When I was just a shade taller than my dad's knees, I remember the very first things he taught me how to draw.  The first was an ocean liner and the second was a biplane.  Now, these weren't any great feats of artistic draftsmanship, but they had one thing that has held my attention right to this very day: depth.  With a few simple lines, my father showed me that the white piece of paper in front of me didn't have to stay flat.  It could recede into the distance, it could create the illusion of layers- DEPTH!  These were my first lessons in perspective and angles but they were much more than that for me.  They were magic!  Miracles right before my eyes.  And it's taken all these years to put a name to that miraculous power.  Alchemy.  The ancient pseudo science of transforming one matter into another, in this case transforming two into three dimensions rather than lead into gold.  As far as I'm concerned, the transformation is easily as or more valuable than gold and has been the foundation of my whole life's development.

The alchemy of art still amazes me today, whether it's my own work or someone else's.  The ability to transform the viewer's experience through manipulation of materials feels like magic.  One time I had been viewing the burial monuments of the past popes in St. Peter's cathederal.  One in particular stunned me.  The foot of the pope that was represented in the statue rested on a pillow- all having been carved out of marble.  I couldn't, for the life of me, accept the hardness of the stone as the ability of this seminally unknown sculptor had miraculously changed the white Carrera marble into skin and stuffed and tufted fabric.  The effect was uncanny and it change the way I saw classical sculpture right then.  On the way out of the cathedral, we stopped to take one more look at Michelangelo's magnificent 'La Pieta', resting behind bulletproof glass near the entrance.  On the way in, I gave it 'my respects', but didn't see it!  Now, there it was- the softness, the emotion, the pathos, the absolute genius of rendering solid material into a weaping, grieving mother holding the body of her son, the Christ.  I could have sworn her chest was heaving as tears ran down her tortured but gracious face.  Now I saw it: the reason 'La Pieta' has remained as one of the most enduring masterpieces of sculpture for over 500 years.  Michelangelo was able to capture a moment, a single intimate moment of profound feeling and placed it permanently and perfectly held in solid stone!  This is not just art!  This is more than design and shape, light and shadow.  This is Magic and every person who has the willingness, the talent, the cunning and the audacity to call him or herself an artist has a great responsibility ahead of them.

Every artist who has had any experience making a living with their craft has heard the cat call at least once: "Why don't you get a real job?".  Even though our whole world is constructed and filled with the product of the artistic temperament, our society still sees it as an advocation, not a vocation: a pastime, not a job.  Where would our world be without the architects, the clothing designers, the image makers, the movie makers, the craftsmen and the creators- all artists?  We are responsible for creating the world we know today, for capturing the moment and making it stand throughout history.  We are not just hobbyists and self-endulgent, egocentric social outcasts trying desparately to create anything that gives our lives meaning!  We see the meaning of life!  As individuals, intuitively, collectively, we see life as no one else can, and we have more than the gall and temerity to attempt to capture it, we have to!  It's in our natures and in our souls and to live without creating, for us, is to not live at all!

So, when you see anyone's attempt to capture their vision, no matter how insignificant, how immature, how untrained or how audacious, give them respect.  They are trying to do the impossible- they are artists and they are making Magic!

I was asked by Art and Invention Gallery to produce a 'permanent' logo for the annual TomatoArtFest.  Here's the finished product.

 A Black and white version of the new logo.

"Ripe Red", acrylic on canvas.  Being able to combine all aspects of my art into one piece (color palette, humor, lettering, pop style) brings out the best in me.
 

The client that commissioned this piece gave me free reign to do what I wanted.  I always seem to do my best work when I'm given that license.  This piece reflects the spirit of the client.  I love being able to intuit my patron's personalities and expressing them in art.

"Coming Soon"- a new piece that really captures my love of old signs as well as my sense of humor.
 

"Animato", acrylic on canvas.  This was one of the pieces shown at the annual Tomato-art-fest in East Nashville.  I entered 6 pieces as well as designing the poster and t-shirt art for the event, all of which sold out.

"Miracle", acrylic on canvas.  Also from the Tomato show.  Seems I've found my home here in Nashville.  They actually like my weird sense of humor.

So your child's a star?  This one got his own stage!  Ladies and Gentlemen, let's have a warm welcome...

He also wanted a red guitar- what a rock star!  With paint, anything's possible.

With a border of musical notes dancing around his room, this little star is living his dreams!

Barona Casino, 2 of 3.  Like so much of my commercial work, I created these pieces on canvas and sent them to the client for framing and hanging.  The internet has become an essential tool in my arsenal.

Barona Casino, 3 of 3.  Beyond the French impressionists of the19th century, the California plein aire artists took the concept that the Europeans developed and raised it to the level of genius.  I find this genre to be one of the best challenges to emulate as an artist.

This piece was commissioned to show the possible look of a 'green' community to be established in the Nashville area.  Despite some clingy old stereotypes of Southern life, Nashville, as well as most of Tennessee, embraces positive new concepts such as the 'green' movement.

Barona Casino entry piece, 1 of 3.  These pieces were commissioned by the casino to adorn one of their entrances to the casino.  Done in 'California plein aire' style, they capture the feel of the land that the Barona reservation sits on.

Left side of a large diptych mural for Barona Casino's new Mexican restaurant.  I just wanted to capture the flavor of old Mexico.

The right side of the diptych mural.  I added more space by making a breezeway that's open to the ocean view.