CERN #3 Protons Colliding - 32 x 36 x 1.5 - 450.00 US

Here it is at last, springtime in Switzerland and the protons have finally collided at very near the speed of light.  Thankfully I did not experience a singularity or black hole formation or else it would have swallowed up our newly remodeled kitchen as I painted this in the dining room where the light was better.  Look closely for quarks and bosons, Mr. Higgs is in there somewhere I am sure of it.  Have you ever read the book Blasphemy by Douglas Preston?  It is a good read and I recommend it if you like scientific facts mixed with your fiction.   As you can see I have surrendered to the power of pure abstract expressionism in these paintings and I must say that it is very liberating.  You have to be careful here as the smallest amount of form or illustration can be perceived as being "contrived" and we don't need that in a work that is supposed to be purely uninhibited.  My credit card paint application device broke in half part way through this painting.  I hope the AMEX sales staff gets on the ball and sends me a new one soon....

"Days of Noah" - 20" x 24" - Acrylic - 150.00 US

This is actually the third in a series that began with the "Rule of Nines".  The second painting was called "Solstace" but I cannot find a decent photo of it and now it has sold!  Not a bad problem but I kind of hate it when that happens.  I am loving the juxtiposition of organic verses geometric in this group of paintings.  I have also started using some metallics just to spice things up a bit.  I coated this piece with two layers of liquitex gloss varnish and the colors just popped.  I wish you could see the depth in this photo but it just isn't showing all of the detail that I wish it would.  This painting will be showing soon (next week I believe) at Dr. Becky Bryants' office at the bone and joint center near Cox South.

This deserves a shout out to the Springfield Regional Arts Center (SRAC) as well as all of their corporate members for sponsoring shows like this one.  Thanks for the opportunity!





"Impact" - 30"x15" - Acrylic - SOLD

This little 30"x 15" painting is called "Impact".  Really, I need to quit watching ancient aliens and through the wormhole.... This dinosaur killer tells quite the tale but I will leave you to figure out the story just the way you see it instead of boring you with my explanation.  Can you believe that someone recently told me that I talk too much about my art?!!  Not sure if I can change that but if the aire of mystery causes more interest then it would definitely be the right thing to do.  I think...  What do you think?  I'm co-dependant right?  Nuff said...

"Rule of Nines" - 24"x 40" - Acrylic - 425.00 SOLD

Ok...  Well a lot has happened over the last month.  I curated a local show called "Intellectual Abstractions" at the Creamery Arts Center here in Springfield, MO and it was a great success.  I sold four paintings and made several new friends.  In addition; I have begun working as an Artistic Consultant, mainly assisting local venues in setting up gallery space and finding artists for shows and the such like.  It is very rewarding and I am very happy to be working in a field that I am so passionate about.  Thank you God for answered prayers!

Along the way I have still been able to find some time for painting.  This painting called "Rule of Nines" is 24"x 40" and is painted on a hollow core door panel with acrylic paint.  This is the first in a series and I will be posting more as they come along.  The number nine is a great number mathmatically and has held my interest for some time now.  I decided to make this painting after reading the Terry Goodkind novel "The Law of Nines" but prefered to use the word rule instead of law...  Here is one interesting factoid.  If you multiply any two digits between one and nine by the number nine (ie - 3 x 9 =27), then the two digits in the resulting number will always equal 9 when added together.  I will stop now because I see my wife yawning and rolling her eyes...  Enjoy the color if nothing else!

"Subduction Zone" - 24"x 48" - Acrylic - 550.00 US

This 24x48 acrylic on hollow core door panel combines both geological and geometrical aspects into one painting.  The concept is a merger of two of my painting styles and it came to me after watching a show on NatGeo about earthquakes.  No deep meanings here, just my abstract rendition of the movement of tectonic plates along fault lines.  This painting is currently for sale and on display in the lobby of University Plaza here in Springfield, MO.

"Babel On" - 36"x 32" - Acrylic - 625.00 US

 "Babel On"...  an appropriate title for this painting as well as my state of mind!  Things have sort of exploded around here and in a good way even.  This year has been full of opportunities starting with my own show at Driskill Gallery in the SBU Art Department.  The show went very well (I actually sold something...) and it seemed to open a door of further opportunities.  One of our upscale hotel properties, University Plaza,  fell under new management and opened their doors to display the work of local artists.  I was the first chosen to display there and ended up helping to curate the show which was a hit and actually made it into two separate newspapers! (woo hoo!!)  I also had several pieces accepted into the "Big Show" at the Springfield Airports Sky Gallery and directly after that was asked to curate my own show "Intellectual Abstractions" at the the Springfield Regional Art Council's - Creamery Arts Center.  This show will open next Friday July 6 and so far it is looking very promising.

Babel On is the second and last painting is my very small series investigating the use of a mono-chromatic pallet and symbolism to embrace social commentary and visually discuss the results of language and math in regard to their contributions to mankinds ability to grow in wisdom and pass on that knowledge to future generations.  Just try for a moment to imagine a world without language and then a world without mathematics.  Can you say "stone age"???

The writing in this piece is ancient Sanskrit, Cuniform and African Andinkra symbols.  These are some of the (if not THE) oldest "writings" in our recorded history of language.  Without the ability to document and record progress (Inventions, knowledge...) much is lost over time and the wheel then must be re-invented.  The ancient art of story telling is romantic and probably way better for us than television, but, in the end it allows for the "recipe" to change over time thus affecting the outcome...  True to my first sentence I have babelled on!!  Enjoy this piece and enjoy your day...

"Precept Upon Precept" - 38.5" x 72" - Acrylic (Diptych) - 1200.00 US

There is a passage in Isaiah that reads as follows:  "Isa 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:"   This verse speaks to the way we learn.  Knowledge is not given all at once, but instead we learn slowly and progressively.  We build on previous successes and we also learn from our mistakes.  We start with a foundation and then build upon it.  This is the given process whether growing in worldly knowledge or in spiritual wisdom.  We lay a foundation then start adding layers.  This painting is a representation of that process.  Layer upon layer of paint, building to the finished painting.  You will notice that I kept the color pallet to a minimum which is always difficult for me!  I wanted the structure to speak more than the color in this piece but that yellow still has quite a voice...  The numbers and symbols represent the contribution mathematics and language have had upon our ability to grow intelectually.  I believe they represent the "blocks" with which all of our learning experiences are built with.  Will we build wisely?  If we allow God to become our foundation and build upon Him, then the answer is yes...

"Guardians of Peace" 40" x 10' 8" Acrylic on four wooden door panels

I created this piece specifically for show at the Driskill Gallery on the SBU campus in Bolivar, MO.  The painting (all 11 feet of it...) is now hanging and the reception for this opening is tonight!  I intially started this piece with the idea that it would grow over time by adding new panels to the ends or even above or below to create a scrabble board type effect.  I still like that concept but maybe not for this particular painting as it sort of took on a life of its own during the creative process and ended up turning into something I had not anticipated but have decided to live with!  The title all started with the dove (yes, that is a dove...) in the second panel from the left.  Then as figures started to emerge I saw them as watchers or guardians; maybe even as angels checking out whats happening down here and occasionally protecting us from ourselves and helping us salvage what little "peace" we have left.  This is my largest painting to date and I look forward to creating even larger work in the future.

New Venue!!

My newest venture has been to start showing work at businesses in downtown Springfield, MO.  My newest venue, is Kiss My Gas Scooters at 212 South Campbell between Walnut and College.  Joe Berrer and his wife Shanna have a great shop with plenty of wall space for my larger pieces.  With the rainbow of scooter colors and the colorful art scattered around it is certainly an energetic space.  Come by any time to look at the scooters and browse my artwork!  Here is the link to Joes site:  www.kissmygasscooters.com