The Eight-legged Creature of My Dreams

 Octopode in Hudson Valley

Octopode at the Thomas Cole House 

Octopode at the Lighthouse

In the silent nighttime landscape of my paintings, surreal creatures grow to epic scale to invade our homes and, in turn, save the planet.

As the conflict between man and nature rages on, my current artwork continues to explore how nature fights back against the war humans have waged against the environment in the name of modernity and progress. Clearly, man-made climate change leads to erratic, long-term, and dangerous disruption to our weather patterns, causing man and beast to alter behavior patterns.  Perhaps the most adaptive creature is the octopus. Where man asserts his intelligence and aesthetic judgement with his ability to create inventive modes of transportation and shelter, it is the octopus who is a master of change.  From altering its color at will, to repairing damage to their 500,000,000 neurons, to escaping captivity, the octopus' intelligence is exceptional, perhaps even more impressive than man's. Since the octopus has a relatively brief lifespan, it develops to adulthood quickly, educates itself, with some having enough strength to muscle a grown man to the ground. Although it was a Japanese, nuclear-mutated reptile that emerged as Godzilla, a symbol of man's destructive influence on the environment, the octopus is more readily poised to become man's adversary. Even its ability to shoot ink makes at a rather artistic defense mechanism and the perfect subject of my dreams. 

Houses I Have Known

Surreal landscapes

Houses I've known

Paula Hayes: Her Hand in Nature

Nature's beauty has been central to many artists, including American artist and botanist Paula Hayes. Juxtaposing  microcosms of miniature environments and oversized morning glory blossoms, Hayes' work reveals a playful and thoughtful interpretation of nature's importance to the balance of our world. Mixing acrylic shapes with actual plants, the transparency, light, fluid forms and organic textures of her work serve to magnify the beauty of our natural environment, which often gets lost in the overwhelming whir of a world man has created.

Octopoda in Hudson Valley

I was very surprised and honored to receive the Director's Choice award for this year's annual members show at the Athens Cultural Center.  More than that, I was pleased to see people appreciating the humor of my painting Octopoda in Hudson Valley.  It was a painting that evolved over several years, starting as a snow scene and eventually moving to night skies and green grass.  But it was the addition of the trapped octopus which really gave the painting its legs, so to speak.  The octopus, an intelligent and mysterious creature, is well known for its ability to escape confinement, so in the longstanding battle between man and nature, it appears as if the octopus may have a fighting chance of victory. As for the frame, I have always wondered how to use this antique moulding I found in the basement, and since it seems to mimic the tentacles of the octopus, it was a perfect way to resolve the edges of this panel. Now I need to revisit other paintings to see which ones could stand to have an octopus added.

Hudson River School Revisited

Hudson River Octopoda                    Oil on Paper

A Wing and Prayer Wallet         Upcycled Leather

As I completed the painting Hudson River Octopoda featuring the Thomas Cole House in Catskill and Olana across the Hudson River in Hudson, NY, I realized the importance of the conversation between two artists.  It was the collaboration between Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church that encouraged both men to pursue ideas about man's relationship to nature, thus establishing the Hudson River School of Art.  With this context in mind that I changed the name of this blog to Omgeving, a Dutch word for surroundings-- for when you surround yourself in an environment of creative people, an engaging conversation about art, architecture, and the environment is bound to emerge.

I've had such a 30+ year conversation with dear friend and fellow artist Adriane Errera, whose one-of-a-kind handbags have inspired me greatly. As a lifelong vegetarian, Errera faced an ethical quandary over using leather materials, so when making her handmade accessories, she decided to upcycle second-hand leather garments found at thrift stores, which not only keeps garments out of landfills, but curtails the use of new animal products.  The designs themselves incorporate nature-based motifs with tattoo-inspired illustration. I've long admired her sense of color and craft as she refashioned garments into artistic statements.

So perhaps this blog can serve as a conversation-starter for your own creative growth, either alone, or with friends!

Media Blitz Pops

I am taking a moment away from my twitter feed, Facebook, and obsessive news watching to say something about the media as depicted by pop artist Robert Rauschenberg. His fractured images of jumbled news events feel like the noise in my head as I try to navigate the brave new world of a 24/7 news cycle.  Though most often associated with the 1960s, Rauchenberg's career spanned a much greater period, but it is those works from the 1960s which seem especially prescient.  As we click through the channels and surf the web, the myriad of clipped images and sound bites leaves the viewer to make sense of the constant stream of information.  And in these rough days of 2017, none of it seems to make much sense.

Little Details, Big Picture

The Nassau County Art Museum in Roslyn, NY featured some of the most interesting contemporary paintings I've seen in a long time.  Using patterns of color, texture, and text, the images remained abstract until viewed through the digital lens of my iPhone.  Ironically, the image could not be captured as the naked eye saw it; instead it morphed into a realistic portrait.  The top image by South African Gavin Rain was created from rings of colorful circles, only to become the visage of a movie star or political activist, an odd juxtaposition for certain.

Oak Beach Goes Pop

In exploring decorating options for the BPA Brooklyn office, the large white walls will clearly need some artwork that pops visually.  I'm beginning to play with some images of BPA projects that might work in a colorful and graphic format.  The Oak Beach house seems like a perfect fit, with its dynamic rooflines and rhythmic forms.  This image is the first attempt; luckily photographer Cliff Gardiner of Klph and John Studio has offered his expertise in this endeavor.

Painting Study

The New Parrish Museum

Olivia and Jackson with artist Malcolm Morley and his wife Lida

Jackson in front of a Ross Bleckner painting

The new Parrish art museum is a brutal version of a long house filled with an engaging mix of paintings, from hundred year old visions of the East End to modern color fields.  The exhibition rooms now feature the work of British artist Malcolm Morley, for whom James was a studio assistant while in graduate school.  During that time, Malcolm had just started his series of images dedicated to model planes, so it was particularly exciting to see some of those paintings again, as well as how Malcolm went on to develop the imagery.  A WWII history buff, Jackson was completely impressed with Malcolm's fighter planes, as well as Malcolm's red plaid suit.  While exploring the museum, Jackson's own fashion sense was rewarded with an impromptu photo shoot with the local paparazzi. When visiting the South Fork, make sure you stop by this nifty new version of the Parrish Art Museum.

James Bouler: My Muse

From 2009 to 2011, I have been tearing through ideas and activities at a breakneck speed.  In fact, I once told someone I felt like a hamster on a wheel, on fire.  Let's just say that mindset isn't the best for making art.  My mind was both tangled like spaghetti and yet void of anything creative.
Sensing a momentary break in the action, Louise Millmann turned to me and said, "Time to get back in the studio."  OK, sounds good, but what to say?  After a few abstract watercolors, just to see color and texture again, I had my inspiration:  James Bouler's 50th Birthday.

I've dabbled in collage over the years, usually to generate ideas for paintings, but with James facing a milestone, his life gave me inspiration. It started in Photoshop, using old photos to make invitations and signs for an upcoming celebration.  Once the ideas started, it was time to work with tactile objects. Using a map of Alabama for the first image, I pulled in an old photo, text, and geography, trying to create a poem about his youth in the South.  With Ray Johnson's film, How To Draw A Bunny playing in the background for inspiration, Jackson helped me cut and glue the pieces in place.  We moved on to the target, with a man and his son planting seeds-- a metaphor for James in so many ways-- with his younger self running into the collage.  The text, a piece by Kierkegaard about the lives we lead and our spiritual goals, seemed a perfect fit to our 'target'-- a life well-lived.

Platonic Ideal

Ask any child to draw a house and you'll find the classic gabled roof.  Despite the variety of houses they've seen, engrained in our consciousness is the triangular roof and straightforward facade. Here are two examples-- George Washington's house at Valley Forge, PA, and the other a Presbyterian church in Old Scotland, AL.  Divided by geography, function, materials, and about 50 years, they nevertheless retain the same ideal form.  Don't be surprised if both wind up as the subject of my next two paintings.

Hey Charley!!

What can I say about Charlie Harper: An Illustrated Life except that I bought it as a gift and kept it. The graphics capture animals in the most minimal essence that it's hard not to try to live my entire life in such economy. Instead of the Taoist who shrunk man inside the magnitude of nature, Charley Harper turns nature into a Platonic essence. Bird-ness indeed!!!

Yoshitomo Nara at Pace

Yoshitomo Nara's exhibition of works on paper opens Wednesday, March 7 through Saturday, March 10, noon to 8 PM
Sunday, March 11, noon to 6 PM at THE PACE GALLERY, BOOTH C-7, THE ART SHOW Park Avenue and 67th Street NYC
From PACE GALLERY:
The drawings, some made on the backs of envelopes and postcards, show his signature characters, sardonic children who possess a startling emotional intensity. One of the leading artists of Japan's influential Neo-Pop movement, Nara fuses Japanese visual traditions and Western Modernism with elements of popular culture ranging from manga to American pop and punk music, the lyrics of which appear in many of his paintings and drawings.

Charley Harper: MidCentury Artist and Birder

When we saw the Charley Harper exhibition at Cornell Lab of Ornithology last spring, I hadn't realized how much his work would seep into my consciousness. With my growing passion for streamlined midcentury design only growing, his colorful images capture the essence of birds in a uniquely stylized way. So when I was searching for a new 2012 calendar this morning, Charley Harper's images came to mind. With January already gone, I thought, hey I'll get a discount. On the contrary, Harper's calendars are SOLD OUT on many sites and now commanding higher prices. Fortunately I was able to find one at its original price before they were all gone. What this means, of course, is that my Charley Harper illustrated first edition of Betty Crocker's Dinner for Two Cookbook must be worth at least double the $3.50 I paid for it at a yard sale.

Wordless Monday

Still Working on My Emotions

When I was asked to create a sheet of emotions, I realized how subtle most of human emotion really is. How do I depict the difference between satisfied and empowered? Oy. The precision of language and the subtlety of emotion conveyed in a stick figure-- go figure!

Express Yourself

Had some fun expressing some emotions the other day with my Sharpie.

ABAD Idea Makes the NYT

The latest installment of the A Book About Death is in Bay Shore, NY and features the work of 150 artists, including Louise Millmann, James Bouler and me. Recently reviewed in the New York Times, the exhibition centers around the broad concept of 'ties that bind' which provides plenty of room for interpretation. Hats off to the ABADer LuAnn Palazzo who curated the show.

Hanging Around the House With Modernemama

When Modernemama realized she had new art work on hand which needed proper placement, she called in the experts. Rockstar framer Cherie lead the collaborative efforts of the crew, moving this one a little to the left, and that, over to the right. With an attention to composition, color, and lighting, the wide array of art was showcased to its best advantage. Afterwards we raised a glass or two to celebrate a successful work party.