...a brioche by the sea.

This acrylic painting is titled A Brioche and 3 Lemons in the Caribbean.
During several visits to the island of Roatan, Honduras I made a series of sketches to record my experiences there. Back then there was a French bakery in the funky diving village of West End. It was out of place. It was a mirage. It was extraordinary. And it was a gift each morning to wake up early knowing there were freshly baked pineapple croissants waiting for me. If you slept-in, there was a good chance you would miss out. On rare occasions beautiful brioche was available. This painting is based upon a sketch of the one I once enjoyed for breakfast. My hope was to convey the charm of its unique shape amidst the setting of the tropical sea. I wish this painting could share the incomparable aroma of the bakery mixed with the scent of salty sea air.
If you are interested in this artwork it will be available at the St. James Preschool Auction Annual Spring Gala on April 27, 2013. For more information go to www.stjamespreschoolsf.org/community/spring-gala-2013-rsvp/.

...wall of pillows.

This image by photographer Catherine MacPhail shows the east wall of my art studio as it is today. Charcoal drawings abound!

...poetry reading and art.

...drawing show at studio.

My walls display a bounty of charcoal drawings. All pillows. All over. See what the hype is about and then walk over to my studio! I'm referring of course to the Bouquets to Art showing at the nearby de Young Museum.
After so much color it's nice to indulge in some black and white, or vice versa!

...coastal living.

The ocean is a necessary element in my life. I have to be near it. I've always lived close to the water. Being in it is even better. Using it as part of my artwork is unquestionable. More ocean.

...drawing as drawing.

Since the first of this year I've been focusing on my drawing more than usual. As two months of this practice continue into the third I'm re-discovering a facet of my creative self and what's been missing. The facet is process without concern for finish. What's been missing is the intense purity of repetitive drawing. Part meditation part ceremony and full expression, drawing for me has always been a guide inward. It's an opportunity to have access to the rich hidden source within which requires such a ritual. Although I sketch daily it's a different type of drawing. It's not the drawing. Charcoal drawing is the drawing. Nothing has the feel of charcoal. It's messy. Black dust and black hands. Black sticks scratching and scrawling. It's a primal act. It's not just old school it's the oldest school. It's before schools. It's earth used as a tool to speak symbolically. I prefer drawing on a sheet of printmaker paper and I've tried everything except a cave wall. A cave would make sense but caves are hard to find. Yet I would draw on anything just to explore possibilities.
I've been drawing my pillow and
the drawing continues....