Ronchamp

Ronchamp, 2009. digital painting from hand sketch.

A sketch I painted of one of the most important buildings in the 20th century.

Blue Bird

Blue Bird, 2009. digital painting from hand sketch.

A quick cover I made for the cards I would be giving my family for Christmas.

Samurai En Garde

Samurai En Garde, 2009. digital painting from hand sketch.

My second attempt at 'painting' in photoshop. I tried to use a more traditional approach and relied less on blending tools.

Nurse Girl

Nurse Girl, 2009. digital painting from hand sketch.

I took a sketch from my sketchbook and tried to do what i think concept artists/digital artists do. I scanned the sketch and 'painted' under it in photoshop. This would, I think, have been much easier had I used something like corel painter and a wacom tablet. I have neither and used the mouse as best I could. I am pretty pleased with how the shirt came out, but the face looks rather amateur. The background was an abandoned hospital hallway photo with an IV rack thrown in to make it look like a space that was still in use, just dilapidated. I spent a morning doing it and chalk it up to being an ok first attempt.

Forehead Shock1

Forehead Shock1, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Forehead Shock2

Forehead Shock2, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Forehead Shock3

Forehead Shock3, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Paris Opera House Face

Paris Opera House Face, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Sword

Sword, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Unicorn

Unicorn, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Peacock Egg

Peacock Egg, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Night Battle 3

Night Battle 3, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

My memory of the first gulf war seen on the TV thru night vision goggles. I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Night Battle 2

Night Battle 2, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

My memory of the first gulf war seen on the TV thru night vision goggles. I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Night Battle 1

Night Battle 1, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

My memory of the first gulf war seen on the TV thru night vision goggles. I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Tie Yourself to the Mast

Tie Yourself to the Mast, 2009. 3 pieces 8" x 6". collage, oil pastel on paper.

Ships being assaulted by singing bird women.

In a Room

In a Room, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

For Neda

For Neda, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

This is for Neda, the young Iranian woman shot down in Tehran. I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

Eyes

Eyes, 2009. oil pastel on canvas paper.

I try to do something related with art daily to keep my self occupied, these are the result.

richard ashcroft

richard ashcroft, 1998. 8 1/2" x 11". oil pastel on paper.

We Were Shaman

We Were Shaman, 2009. 30" x 40". oil pastel and acrylic on canvas.

This painting shows two protagonists furiously clapping, chanting, dancing and banging a drum in a sort of ritual. The left figure is a sadhu or traveling hindu monk; the right a native american medicine man. Their startled expressions can be seen to regard themselves or the infection in the background. In the background we see at the top a melange of african patterns. These patterns are being invaded, overtaken by the sharp glacial lines of a computer's circuitry.

The painting comes from memories of my brother and me covering ourselves in mud as children. Clabbered in this protective coating like two boney elephants we would chase each other or run about around the yard. The painting also stems from a music video my brother did that can be seen here. Wether for good or bad technology has rooted itself deep into our lives. The two shaman in the painting, up to their heads in labyrinthine motherboard, are locked in a ceremony to stop an iniquitous end.

Lock the Door

Lock the Door, 2009. 16" x 12". pencil, collage and acrylic on canvas.

Vanitas Still Life

Vanitas Still Life, 2009. 18" x 14". acrylic on canvas.

Here I have dealt with the way in which I feel art and architecture has extirpated itself from my life. The canvas with easel on the right has turned its back to the viewer. On the upturned table a t-square lays at an impossible angle; a break in it occurs out of view, obfuscated by the canvas. I positioned the t-square in a reverse of the heroic diagonal, a rising diagonal, to give it the appropriate lugubrious connotation.

The candle has the budding potential to light the entire scene ablaze in a bloom of fire. This is the vanitas, the meaningless and terseness of hopes and dreams. As I vacillate over whether or not I will ever get back into architecture and art, the painting reminds me to revere the ephemeral qualities of life.

Girl in Paris

Girl in Paris, 2009. 14" x 18". acrylic on canvas.

Love

Love, 2009. 36" x 48". oil, oil pastel on canvas.

In this oil painting I tired to depict the way in which love changes through different stages in our lives. The painting actually sat for years around my various apartments with just the red orb, a few stars and black background applied to the canvas. From this it had gathered quite a bit of dust on its surface, which I wanted to preserve. Before I started work again on it I sprayed matte finish over it to lock down the hair and dust. It has given a napped / nebulous feel to the surface.

To create the idea of love's odyssey I used the symbolism found in the burial mound and the Milky Way. I liked the dichotomy of earthly/heavenly forms of the two linked metaphors. The protagonists could have their feet on the ground, but still be depicted as in space. Created over burial sites, mounds were made to look like ships, water, or wagons in various cultures. All of these bring with them the idea of a journey to the afterlife. The bones of a dead loved one lay buried underneath the mound shown in the painting. The Milky Way is a symbol for many cultures; it is seen as a road or path for the dead to travel to the afterlife. The mound and the belt of stars create a stage upon which our three lovers can play out their acts.

The first set represents the love we have in youth. They are childishly drawn depictions and in this way so is the love they share. It is easy and uncomplicated; it is the simple love of childhood friends. The primary color of yellow binds them to the yellow "X" in the sky. They are the star crossed lovers.

In the middle ground two forms float above the horizon line with their heads in the stars. This shows love in its adolescent stage. The two forms have their genitals closer than any other part. The male form has a hole in his chest, exposing his heart for everyone to see. The red represents passion and lust. It is also the color or Ares/Mars, the lover of Aphrodite/Venus.

The final depiction of love is through the loss of it by death. The female form is kneeling at the grave site of her deceased love. The blue represents the Aphrodite/Venus when she was born from the sea. It shows the sadness/penance of a grieving love.

The star coordinates show, in the top Vega which is located in the Lyra constellation. Lyra is a vulture which is a sacred bird of Ares. The lower coordinate is for the star Deneb in the Cygnus constellation. Cygnus, the swan is a sacred bird of Aphrodite. Together these two stars play a major part in the Chinese mythic love story of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu, the Qixi Festival.

Strange Heroes

Strange Heroes, 2009. 30" x 40". collage on cardboard.

Strange heroes is a collage of sketches drawn when I was in middle/ high school. They depict comic book heroes, robots, warriors, and odd characters. I also included some army lists from Warhammer which I made hundreds of regardless of whether or not I actually collected the army. I glued the pages from my sketchbook onto chipboard and painted over them with acrylic. Over this I drew fighting forms in oil pastel. I also drew a list of weapons with which the embattled can choose to pick from. In the lower left corner is a list of things commonly fought about. Together these elements collide to form the visions of war in an adolescent mind.

OctoLisa

This is the Octomom's face superimposed onto the Mona Lisa. I have copied Marcel Duchamp's L.H.O.O.Q. by writing 'N C L Q' under the image which comes from the french slang 'en cloque' which means knocked up.

/v\ 0 /\/ 4 1354

Scipio House

Made a little model.

Apparition takes again

Apparition takes again, 2009. 20" x 24". oil on canvas.

Shown in this oil painting is the depiction of a lost character lying on his back in a desert. With his last bit of strength he attempts to drink from his canteen; a single drop falls from it. But before the water reaches his outstretched tongue a mermaid ghost has a hand extended to catch it. Her uncaring gaze looks out to the left of the scene.

The man is shown with links to the earth, browns and tans used for the color, and although he has organic shapes the repetition lines on his body mimic the horizon. His legs are even hooked to the ridge of the dune he has strewn himself over. The female mermaid is aloof and floating in the picture plane. She is the same hues as the droplet and linked to water.

The layout is in a downward triangle to add to the depressed scene. It is meant to do the opposite of an upward triangle as shown in this Raphael painting.

Surrounded on all sides (by dogs)

Surrounded on all sides (by dogs), 2009. 36" x 36". oil, oil pastel on canvas.

This painting depicts a protagonist assailed by open-mouthed monsters. The swirling band of "dogs" block off any path of escape for the childishly drawn hero. Given that dogs can usually have a friendly connotation; "man's best friend", it seems that these beasts have turned on their friend and by doing so have degenerated into devil, bear and pig-like apparitions. The bodies of these betrayers (in brown) are broken down to base icons - hoof and claw, snatching at the central figure who must dodge their biting teeth.

The yellow of the background is meant to convey cowardice, deceit, and betrayal. The color yellow has also been used when depicting Judas. Wrapped in his treachery; the yellow cloaked Judas kissed Jesus to mark him as the priest to arrest. The 3 columns of silver circles to the left of the protagonists head are a clue to the 30 pieces of silver Judas received for his unfaithfulness to Jesus.

One of the two phrases written on the work are from the top right "EaTT yoU" which is being said by one of the dogs. It is a visual play on "et tu" as attributed to Julius Caesar by Shakespeare and is an epitome of betrayal. Also from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a line taken from Marc Antony's funeral oration in which he states, "thou art fled to brutish beasts". This fit pretty convincingly into the themes needed to get the point across. That which is 'fled' to the beasts, so says Antony, is judgment and in this painting's instance judgment had been devoured. Unless the protagonist here, turned upon by his friends and entirely alone, finds some means of escape he sees to suffer the same fate.

Color schemes and layout copied from this Camuccini painting.

Axon and Section

Thesis Boards

These are the boards that I presented at my final thesis exhibition. I slept for 17 plus hours after the show and gave my parents such a fright they almost called the police after pounding away/ calling me over and over at my apartment door for our scheduled celebratory dinner w/ my grandparents and brother and sister. I was very pleased with the resulting solution to my thesis' problem; I felt I had achieved a great deal of what I had set out to accomplish. Of course, I wish there had been time for more models...

Portfolio I

This is the portfolio I had created by the time I was graduating. The layout and graphic design are heavily influenced by the work of Radiohead's artist Stanley Donwood. I found it interesting at the time, but feel it distracts from the work a bit.

Portfolio O

This was my first attempt at a portfolio and at the time mostly consisted of art work from high school. (I took the class with mostly seniors, while I was a sophomore with only a couple architecture projects under my belt.) It also contains the only photo I have left of my 'lost project' the second page from the top. Those are some sketches and the model from my Elementary School design studio. The model was either thrown away or taken; the boards with my drawings were sent to Basel, Switzerland for the exhibit and were not returned. The odd white pages of the 'Ski Resort' were the first building project I did in school. The photos I took of the model were exceptionally horrible as is the layout for its pages shown here.