War Child

“War Child” was selected out of 1,583 submissions to be exhibited at the First Annual Wide Open Art Show.

The Show’s theme is an exploration of the concept “wide open.”  Both meanings of the statement will be presented through the works’ at the BWAC exhibition.  The concepts of being “wide open” to love, freedom,  etc. will be displayed, along side works showcasing what it is to be “wide open” to corruption, exploitation, etc.  Overall the theme of the show will present both the dark and light sides of  what it is to be “wide open.”

The piece was selected by:

Anne Strauss – Associate Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
Nicholas Baume – Director & Chief Curator, Public Art Fund, NYC
Mark Hughes – Director, Galleria Lelong, Chelsea, NYC
Bill Murphy – Associate Professor & Gallery Director, Printmaker & Painter, Wagner College, NYC
The opening reception will be: Saturday March 13th, 2010 1-6 PM

The show will be open: March  13th- 28th, 2010 weekends 1-6 PM

BWAC is located in Red Hook, Brooklyn at 499 Van Brunt Street

For more details: https://www.wideopenartshow.org

Here is the Invitation from the BWAC website:

Breaking Through

This painting has a lot of personal meaning behind it. It was done in a transitional moment in my art career and it embodies my love for experimentation. It was produced by compiling 20 layers of oil stick and a top coat of sumi ink. When the sumi ink was 1/2 dry, I coated the painting in shellac and lit it on fire. When the fire was out, I encapsulated the entire painting in clear epoxy resin. I left everything inside the painting and it is never getting out. However, you will see areas where the painting is trying to break through it’s crystal coating. This painting was a lot of fun yet very dangerous. I can’t see myself doing another one like this until the weather turns and I can open up the windows.

Young American

This painting has been in the “work in progress” stage for a while now. I finally felt it was ready to be released and considered finished.

The painting is entitled “Young American”. This painting was inspired by David Bowie’s rise to success and his conflicted journey to the United States of America.

Dimensions: 48″h x 32″w x 2″d

Acrylic on Birch

On October 19th, the American Society of Furniture Designers announced their winners for 2009’s Pinnacle Awards. It is a great honor to be the recipient of this years Pinnacle Award for Best Home Accessory. The product that won was my Bloomin’ Onion Vase that I designed exclusively for The Phillips Collection.

The use of fire plays a large role in my work. Those who visit my workshop certainly know what I mean by that. There is something beautiful about the organic dance of fire in motion. (I know that sounds very “earthy”). Fire is one the classic 5 elements and it is responsible for both death and life.
It is used in 90% of my paintings. While my methods are extremely dangerous and should only be attempted in controlled environments, the results are usually beautiful.

Fellow artist and design prodigy, Jason Phillips was honored the other night at the Veranda Art of Design Awards. At only 25 years old, he has accomplished more than most designers accomplish in a lifetime and beyond. He is one of the artists that I truly enjoy collaborating with because we share a similar aesthetic and a deep respect for the arts.

You can view his work at: http://jasonphillipsdesign.com/

I am honored to be selected as the representing artist of NYC’s first Freedom Week. I will be doing the portrait of former child soldier turned hip-hop artist and activist, Emmanuel Jal.

About Freedom Week:
Freedom Week is a coalition of abolitionists working to raise awareness about the 27 million people currently enslaved and/or trafficked here in the U.S. and abroad. Our goal is to fight modern-day slavery by inspiring action and providing opportunities for advocacy. Contemporary slavery can be abolished. It begins with one person investing in freedom.

Full details: http://freedomweeknyc.com

I am very excited to announce that “Comfort” has been selected by Paulina Pobocha, Curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York for the 29th Annual Faber Birren Color Award Show! It is being held at The Stamford Art Association in Stamford, CT on October 4th.

Coming soon…..

I want to give a big “Thanks” to Todd from Black Umbrellas. He spent the day photographing my artwork. He is a master art photographer (perfectionist!). I recommend to all fine artists to have your work professionally shot. It makes a world of difference. I will eventually be updating all the pictures on my website with pictures from yesterday’s shoot.

Black Umbrellas shooting my art