When It Rains
2007 - 32"x16"x1" Acrylic, colored pencil, charcoal, oil pastel, newspaper on found plywood.
Finished with two coats of Krylon Matte Finish #1311
(Private Collection - New York)

The making of this painting was captured on video. Click here to see it! - VIDEO

The Egyptian bird was made from a paper stencil and acrylic paint. I smeared the paint as I removed the stencil, but was able to clean it up nicely with an exacto knife. The stencil has a very clean look that really doesn't fit my style, so I applied some thin layers of paint and scratched it up with a razor blade to give it a weathered look. Since the bird is Egyptian, the pyramids naturally came next.

The newspaper pieces came from a Brooklyn Rail magazine, and were mainly selected because they provided a nice contrast of black and white. The far left piece of paper has some poetic phrases on it. I originally had no intention of incorporating them into my painting, but after I read them, I ended up making some modifications and keeping them. The outcome should not be interpreted as me taking someone else's art and destroying it, or trying to improve it. It simply served as inspiration for something new.

Talk to People --> Don't Talk to People
I'm definitely an introvert and keep to myself. The new phrase inspired the two animals and the person. It's a little convoluted, but I was thinking of how parents always say "Don't talk to strangers". If animals could talk, they would probably say "Don't talk to people".

Take More Chances --> More
I actually like the original phrase, but "more" better describes my mindset for painting. I always want to add more. This painting is a great example.

Nothing Really Happens When You Work Alone --> Work Alone
I suppose it depends what you are doing, but working alone works quite well for painting.

I continued my experimentation with silver and gold paint. I also mixed the gold paint with water and applied it in various parts of the painting to add some sparkle.

I added the lollipop trees all over the place because I like how they add color and provide a strange contrast to the Egyptian theme. I continue to experiment with color vs. black & white. The middle sections on the black newspaper are mostly black and white pencil. I applied spare paint that I had on my fingers or brush to the newspaper to add a slight amount of color.

I originally had only a few of the circle patterns, but I kept adding more and more until they were everywhere. I have been studying Shepard Fairey's stencil artwork, especially how he uses repetitive decorative patterns in the background. I tweaked this idea to better fit my style by hand drawing the circles for a repetitive yet inprecise pattern. It was done last, so it's actually in the foreground.

The animals continue to be an ongoing theme in my paintings. They are actually all over the place, but the small ones are hard to see in the photos. My two favorites are the turtle and the snake. See if you can find them.