This painting was inspired by the song “Bang Bang”, by Nancy Sinatra. The idea was in my mind for about three or four years, but i wasn’t sure how to compose it, as i wanted a letter to be prominent in the foreground with some of the song lyrics on it to give context to the painting. Then last year I was asked to do a presentation on still life, and it became the kickstarter for the painting as I was able to focus on the still life genre, and it just seemed to evolve.

The letter says “I was five and he was six, we rode on horses made of sticks. He wore black and I wore white.. he would always win the fight”…. The gun on the table is hers and is in the old photo- she is wearing it in the holster. He has one too, it is in his hand that’s around her and is pointed at the viewer; and the horse made of sticks is in the background. The song goes on to say that they were married, but he left her; “he didn't even take the time to lie”, he just left.

The glass of whiskey and the cigarette butts indicate the anguish she is now going through, and the bullet is for a .44 magnum. Is she going to use it?

Oil on board: 11”X 14”

Framed:

A simple peach rose I painted for someone special. I painted a couple of others, but wasn’t sure which one to send. This one lost the vote, and I still have it.

Oil on Board; 8” X 6”

This was a fun commission, I was given the idea, and i enjoyed coming up with the composition by adding all of the elements to make this. An incredibly fun painting to do!

Oil on Board: 10”X 8”

~Private Collection~

Framed

This started out as an alla prima, 45 minutes painting time. Painting this way gives a nice foundation to build upon, and a few hours and a few days later, i finished this. I am a slow painter, because I love the detail. I borrowed the glass tequila bottle to pair up with the salt shaker and shot glass that I bought in Mexico on one of my trips down there. I added the splash of red with the hot peppers, and the salt shaker suggests that it may not be a good morning. Lastly, I made the frame as I wanted a real rustic look to it.

Oil on Board; 5”x 11”

~Private Collection~

This is a little painting a did from life. it is good to do these little pieces once in awhile- I feel i learn lots.

Oil on board; image size: 10” x 8”

When I saw this little character, I felt that I just had to paint him standing on a cheeseburger. When I began to paint him, I was listening to a song called ‘Texas’, by Natalie Merchant, and the words seemed to fit with the painting that I was creating. The song is about greed, and his face reflects that along with him holding a piggy bank. The lyrics talk about the “savings and loan they bleed”, along with “pumpin’ and a suckin’ till the well is dry”, hence the pumpjacks behind the burger to the left. The star symbolizes the star of Texas, as well as the longhorn, and it is pure fantasy when pigs fly.

9”X 14” Oil on panel

~ Private Collection ~

An homage to Bob Ross, who gave people an interest in painting through his TV program “the joy of painting” in the 80’s and 90’s. The painting depicts a few of his sayings, his fan brush, palette knife and of course his squirrel “peanut’, who was in a few episodes.

Oil on Board: 8”X 10”

When I saw this little statue of a Barber, I immediately thought of Bugs Bunny, and I wanted to create a painting. This is my homage to Bugs Bunny and the episode “The Barber of Saville”

Oil on Board: 6”x 8”

This is a Vanitas painting, in honor of the still life genre that was full of symbols and made famous by the 17th century Dutch masters.

The skull represents human frailty, that we are here only momentarily in the earth’s timeframe. The butterfly and the bee in the scroll signify hope in the afterlife and the feather means flight of the spirit. The scroll symbolizes the person's good deeds in the hopes his life does not go unnoticed.  The ink, inkwell and pen are tools of the persons trade, and the books allude to knowledge. The key is a sign of material things and the marbles bring the timeline of the painting into modern times, as cats eye marbles only started to be manufactured in the 1940's

In 2013 I started this painting to be a demo for an upcoming class i was going to teach. I became so fascinated with looking up some elements and their meanings to put into the piece, I ended up refining it to a finish. This painting started my fascination with the Still Life and Fantasy genres.

 8"X10" Oil on Board

~ Private Collection ~

This was painted from life, the absent color played nicely with the color burst from the mini pumpkin.

Oil on Aluminum: 12”x 12”

~ Private Collection ~

I had the opportunity to paint a bat, so I chose a baseball narrative to go with it. Along with the ball and glove, i added two rain check tickets that were for a game in 1979. There are two flies on the wood of the bottom counter which allude to the sayings “fly ball” and “fly on the wall”. Growing up in the 70s, I remember gum under tables, so I added the gum under the counter as my homage to the 70s.

Oil on Board: 15”x 19”

This little piggy was given to me shortly before a relative of mine passed away, so it is very sentimental to me.  I really wanted to paint him and because he is pewter, I thought he could replace the typical jacks we associate so much with marbles, and just be surrounded by the marbles.

5"X7" Oil on board

~ Private Collection ~

The old beat-up car with peeling paint and missing tires along with the beautiful marbles -  I found the juxtaposition to be interesting to paint.

5"x7" Oil on Board

~ Private Collection ~

This is a Vanitas piece which is very personal to me, representing my little cat buddy Maddie; my Brave girl that was killed while we were down in Mexico. The typewriter I found when I was down there during one of my trips, so it represents Mexico where Maddie died. The hammer represents the suddenness of her death, and the candle smoke gives meaning to the spirit of a life rising. Her three stuffed friends are all crying, two of whom are wrapped in her collar and leash. Her tie is on the other side of the typewriter. The bee means bravery, as I always called her my Brave girl because she came from a hoarding situation and had a few issues such as very bad eyesight that we had to deal with. The marble is representative of the world, as she was my world. Every life is precious, and those who we bond with are extra special, including our fur family.

9” X 12” Oil on Aluminum

~ Collection of the Artist ~

9"X12"  oil on Board

 ~ Private Collection ~

This is a painting that was comissioned. These two clowns were brought back from Murano Italy, where they were made. The postcard depicts Venice, the area where Murano and its glass are from.

12” x 20”, Oil on panel

~ Private Collection ~

This is one of those paintings that i messed up and I’m still dealing with. Whether or not I finish it will be a mystery for some time, as I started it in 2021, and ive put it on the back burner for quite some time. (I have a few there!!) I like the concept, just not the piece as a whole yet, but hey; they all don’t go as planned!!

9” X 12” Oil on Board