Current Art Jive Statement
I have always had an intense curiosity and restlessness when it comes to making art. It’s like there’s an inner rebelion going on in my mind where I want to compose something beautiful but then go off into completely new unfamiliar abstract no-man’s land, gather some new ideas and then bring it back to something relatable again. I could sit in my studio for hours and get nothing done, but hopefully a seed will be planted that is a daydream away from sprouting a new direction. Once I feel like I got something kinda figured out or I reach a plateau I move on to something new. The funny thing is music, poetry, art, it’s all the same thing really. It’s all just self hypnosis and spell casting. We have a “little library” on the sidewalk outside our door. Recently an art therapy curriculum book showed up. I was thinking how I am on both sides of the table, the counselor and the patient.
Welcome to Amerika
Ralston Ave, Presidio SF
Ralston Ave, Presidio 16 x 20 Acrylic
Went out this week to the Presidio looking for a good painting spot. Checked out the overlook by the GG Bridge but the wind was too much (as I am still traumatized by the previous painting session at OB. See the Art page for more). So I got back in the car and crossed the intersection at Lincoln onto this cute street with wildflowers. I needed to challenge my lack of 2 point perspective skills, so I pulled up my little camping seat and cranked this out.
Moon Map
Moon Map 12 x 12 Mixed Media
Also this week, did this collage painting once again using dye, white house paint and some screens for line/collage texture. Another jumping off point for future abstract methods.
"In Case of Emergency..."
Made this piece whilst futzing around in my studio last week. Somebody left a large container of Elmers glue on our free library so I took it in and poured some shapes onto this small 9 x 12 canvas. All pigments are fabric dye with some white interior house paint. I really like the reactive quality of pouring dye though it can get a little out of control, mess wise. I used a few gauges of screen to create grid textures and lines. I totally went off the rails from my original intention but am happy enough with the final results. As always, it’s a stepping off point for further experiments. Funny how thought out abstract art concepts are and how difficult it is to pull off ideas satisfactorily. It’s not as easy as slapping around a bunch of paint (though you can get lucky occasionally).
New Painting 5/25 Fire Water
Fire Water 36″ x 40″ acrylic on canvas
I showed my friend Jason Morris a pic of this painting and he really liked it and said “you’d better stop”, so I did. The piece is entitled Fire Water (formerly Far Out Mt, Magic Mountain Lake). I was doing this marbling technique on the lower right with ultramarine blue, raw umber, bone black and zinc white. It reminded me of the Chinese and Japanese landscape/riverscape/seascape flowing water effect. The main point of this piece is the red/blue eye-op color/energy field. I was painting in the storage space the other day and a bee landed on the canvas and eventually sat on top and hung out with me for about 15 minutes or so. She was doing that insect thing preening herself, rubbing her eyes. I was really pleased with what I considered a multi-species hang-out and was quite honored to be allowed to be in the bee’s presence.
the Eight Clock
I was cleaning out my storage space/studio putting all the bits of wire, screen, circles, chickenwire, lamp shade parts an a slew of other junk into a bin and thought to myself “this is the collection of a madman.” I mean, it makes sense to me but it just looks like madness. Of course there is a method to the madness and that method is called chaos where ideas will likely jump out of the creative ether. These objects pictured here were at the top of the bin and kinda looked cool, so I pulled them out and made this piece. It’s called the 8 Clock, as if it’s always 8:00, but the trick is turn 8 sideways and you have infinity!
New Paintings 4/25
Plein Aire Landscape Paintings
Here is a sampling of my en plein aire paintings. I enjoy heading out to familiar and new spots in the Bay Area within a 30/45 minute drive from home, hiking in, setting up and getting to work. Each painting takes about 3-4 hours to complete, no studio touchups. I consider landscape painting to be a form of journaling. Hiking always seemed too fast and temporary, so with this painting process I can take home a memory. As with the above pieces, I often write journal entries to expain my process and bring you into the day.
Abstract Paintings
I originally got into visual ass-backwardsly by way of abstract painting. I got inspired by an old friend of mine from high school, Bob Bradley. He was taping off the margins of the paper and doing watercolor drip paintings (among other things) and to me it looked like color water was pouring out of the wall. I got my first art studio when I lived at Starcleaners. It was a communal space and we artists would hang out at night creating and listening to records. The collective atmosphere was uplifting and I learned a lot from Brian Duran, Jen Klide and Carlos del Smith. I was into mixing all kinds of chemicals and breaking up the substrates of the paints, mixing acrylic and oils for resistance effects, pouring, pooling and really just messing with the chemistry creating ambient alien landscapes. When I moved I stopped painting and dedicated to music for a long time until Maizie was born. I was always in awe of the kids in my school that could render images so I thought maybe I could instill that in my kid, so as soon as she could hold a crayon we would draw and scribble together at the kitchen table. It evolved into finger painting then spin art. I didn’t realize it but I was getting myself back into visual art. When the pandemic hit, I took over my backyard and started experimenting with painting again. The paintings shown here were done from 2020-2024. I plan on making more in the near future. Abstract painting is strickly studio for me. I’m a completely different artist than the plein aire guy, however, there is some kind of conversation going on between the two artists.
Here’s a super 8 film shot by good friend of mine Nate Longcope back in the mid-1990’s on the Starcleaners roof at 18 Sycamore St. I used to paint on discarded window panes found on the street. Other times I’d smash out the glass and staple gun in a canvas. I was really into the pouring, pooling amoeba landscape effect. At the time I called it the frozen liquid light show. Of course that’s when it dried. When it was still wet it was an action painting process. I got inspired by this show at the sfMOMA of some Japanese artist on a rooftop in Tokyo. In one of the pictures the artist was doing a flying karate kick, little bits of scraps and material landing on the canvas. That got me into this whole physical canvas assault. Of course there’s the other side of the coin, the buddha boy meditation on the banks of the River Mission St. in a daze trance with all the time in the world to ponder my escape.
Mobiles & Kinetic Scuptures
I designed and built these among other small candelabra lamps for inclusion in the eventual 19th Century Light Show exhibit I am putting together sometime this year. These pieces have different day and night light experiences. The lighting effect of the Crane is featured in an above video.