"Melody of Creation" - 36" x 65" x 1.5" - Acrylic on hollow door panel - $925.00 SOLD

This larger painting needs to be viewed up close and in good lighting!  The texture and colors merge to create some very intricate and detailed surfaces that cannot readily be seen in this photograph.  Hmm...  that reminds me that sometimes we need to take a closer look at the people in our lives so we can truly understand them instead of cramming them into the mold of who we think they are...  just saying...   Anyway, this painting is yet another piece inspired by shows such as "The Universe", "How the Universe Works" or "Through the Wormhole".  I really enjoy watching and listening as scientists try to explain the creation of the Universe without God.  I mean really...   First there was nothing, then there was a bang and something appeared and over 13.7 billion years this nothing expanded to form our current universe and this all happened by accident!  That is one incredible accident!  Then all of this STUFF started to coalesce into suns and solar systems and galaxies all by the work of gravity/accretion.  The more of these shows that I watch (and I watch a lot of them thanks to the wonders of DVR...) the more I see that gravity is the god of most Cosmologists.  For me it is much easier to simply believe that God said it and it was...  I guess it simply comes down to whether we choose to believe in the Bible as the word of God or choose to believe in accidental fate.  That is the beauty of free will, we can believe what ever we want.  Either way, this universe of ours is a very beautiful and awe inspiring place and I am very happy to be a speck of dust on a tiny planet somewhere in the Milky Way.

"Beneath the Drought" - 24" x 20" x 1.5" - Acrylic on hollow door panel - $250.00

Here in the mid-west (as in much of the US) we experienced a terrible drought last year.  There were days that I felt as though I could actually hear the ground and trees groaning for a drink of cool, refreshing water.  I remember walking out into the yard with our dogs and feeling the grass crunching under my feet!  The rain teased us a few times with just a sprinkle, but then one day the rains came in earnest and I believe it was renewing not only to the earth but to our spirits as well.  I stood outside for a while soaking up the big drops and thanking God for the rain.  In those moments I became inspired and rushed inside to start this painting.  I remembered that even as the rain waters the earth; we are also watered and refreshed by God through the renewing power of His Holy Spirit!

"Day One - Ashes to Ashes" - 24' x 40" x 1.5" - Acrylic on hollow door panel - $425.00 (SOLD)

Here is my version of the post apocalyptic world we were all afraid of during the cold war.  That is if you are as old as me and were alive back then!  This heavily textured painting is rather bleak and barren but I suppose that is what one would expect to find the day after the bombs fell.  Those days were very fearful to many and it is troubling to hear that some countries are starting to threaten the use WMD's again.  Mankind never seems to tire of finding new ways of killing and new reasons to start wars.  Jesus warned us that it would be this way...  Mt 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  One day he will return in power and glory and then we will finally achieve the "world peace" so many people have been wishing for.  A special thanks to my new collector who purchased this painting from a show at the Springfield, MO Creamery Arts Center.

Nebulous Substrate in Red - 36" x 40" x 1.5" - Acrylic on hollow core door panel - $625.00

 

 

Believe it or not, this painting or at least a part of it was inspired by the partially constructed "death star" from the very first Star Wars movie.  It is currently on display at "ART INSPIRED" here in Springfield, Mo.  The fascination that I have with our universe continues to grow within me, and when I think of just how vast it is I am in awe.  I often wonder just how big God has to be in order to create something that is 13.7 light years across and contains literally billions of galaxies.  I guess it is no exageration when He says in Isaiah 66: "The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool"!!

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

"Lust of the Flesh" - Acrylic on door panel - 36" x 40" x 1.5" - 525.00 US

This painting represents a break through for me in that I have taken a style originally meant to vaguely represent geological rock formations and allowed it to evolve or mutate into something new and different. While this painting still has defined "layers", they now each represent something other than just abstracted rock strata. If you look at the first layer on the left you will see the shape of a female figure. The blue layer in the middle contains a gawking face and the greenish orange layer to the right contains a figure turning away as to avoid the entire situation. In addition the blue face contains several red/magenta circles meant to represent lustful thoughts. An additional face (looking but not looking) in the man turning away, shows that a part of him wants to look back even as he averts his gaze.

"Circular Logic" - Acrylic on door panel - 35" x 30" x 1.5" - 425.00 - SOLD

I continued with the center band in this painting, however, I utilized the concept of a fault line from my previous painting, by displacing portions of the band as if tectonic plates had shifted.  I incorporated circles instead of lines in this painting as an attempt to further the evolution of a concept.  I added directional lines on the circles which lead to a new type of signature for this series.  You will also note that there is a distinguishable face in the lower left as I began to pull form from the organic.  The changes in this painting led directly to a bolder use of definable content in my next painting called "Lust of the Flesh". 

In my discussion during the last few posts, I keep mentioning the phrase "evolution of a painting".  I am trying to let my work grow and expand into something deeper and more personal.  As an attempt to do this I am forcing myself to make changes in each painting that will force it to become something at least slightly different than the last.  Not just in composition and color but also a painting that stretches my own boundaries of creativity.  I want to create more....  I want to know what is really inside of me.

"Fault Line" - Acrylic on door panel - 40" x 32" x 1.5" - 480.00 US

To be honest, I approached this painting very openly hoping to find some magic and see this series of paintings begin to evolve.  Once again I wanted to use bright and vivid colors with even a little more saturation this time.  I chose to balance the bright colors with the whites, greys and black in the center of the painting.  While I like this painting it does not represent the title as much as I wish it did.  I hung on to this thought and incorperated it into the next painting called "Circular Logic".  A face emerges in one of the lower black lines of this painting and although it was accidental, I liked it and added a face into Circular logic as well.  I didn't know it yet but the evoloution had begun!!

"Earth Borne" - Acrylic on door panel - 40" x 28" x 1.5" - 425.00 US

There was a gallery showing recently that was a benefit for a local organization that collects food for the hungry.  The theme was "Til All Are Fed".  My challenge was to create a piece for this exhibit that would represent this concept and yet fit into my current series of paintings which abstractly represents earths geological formations.  I chose to depict earths fertility through soil, a root system and then ultimately the fruit of this growth process.  Whether the soil provides grain, vegetables, fruit or even grass; it not only provides food for us, but for all of the earths creatures as well.  Many people have found this painting to be disturbing and hard to interpret.  Once I explain the concept however they seem to find it a little easier to pallet.  The colors at the top imply growth and fertility, but are they representative as well?  I will give you a hint, think extreme close up...

"Exuberance" Acrylic on door panel - 42" x 30" - 485.00 US

I have to wonder where some of these titles come from.  Sometimes I think I am reflecting a state of mind more than an actual concept that defines the work itself.  I am continuing the series of paintings that relate to geology, specifically the earths crust and rock layers/formations.  This one is much brighter and perhaps this is the reason for the title "Exuberance".  The entire painting was created using a sponge, credit card and the pizza cutter (my new favorite tool) to apply the straight lines and grid pattern.  I am fascinated by the hidden treasures the earth has to offer via "veins" of precious metal and hidden jewels.  These things we call precious are hidden from our view until they are dug out and revealed.  In order to excavate, there must first be a desire to search for these buried treasures.  It is the same with people you know...  We all have special gifts and talents (virtues) that often lie dormant until just the right person comes along, seeking that very thing which we have inside of us.  At that moment, when our "buried treasure" is desired, it comes bursting forth to supply the need and desire of that persons heart.

"What Lies Beneath" - 30" x 30" x 1.5" - Acrylic - 375.00 US - SOLD

So I have discovered yet another paint application tool.  This time it is a (drum roll please) PIZZA CUTTER!  What a great tool for making long straight (or curved) skinny lines...  I also used a piece of coat hanger to make lines in this painting as well.  This painting started out with the concept of an iceburg hence the blue colors.  It took a sharp turn somewhere and I ended up exploring the juxtiposition between organic forms and geometric design.  One of the greatest thrills in abstract painting is watching the painting evolve and take on a life of its own.  Look for more paintings similar to this one, with even more vibrant colors, to be posted soon.

String Theory - 12" x 16" (on repurposed canvas) - Acrylic - 75.00 - SOLD

This is a very small painting for me but I like the results.  The canvas is stretched around a 1.5 in deep frame (gallery wrap) and the painting continues around all sides.  Quantum mechanics, vibrating lines and multiple dimensions all play into String Theory.  String Theory is a contender for the "Theory of Everything" and that my friend is a big bite to swallow, for to understand everything means to understand God Himself.  Not to worry however, "for though now we see through a glass, darkly; one day we shall see him face to face".  Then we can sit down and have him explain it all in detail!