Here you will find a few words, alongside the works.
Where the Wild Things Are
“And Max, the king of all wild things, was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all.”
― Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are
The book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak both fascinated and frightened me as a child.
My favorite scenes occur as a forest grows in Max’s room. Then the banks of an ocean appear. Max travels solo in his boat, by night and day for almost a year! Or at least, what feels to be a year! (Some days are just like that.)
As a child, I could hide myself in those spaces and that imaginative solo voyage.
Max finally reaches a far off shore, after his long voyage … only to be confronted by giant terrible Wild Things!
Now looking back upon the story as an adult, I am even more so struck by young Max’s courage to stare down and shout at the Wild Things,
“Be Still!”
I am reminded that there continue to be many things out there that roar at us, no matter what our age.
Sometimes we have the words to face those Wild Things. And sometimes, we have to steadfastly seek them.
Either way, whichever might be true for you . . .
I hope you always have someone who loves you best of all.
Where the Wild Things Are
watercolor
12” x 17”
Ground Control
In this one, I was immediately drawn to the ever-cool banana phone.
And as I painted it, my mind thought of the duct taped banana, titled Comedian by artist Maurizio Cattelan, which has rocked the art world. I don’t think artists can ever look at bananas the same way again. And if we don’t recognize the humor behind that piece and laugh at ourselves, we just might cry.
Some things cannot be captured or kept forever ... no matter how many dollars might be thrown at them.
The value is in recognizing the moments when they occur, be it the cheeky cleverness of an artist in a cultural moment or the fleetingness of childhood imagination and play.
Ground Control
12” x 14”
watercolor on cold pressed paper
Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown, engines on
Check ignition and may God's love be with youTen, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Lift off
This is Ground Control to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dareThis is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different todayFor here
Am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can doThough I'm past one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much she knowsGround Control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you...Here am I floating round my tin can
Far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do-David Bowie
A New Song
A New Song
watercolor with gold leaf
18” x 24”
This painting will be part of the 2022 SPARK Invitational Exhibit in the West Gallery of Public Works Arts Center in Summerville, South Carolina September 23 - November 5, 2022.
It is a visual and personal reflection; representing all 2020 until this moment has held for me.
I want to describe all the minutia. The cracks and the solid ground. Grief and joy juxtaposed.
My observation of an approaching crescendo began on March 13, 2020. The word of the day in my German classroom was Hamsterkauf, describing the global hoarding of toilet paper which was underway.
By Monday, schools closed and virtual teaching began: as did an onslaught of polarizing opinions, politics, loss, fear, hot tempers, and uncharted waters to navigate through. And I learned, humanity is a fragile thing in a time of sound and fury. Tender in a forest of clanging and discordant words.
How long to sing this song?
from Start to Finish: 2021
2021 was a year of much work; yet it felt there was little to show. As the year wanes, I celebrate hidden processes. Quietly seeing things move from start to finish. Sometimes taking longer than expected but moving forward nonetheless.
This portrait is of local artist Robert Garey. This version is painted on Arches cold pressed watercolor paper. A second unfinished and hidden version, painted on Arches hot pressed watercolor paper, sits in my studio. I chose this subject matter to compare the watercolor surfaces in regards to ability to capture details. The lettering, glasses and ring particularly.
When I look at a finished painting, I see all my personal musings of a time as I worked. These paintings consist of more than pigment to me. For me this one, holds a portion of the fatigue and slowness, I felt moving through 2021. I painted slower, searched for the little details and read more. Some years are for hidden work, others are for the visible.
Selfie of the Artist
watercolor on paper
The quote below I read in September and “tend to your own knitting” was my quiet anchor as I navigated through the waves of 2021. Wishing you all a 2022 that ministers to you. Be your knitting hidden or seen.
“So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. ”