Waterhouse’s painting of a mermaid.
Oil on Canvas, 8′ 6” x 9′, 2002
This mural was commissioned to decorate the foyer ceiling of a large private residence. The client requested a sky with cirrus clouds; the architectural detail and motif was of my mural partner, Julie Turpin, and my invention, and the client was very pleased with the proposed addition of these elements.
We chose to include a “Green Man” – a pagan nature deity that is a common architectural motif on many buildings in northern Europe as well as some skyscrapers in American cities. The Green Man is the consort of the great Mother Goddess of Gaelic traditions such as Wicca and Druidism, and is a protector of nature. He is usually depicted as a wise, masculine face composed of leaves, often in a symmetric, geometric pattern.
The classic balustrade adds an element of fantasy and elegance and enhances the trompe l’oeil effect to increase the illusion of depth to the sky. The (real) glass chandelier in the center of the pyramid-shaped ceiling is imported Murano glass. There are also (not pictured) green Murano glass scones located lower down on the side walls. Both the Green Man and the band of green marble painted around the perimeter of the balustrade were included to highlight and harmonize with this beautiful green glass.
Oil and acrylic, 8 ft x 12 ft
This mural was commissioned to decorate the master bathroom wall, which was above a jacuzzi bathtub and adjacent to a large sliding glass door leading to a balcony, with a view of the ocean and the San Francisco skyline. Mural partner Julie Turpin and I matched up the mural horizon with the real horizon visible through the sliding glass doors. As the client’s family frequently traveled to Greece, and lived in Marin County, California, we designed a beautiful seascape theme with Marin depicted on the left, as it might have looked 150 years ago, with a quaint Grecian town scene on the right hand side, where San Francisco would really be.
The stone tiles surrounding the tub were custom matched and extended in a trompe l’oeil effect to create the illusion of a ledge overlooking the bay. The Craftsman style faux marble pillars match the wood pillars actually existing on the family’s home, with beautiful vines of bougainvillia wrapped around them. As you can see, the mural was customized and personalized to reflect the client’s taste and lifestyle, and to harmonize with the family home and natural surroundings.
Oil and acrylic, 16 ft x 20 ft, 2007
This mural was designed for the ceiling of a waiting room in a spa in Marin County, CA. The owner and his wife has just returned from a trip to Rome and desired a sky reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling with similar smokey, golden, cotton ball type clouds, with dainty cherubs flying among them. The cherubs shower rose petals onto the customers below as they await their spa treaments.
Oil and acrylic, 16 ft x 20 ft, 2007
This mural was designed for the ceiling of a waiting room of a spa in Marin County, CA. The owner and his wife has just returned from a trip to Rome and desired a sky reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling with similar smokey, golden, cotton ball type clouds, with dainty cherubs flying among them. The cherubs shower rose petals onto the customers below as they await their spa treaments.
Graphite on Paper, 11” x 14” $1200
A new drawing by Renee Lazzareschi.
Fresco, 2.5′ x 8′
This mural took inspiration from Botticelli, Michelangelo, and the work of contemporary artist Michael Parkes. The client requested a mural with the figure inspired by Botticelli, to be clothed in the garments taking their coloration from the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, as they had recently visited Rome and toured the Vatican Museum and the Chapel. They also desired lots of small details and surrealistic elements, so they could keep uncovering and focusing on new aspects of the mural. If you look closely, you will see human and animal faces in the rock surface of the cliff, as well as an hourglass on a spiral staircase leading to an eclipse, in the background.
This mural, done with the classic fresco technique, is located in the master bathroom of a large private residence in Tiburon, California. As such, I emphasized the water element to create a relaxing and dreamy atmosphere.