Ascension. 18x35.5". Pastel on paper.. 2023.
Sublime Reaction #3. 24x30". Oil on linen. 2020. Historically the sublime was often portrayed in vast and awe-inspiring landscapes. The sublime, however, does not reside in a place or event. It exists somewhere between internal experience and external stimulus. Photo by David Blakeman.
Sublime Reaction #2. 30x24". Oil on linen. 2020. The numinous can be terrifying, unbearable to look upon
Sublime Reaction #1. 24x30". Oil on linen. 2020. This work is one of three paintings intended to display the effects of an encounter with the sublime, the numinous, upon the body--the sublime being the experience of mystery, of awe, wonder and rapture in the face of what is beyond our comprehension. Photo by David Blakeman.
The Sublime. 18x24". Oil on canvas. 2019. The sublime in art is historically often linked to the depiction of natural forces of destruction. We are often blissfully unaware of what awaits us in the future Photo by David Blakeman.
Brave New Worlds. 18x24". Oil on panel. 2019. Our ultimate destination, our hope, lies outside the heliopause. Photo by David Blakeman.
Conversation. 18x24". Oil on linen. 2019. This painting references "The Song of the Lark" by Adolphe Breton--a painting in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. In a 1934 poll this painting was voted the popular in the country; even Eleanor Roosevelt's favorite. More recently Bill Murray credited this painting with saving his life in a critical moment. Unlike most viewers, I have always interpreted this painting as a portrayal of a woman's desperation as the sun sets over a barren field. It seems day end to me, not dawn, because of the orange cast to the sun and sky. Photo by David Blakeman.
Royals. 18x24". Oil on linen. 2016. Photo by David Blakeman.
Cupcake. 30x40". Oil on panel. 2017. The aging process moves women out of consideration for sexual consumption. No longer for delectation, we fade from sight. Photo by David Blakeman.
Unmasked. 48x62". Oil on canvas. 2016. This painting references an earlier series of work based on a traumatic childhood experience on Halloween. The leopard costume I wore at the time became a personal symbol of that incident. Photo by David Blakeman.
Photo by Don Bulucos. 1986.
Our faces and bodies are the most continually present, intimate and constantly observed objects in our lives. Portraiture can define and reflect who we were, where we are now, and hint at who we will be in future. The conventions of the genres are illuminated by shifts in perception over time, just as a landscape looks different in accordance with time of day, season, and weather.