Series -- Argonautica

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The Argonautica series in its entirety. Paintings on the proclivity to legitimize one's existence in the natural order of life.

Jason Beneath Dodona

Jason Beneath Dodona, 2012. 30" x 36". Acrylic, oil stick, oil pastel, pencil, and charcoal on canvas.

So concludes my series on Jason, Medea, and the quest for the Golden Fleece. The aged hairless hero has come to his final twilight, preparing to sleep beside his stalwart ship the Argo as he did every night.  Dawn would awake to find Jason crushed beneath the mast. This magical mast cut from the forests of Zeus was named Dodona. A woman, in effect, getting the revenge Medea so long sought against her former husband.

The phallic mast rises in the picture to the top right of the plane. I added a jagged splinter breaking off towards Jason's glabrous scalp. The Argo itself has been shipwrecked for years; broken and rotting upon the sand like a wooden whale. Jason is in fact the same. Even his right arm seems to have jettisoned itself from his body.

My second ever gallery showing as an Adult!!!

This was taken at CORE New Art Space in the Santa Fe Arts District in Denver. The show was entitled, "Mixed Media Juried Show".  I wanted to extend my appreciation to Mr. Carlos Frequez, the juror, and CORE for exhibiting my work. After this show I have come to the conclusion that I have the oft misspelled name in history. Derick Bowman, Derrick Boman, Dirk Bauman, Derek Bowman, Dumbass Bonehead. It doesn't help that I have sloppy handwriting.

My first ever gallery showing as an Adult!!!

My first showing of any work as an adult was at ZIP 37's ZIP! POP! Show in Denver. I loathe Pop Art, but when I saw the advert for it on Craigslist I had to give it a shot. Oddly enough I had been reading the loveable curmudgeon Robert Hughes' Shock of the New and going back over the sections on Pop I got my inspiration from works of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Anselm Kiefer, and Gerhard Richter as well as some current events involving monsters and the education system. I didn't actually have the work made until after it was selected. I'm a poor miser. It proved to be a bit of a hack and slash job getting it made. This was also the first time I'd ever stretched a canvas. A flood of firsts.

A huge thank you to ZIP 37 and judge Dana Cain for picking my piece. Given my aversion to being around anyone, my wife and I spent all of 3 minutes viewing the show. We stepped inside the cramped space, revolved around and disappeared out into the safety of a balmy summer dusk. But it was fun. Check after the break to see the work in its churlish splendor.

Bane Capital