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.