Arachne’s trancendence
oil on canvas
44” x 18”     

Persistence of vision, a parable
oil on canvas
48" x 12" 

Carl Jung’s archetype of the Trickster brought about the thinking for this piece. In many different myths and folklore, the Trickster is a character who goes against social norms and is willing to break conventions to achieve his desires. Take for example the crow tricking the gods and stealing light for the native people of the Pacific Northwest, or Prometheus defying Zeus and giving man fire. Here I borrowed from Norse mythology the character Odin, a warrior god legendary for the tricks he played on humans with Loki. A master of parlor tricks, he could change their perceptions. I have given him a thaumatrope, a disk or a card popular in Victorian times with a picture on each side that’s attached to two pieces of string. When the string was twirled quickly, the eye’s persistence of vision combined the two images into one. Here a heart and flames, when envisioned for long enough, becomes a combined parable. And yes, there are three hands here—it reminded me of cheating poker players, or the wizards of three card monte. 

A mutual attraction/understanding
oil on canvas
44" x 22"

2009


Limited edition prints available, please contact for sizes and prices

Portent
oil on wood panel
13" x 7" 

2009

This piece came to be as I was trying to gather my thoughts for the King of change body of work. My thoughts were anything but cohesive at the time and this piece became a premonition of what was to come; leading to it’s title, portent.

Cultivation of the proxy
oil on wood panel
22” x 14”

Herein lies life
oil on wood panel
11.75” x 28”

In a room of existence
oil on canvas
24” x 14”

In the presence of being
oil on canvas
30” x 20”

Steal a look
oil on wood panel
12” x 16”

The hall of keepers
oil on wood panel
14” x 7”     

 Will see you anon
oil on wood panel
14” x 14”

(left to right)
Study for the psychopomp series 2
oil on canvas
12" x 9"

Study for the psychopomp series 1
oil on canvas
12" x 24"

Study for the psychopomp series 3
oil on canvas
12" x 9"
 

To take away that which seems human
oil on canvas
36” x 24”


The visuals created by Homer’s The Odyssey are as vast as the seas the epic describes. This piece is taken from book X, when Odysseus and his forlorn crew become beached on an island inhabited by the goddess Circe. He sends out a number of his men to contact the goddess. Upon their arrival, she offers them food and drink, but they gorge themselves and she turns them into pigs. Odysseus, upon hearing this from the sole survivor, sets out to avenge them. On the way, Hermes tells Odysseus of Circe’s spell, and gives him a root called Moly which will foil it. Unaffected and undaunted, Odysseus demands Circe set his men free. In later writings of the travels of Odysseus or Ulysses, Circe denies turning the men into pigs, and states that she merely took away the things that made them appear human. The painting portrays a man in pig costume or vice versa, holding moly (snowdrop) in his hand. To the right appears the distaff (distaff thistle + a spindle shell) used for spinning yarn, which represents Circe; for in the world of Homer, every woman must have a domestic role, even a powerful goddess. 

Begrudgingly compliant
oil on canvas
30” x 18”


This piece is based on “The Princess and the Frog” from Grimm’s Fairytales, the archetype of a spoiled rich girl, and influenced by Michelangelo’s “The Expulsion of Adam and Eve.” I wasn’t much interested in the whole of the story, just the absolute unwillingness of the princess to live up to her end of the deal she made with a frog who returned a cherished keepsake to her. Her entitlement and self-importance far outweigh her role as a princess; for this reason I decided to strip her of all the trappings of royalty, and show her true character as a wicked little girl. The Michelangelo reference comes from the shame and despondence in her body language as she clutches the frog she is now bound to. 

Tithonus and the neotenic conundrum
oil on canvas
44” x 18”


Tithonus was the human lover of Eos, Titan of the dawn. She asked Zeus to give him eternal life, but forgot eternal youth, so he lived forever in decrepit old age; in some versions he turned into a cicada. Neoteny is the tendency of an adult in a species to retain traits more commonly found in juveniles. This piece explores my belief in the connection of myself to these two concepts.

The Apportioners: Moirae
oil on canvas
18” x 32”


The Apportioners, or Moirae from Greek mythology were the personification of fate or destiny. Moira in Greek literally translates to “a part or portion of.” The Fates, being sisters, oracles, Sibyls or witches depending on the source were responsible for the life destiny of all mortal beings. One of the fates would spin the thread of life, another would measure the lengths, and the third would cut the thread dictating the end of life.   

Vindictive wish, a curse in disguise
oil on canvas
36" x 10"


This is taken directly from Aesop’s Fable “Jupiter and the Bee.” In the story, Jupiter (from Roman mythology, also called Jove, and Zeus in Greek mythology) is so happy with daily gifts of honey from the bee that he offers to fulfill any wish in return. The bee asks for a stinger to use as punishment for any human trying to steal its honey; in some versions of the myth, it even asks for a lethal sting. Jupiter, rather fond of humans and disgusted by the vile wish, grants it—but with a price. The bee can sting, but the act is fatal to the bee itself.