What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I returned to that "Meadow on the Cove" in Orleans, MA. There is a path cut through a wonderful native wildflower meadow. I painted for about 2 hours and shot lots of close up photos of the vegetation. Details will be added later in the studio. Can you imagine a world with less unnecessary cancer causing pesticides? I like weeds: weeds are flowers!

Raku Class, CWRU, Valley Ridge Farm

I created all of these pieces at the Case Western Reserve University Farm.
Raku is a Japanese inspired form of ceramics, revived in the 60's. Themes of nature with random iridescent glaze patterns, and smokey black and gray mat surfaces set a mysterious and ancient archaeological mood.

Pan was the ancient Greek god of music, shepherds, and the forest. The form was created from a plaster life mask/pug mold. The raku glazes are unpredictable. The green and ochre colors of the mask were a total surprise but appropriate for Pan.

I designed a goblet drum using the golden section. A Greek inspired column crater also uses the primitave technique of coil construction.

Professor Tim Shuckerow taught us how to throw saw dust on the hot glazed bisqued ceramics. The holes were dug in the ground, layered with hay, and were covered with lids to fire the pieces.

Phyllis Sloane 1921-2009

During my time in Cleveland's Little Italy 1989-1996, my dear friend and neighbor gave me the key to her studio when she went to Santa Fe for the summer. I worked on etchings, mono prints, and my GCRTA public art project. Our work shares a similar ideology: respect for good "academic" drawing skills and a belief that art can be uplifting and memorable without resorting to shock value. She once joked that her unending energy and prolific output was a symptom of OCD. Phyllis was a great artist. I learned much from her. In a dream she asked me, "Do you like my symphony"? She was pointing to one of her orange still life paintings.

"Proud" was comissioned as a charitable fund raiser

In 2002 I was commissioned by Key Bank and United Way to paint a 8' fiberglass sculpture. "Proud" is now on the corner of E. 9th St. in Cleveland. It was reproduced as a miniature and replicated as a real working musical instrument by Fender. The wings conform to the shape of the stratocaster.

SmART in the City

I'm team-teaching art with Anna Arnold to Cleveland 5th, 6th, & 7th grade students this summer. Titled "Freedom to Make It" this summer art day camp teaches Painting, Drawing, Ceramics, West African Percussion, Dance, and Music. It is funded by a joint effort of The Cleveland Foundation, CWRU & UBS Wealth Management. This is one of several locations across the city. Anna Arnold and I are teaching painting and drawing. The students are working on self portraits.

"American Dream", Happy 4th of July

Painted from a photograph, shot in upstate N.Y. this 1990 painting tries to express my hopeful feelings about America.