My paintings on canvas embody by many things: nature, urban sprawl, decaying structure, dreams, time passing, vast color abstraction, patterns in nature, repetition, and a lyrical movement of the paint.
My technique is a summation of many years of mixing various processes... using many layers of translucent color and imagery, I create a physical depth of space within the paint for light to bounce around and activate the metal powders and pure pigments. This in turn is a stark contrast to the intentionally "flat" and "reprographic" quality of the photographic imagery intertwined.
Inspired by such artists as Robert Rauschenberg and William Turner, I look to create a psychic landscape which is an invented place taken from many disparate images combined.
The definition of Alchemy is a magical power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value. This is the purpose of Art.
Glass has an intrinsic alchemy. A freezing of time that happens when the fire is at its peak and the molten elements accept their new crystalline shape. Glass is liquidity and light frozen in space.
A window (like a memory) is a perfectly sentimental, simple, ephemeral concept. A portal to admire, explore, to frame your exterior environment. The idiosyncratic lead paint weathered New England windows pictured in my work, with their delicate craculature and near nautical workmanship, harkens a time in history, and possesses a multifaceted statement on our sentiments and ubiquitous toxic modern environs. Seen with an artistic/alchemical view: a lead encrusted window suggests subconscious sight, the unknown archetypes that affect us all, and how we register our particular experiences.
Ancient Alchemical texts connect lead (a primary element in glass) with the body, creativity, and “Duende” -the creative beast within. Sand being a "prima materia”- the base for all existence- it is also the “prima materia” of glass.Here in lies the poetry of my work. Melding the physical and ethereal theories of all these elements into multi-media glass sculptures making connections between archetypal thought and the many nuances of the physical properties of glass.
Glass engages with a space in a very special way. “Forsythia Triptych” invites you to be part of the landscape when mounted this way.
I work with individuals, architects and designers to create the perfect piece for the intended space.
LED mounted inside lightbox frame to create a daybreak effect upon this ethereal urban waterscape.
55" x 35" x 6"
30" x 50" x 4"
Imagery is etched into the glass with a combination of sandblasting, acid etching, and reverse painting on glass techniques.
Custom designs for doors and windows! Fun stuff.
The subtlety of color is striking in the winter.
commissioned me among 9 other artists to use their new R-Line bus shelters as works of art.
Two glass crystal castings of a weathered New England house's windows. Gold leafed and painted with stainless steel wall mounts.
Here you can see the window's locking mechanism rendered in crystal. Oo La La.
This laminated/safety art glass for adds beauty and peace to all kinds of public spaces.
"West Memphis Flora and Fauna"
Etched, leafed, and painted layers of plate glass in a stainless steel frame.
This glass diptych was created in honor of the West Memphis Three. I was struck by the utter innocence of these children who were incarcerated for a crime they so obviously didn't commit. This called to mind the innocence of a fawn, caught in circumstance and cast into loneliness.
A private commission for a steadfast collector in NYC, This framed glass piece consists of multiple layers of plate glass which has been etched and painted.
A small collection of layered paintings on glass in Lucite frames.
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority put out an RFP around 2012 for artful bus shelters along their new R-Line. The new R-Line is a low emission rapid bus service. Ten bus shelters were created by local artists. I am honored to be one of them.
My initial rendering for my idea was created with the popular open source building phenomenon, Minecraft. I love the square clouds.
I wanted the bus stop to be serene and ethereal. The time one spends waiting in a space like this is solitary. Even when there are others around. I wanted the paint quality to feel handmade with brush strokes and hand work visible within the many layers of plate glass.
The atmosphere greatly affects the mood of this artwork. Some of the etched images include chandeliers, birds, & number patterns. These were then gold leafed and painted.
As the sun moves across the sky, the subtle imagery and color play of "The Mercurial Tree" dance and change.
"The Mercurial Tree" is situated on Rochambeau and N. Main St. directly centered on the cemetery side of the street. This old fence creates the vertical patterns seen from the front side at times.
I was pleased to visit the bus stop during the 2015 snow storm. I was excited to see how the subtle color and gold contrasted with the fresh snow. Just beautiful.
The subtlety of this installation captures the imagination in unexpected ways.
I am fascinated by bridges. They are reminders of the amazing accomplishments of human kind. Those bridges which are forgotten take on a life of their own; becoming reminders of our humble past and trellises for the nature's reclamation. This landscape depicts the Providence's iconic Crook Point Bridge. This train bridge has been frozen in its upright position for over 40 years.
GROW Education and Marion Institute were seeking an artist to create a mural in the Sgt. William H. Carney Academy Public School greenhouse. I was asked to give this 35' wall a whirl. Knowing that this is an educational space, I decided to create an illuminated landscape (based in New Bedford) using lots of gold which would fill this space with warm light. The organic shapes descending from the top are taken from microscopic cross sections of plant cell walls. These cellular patterns turn into branches which flank our view of this vast scape.
Like the alter of a church, I want to entice and fascinate children into asking themselves, "How do I get into that greenhouse?".
"Can you take my picture in front of this?"
I'm so excited to see the kids get into planting the vining plants which will eventually join in with the mural. This is GROW Ed. in action at Carney Academy.
A private commission for The Greenwich Atrium in Greenwich, CT.
Public projects and volunteer work.
GROW Education and Marion Institute were seeking an artist to create a mural in the Sgt. William H. Carney Academy Public Schoolgreenhouse. I was asked to give this 35' wall a whirl. Knowing that this is an educational space, I decided to create an illuminated landscape (based in New Bedford) using lots of gold which would fill this space with warm light. The organic shapes descending from the top are taken from microscopic cross sections of plant cell walls. These cellular patterns turn into branches which flank our view of this vast scape.
In August 2015, I collaborated with NBOS to reach out to the local community members via the public park adjacent to The Ropeworks. I have always been fascinated with the traditional Portuguese tiles known as "Azulejos".
I decided to create my own water based chalk paint and went out to the park to inspire the local community to give this elegant art form a whirl. The chalk paint was a wonderful medium to work with. Intense color and light brush strokes showed well once the paint dried. It also washed away simply with the following day's rain. No mess!
Overhead view of the collaboration inspired by Portuguese tiles in New Bedford's Riverside Park.
Our chalk projects inspired the community of New Bedford to go one step further, and create a semi-permanent pedestrian safety mural directly on the intersection of Belleville and Bullard St.
We had our stencil designs laser cut, and volunteers helped all day to paint in the patterns.
The finished product deters speeding traffic, offers a sense of place to busy and dangerous intersection. This is the entrance to the soccer field on Belleville Ave. A perfect nod to the community using the space, reverence for diversity, and concern for quality of life.