Artists Registry

I typically paint on wood panels, including construction grade plywood and hollow core doors and thickly and rapidly apply oils in multiple layers, which i think of like manuscript drafts. I use unusual color combinations and exaggerated figures to highlight the emotions I seek to capture. I may pour and splatter to further heighten effects. With these techniques I capitalize on chance events in the painting process to discover unexpected directions for finalizing each image. Thus every painting is a voyage of discovery.

In these instances I started with photos from various magazines, the emotions I registered on September 11 and the stories I later heard from friends. These included an intense moment when my tailor was approached to translate a letter from Greece for a neighbor whose daughter, son-in-law and unborn grandchild had died on one of the planes, while i stood waiting to have my pants hemmed. We all started crying.

I was also stimulated by one of my favorite pieces of art- The Burghers of Calais, sculpted by Rodin. I have visited it many times and the power of expression has always been remarkable to me. Finally, the day itself was clear and calm and the sky blue. In the one realistic depiction, i wanted to capture the contrast of peace broken by the hint of a fire and the small figures that at first seem to be flying, but of course were not.