Dream Catcher

( 6x6 – Acrylic on board – CLICK HERE TO BID – Starting at $100 )

Dream catchers are believed to have originated from the Ojibwa Chippewa and Lakota nations. The Ojibwe word for dreamcatcher asabikeshiinh, means "spider," referring to the woven web inside the hoop. As the Ojibwe people continued to grow and spread out across the land, The Spider Woman, co-creator of all humanity, found it difficult to continue to protect and watch over all the members of the tribe as they migrated farther and farther away. This is why she created the first dreamcatcher. Many Native Americans believe that the night air is filled with dreams, both good and bad. When hung above the bed, good dreams pass through the web and gently slide down the feathers to comfort the sleeper below. Bad dreams are caught and dissolved by the light of day. Following her example, mothers and grandmothers create them to protect their families. Mine came from my Aunt Katie who is my godmother. I have attached to it feathers from the flicker woodpecker and the blue jay. Flickers are a symbol of spring and renewed hope for me, as they return at this time every year and tap out a message from nearly every stove pipe, gutter and tree trunk in the neighborhood seeking to attract the perfect mate. Hope springs eternal. Sweet dreams!

ie: Spring Cleaning 
Please always remember and don't ever forget...

(Ladies, please look away!)

Spring cleaning got you down bubby?

Here's some wisdom from ol' Uncle Eddie to post on your 'fridge from mine!

Spring Cleaning

( 16x16 – Acrylic on canvas board )

I did this painting over a month ago after I sold three other abstracts, but have been kinda busy with the Plein air stuff while the trees were blooming. It was in the 80's this week, but it's supposed to snow again tonight into tomorrow, so that will be the end of them for this year. In case you were wondering, the latest recorded snow date for Denver is June 12th! So not out of the woods yet...

Here it is about a month from summer and my spring cleaning gene is finally starting to kick in. I recently got a couch and that necessitated rearranging the living room, and somehow that mission has expanded to my include studio and office area. Yoikes! Moving bookcases,  stereo habitats and art supplies is a gargantuan undertaking. But compared to those folks on Netflix's Marie Kondo series, I consider myself fortunate. I think I only inherited the pack rat gene from one side of the family!

I love color field painting and this work fits nicely into that genre as well as my veil series.

Dandelion Rain  (Plein air & studio)

( 6x8 – Acrylic on canvas board – CLICK HERE TO BID – Starting at $125 )

I went over to Cook Park in Denver to see what I could see and came across this beautiful expanse of green with waves of yellow dandelions. The day started and ended dry, but in-between I was greeted by several showers and gusty winds. All in all, a good day, but I had to finish the painting in the studio.

Does Not Reproduce @ Von Lintel Gallery – Los Angeles

The last time I was in Southern California, I found the Culver City Arts District not too far from Santa Monica and loved it! I got on the email list of a few of my favorite galleries including Von Lintel, who had been based in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City for 14 years before moving to LA at the end of 2013. Well, they are on the move again, this time to downtown LA and their grand opening show: Does Not Reproduce opens on May 25th. In their announcement they implore us to pry our fingers from our smartphones and come see the art in person! OMG! WTF! Kudos Von Lintel!!!

"The exhibition will display works of art that suffer significantly from their translation to a 1080 x 1080 pixelated square.

This exhibition makes the case that the pixelated facsimile of art on a backlit screen, where depth, detail and materiality become all but indiscernible, is not a substitute for the experience of standing in front of the actual artwork and engaging with it. Put your smartphone in your pocket, look at the art and allow yourself to get lost in it.

Buck the trend and visit the exhibition ‘Does not reproduce’ in person."

The new location is: 1206 Maple Avenue #212, Los Angeles, CA 90015.

Happy Mother's Day!

Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (detail, above), known as Whistler's Mother, painted in 1871 by James McNeill Whistler is arguably America's most famous mom. I always thought this was a small painting, but its a big ol' thing. (See below). Her name was Anna. And alas, we now have to travel all the way to the Louvre Abu Dhabi to see her. Here's to all the moms and people who function as a mom to human children, furry critters and organizations too. Thank you for who you are and all you do...

Notre-Dame de Paris

( 6x9 – Acrylic on canvas board – CLICK HERE TO BID – Starting at $150 )

WHEN YOU PURCHASE THIS PAINTING, I WILL DONATE 100% OF THE PROFITS TO THE RESTORATION EFFORTS OF BOTH THE CATHEDRAL AND ITS ARTWORK.

I know we all felt helpless watching as the cathedral burned and the roof collapsed during the devastating fire on the 15th of last month. I wanted to do something to help. So I went to the easel and decided to 'donate' this painting. And now you can also help and feel good that ALL of the after tax profits from your purchase will go to helping rebuild this 12th century icon. I thank you in advance.

I did the painting from a scene in the movie Colette, staring Kiera Knightly. It is the story of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette who bucks the gender norms of turn of the century Paris to become the most beloved female French language author in the country's history. The image depicts the cathedral in 1895.

White Swan and Two Flamingos  (Plein air) 

( 6x9 – Acrylic on canvas board – CLICK HERE TO BID – Starting ay $150 )

This scene is from Bayaud Park in the Lowry neighborhood in Denver. Lowry is a former air base that is now a mixed use community that is still growing. My dad was stationed there in the 50's and met my mom on a blind date! I went to the park to look at the sculpture Prairie Wings by Mike Mancarella and saw this beautiful stand of trees nearby. (See my easel setup below.) 

"May the Forest be with You."

In Full Flower

( 6x9 – Acrylic on canvas board – CLICK HERE TO BID – Starting at $150 )

Ahhh... Springtime in the Rockies! 

Happy May Day!

I was listening to a Gayatri Mantra chant on YouTube yesterday when this image scrolled by. Not sure if it has been Photoshopped, but seeing the exulting female form expressing in this tree is incredible.  Nature never ceases to amaze. It reminded me of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's life-size marble sculpture of Apollo and Daphne (below) which was completed in 1625. As legend has it, Apollo was teasing Cupid who then pricked him with his arrow, causing him to immediately fall in love with Daphne, a water nymph, who devoted to the goddess Diana had vowed to never marry and remain a virgin. Alas, a chase ensued and she prayed to her father the River God to save her. Just as Apollo caught up and touched her, she turned into a Laurel tree. The sculpture depicts the moment of transition, her raised hands and flying hair becoming leafed branches, her torso a trunk and her toes begin to sprout rooting tendrils. Still forever in love, it is said he could feel her beating heart beneath the bark and he imbued the tree with eternal youth. A crown was fashioned from her leaves which later became the symbol of Olympic victories and Roman emperors. Hail Daphne! To listen to Namaste's Gayatri Mantra, click here. 

The image appears at the 6:20 mark.