"In the Rose Garden,"
30" x 24," Oil on Linen

My mother has always enjoyed gardening not just for the sake of digging in the dirt and watching things grow, but also, sharing the flowers and the produce with neighbors and friends allows her a chance to be a part of community - gardening is her statement to the world ... her world.

"Alisa," 16.5" x 11," Oil on Panel

Interestingly enough, photographers of today talk a lot more about Rembrandt lighting than painters do. They also know a lot more about posing people - probably because they are doing vast majority of the portrait work.  The light comes much more from the top rather than the side as in window lighting, and it gives a more three dimensional appearance to the face. Rembrandt can be credited for creating the spotlight long before electricity and the spotlight were even considered.

"My Maiden Aunt Reading the Bible,"
14" x 11," Oil on Panel

Posthumous painting of my aunt, done after a black and white photograph took several years in the making. Part of the challenge was translating monochromatic tones into color. The learning experience, the various attempts leading to layers upon layers of pigment resulted in a painting that has a certain richness and depth which can only be perceived by viewing the original. Since then all the paintings I have completed have at least five layers - that is to say everything is painted at least five times.

"A Simple Buddhist Monk," 28" x 22,"
Oil on Linen

The references for the painting of the Dalai Lama have been assembled from three different sources: first one for the head, second one for the body, and the third for the background.
One journalist who has not done his homework asked the Dalai Lama during an interview: "Who are you"? to which His Holiness replied with his usual patience and grace: "I am just a simple Buddhist monk."

"Meryl," 14.5" x 10," Pastel on Paper

Most who have seen Meryl Streep in "Kramer vs Kramer" recognize her instantly - she looks a little different in every role. Since completing this pastel drawing in the early 1980's  I have not worked with any other medium than oil.

"Self Portrait," 14" x 11," Oil on Panel

After more than thirty years of serious drawing and painting this is my first attempt at a self portrait. In some schools of thought it is believed that an artist has an innate and unconscious tendency to work in his own features  when painting pictures of other people. The self portrait as an assignment is meant to get that tendency out of one's system. Some contemporary, as well as painters of the past, have completed several self portraits - Rembrandt painted quite a few of himself over the years.

"Lady at the Renaissance Fair,"
14" x 11," Oil on Panel

For someone working on the techniques of the Old Masters, attending the Renaissance Fair seems to bring the characters from old paintings to life. I saw this lady from a distance and wasted no time taking a photograph of her.  I rushed through the crowds during a busy and dusty afternoon to seek a few more photo ops, but to no avail. She disappeared without a trace, leaving just one image on my roll of film, but enough to make a painting.

"Sailing on the Bay," 30 " x 24,"  Oil on Linen

I've known Richard since we were on High School cross county team and we lived in the same neighborhood. While still in high school, we took adult education classes in the evenings. I studied watercolor and pastel painting and he studied Karate. (He was no stranger to street fighting either). Still in High School I introduced him to the young lady who later became his wife and they've been together at least 25 years. Even after that, he is still my  friend. He has helped me move nine times in 15 years, and still my best friend. He has also helped me in matters of art sales.
It is very difficult for most of us painters to arrange for an exhibit in an established gallery and even more difficult to sell a painting. But even more challenging than all of that is getting paid on time. In one case I did not receive any compensation for two years after a painting sold. By that time I had moved out of town and the dealer refused to answer my inquires by letter or by phone. I was afraid that the gallery would go out of business and that the dealer, along with half a dozen of my paintings would disappear without a trace. It has happened before.  I asked Richard to drop in at the gallery with a notarized letter from me indicating that he was to take over my business with their establishment. They immediately turned my paintings over to him and I had a check for the full amount for the painting that sold Fed Ex'ed to me the very next day.