Urban Landscapes
I rely on my digital camera to “remember” scenes of interest. These landscapes are generally somewhat mundane, fixtures of our daily lives that we might not pay any special attention to. In painting these scenes I seek to elevate the subject matter. Its sort of like seeing someone outside of work. You don’t recognize them without their uniform – you can really SEE them.
El Tracks and Stations
The elevated train is part of the soul of Chicago. The trains represent modernity and industrialization, the movement of masses of people, which is pretty magnificent. But, there’s also the waiting – waiting for the bus or train to come is not very empowering. And, being IN humanity is often dehumanizing.
Fast Food Joints
A similar theme of “duality” for this series as in the El Tracks. The convenience of fast food, the ubiquitous and homogenous presence of McDonald’s, Burger King, etc. all over the world, and the consumption of “whatever” in place of thoughtful, balanced, nourishing meals (meals are where you sit down with family or friends and have a conversation)… They provide “what you want, how and when you want it” – but is that really what we need? Aesthetically – I do like the way these places look, especially at night. Something beautiful and sinister which makes for fun painting! I am definitely thinking of Van Gogh’s “Night Cafe” painting for these.
Portraits of People
Painting people is a nice break from the complex architectural and street scene stuff. Self-portraits I do from life (obviously) so that’s always a good exercise when blocked.
House Portrait Series
Painting houses is a lot like painting people. These are portraits in the sense that they attempt to capture the unique characteristics and “personality” of these places. I suppose the house is like a body and the windows are the eyes to its soul. And – a house also has some other meaning – family, security, a place in the natural order of things.
Animal Portraits
Animals!!!
The Delilah’s Series
Delilah’s owner, Mike Miller, first saw my work in 2003 at the Around the Coyote Festival. He liked a painting of an old-timey Chicago bar I had on display and invited me to create a show for Delilah’s 13th Anniversary. These paintings are based on photographs I took over a 3 – 4 month period in 2004. ”Conversation (Upstairs with Fran),” is on permanent view in the Delilah’s upstairs bar.