Fine Art

"Amaryllis in Winter"
Oil on Canvas 18" x 24"

Adopting a sort of Neo-Victorian Style, I painted this in 2020 to illustrate a holiday message for a pandemic-plagued world:

"Hope reaches up,
Breaks forth from frozen earth,
Resilient, pure and bright
As Amaryllis in winter."

"The Infants of Prague"
Oil on Canvas 24"x36"

My grandpa came to America from Czechoslovakia in 1906, when he was 5 years old. Like so many immigrants, he and his family brought with them but few meager belongings, other than their sacred traditions and a dauntless sense of hope. The New World was good to them, and they were good to it. In this picture, the boy holds the statue of the Infant of Prague, which is considered a protector of children and is found in many churches throughout the world today. I painted this in 2020, not only as a tribute to my own family, but to all who come to these shores, hoping for a better life. May you find acceptance, peace, prosperity and love in this great land.

"The Cat Charmer of the Himalayas"
Oil on Linen 18"x24"

This image sprang from my own tale about a Nepali girl who plays a bamboo flute for her cat, and makes flutes to sell at the bazaar in Kathmandu, across the mountains. One day, upon her return home, she is caught in a blizzard and seeks shelter in an ice cave, only to find it already occupied by a snow leopard. She soothes the mighty beast with the music of her flute, and after the storm subsides, the animal escorts her safely back to her village, where her little cat is waiting. Strangely, after concocting this tale, I learned that wild cats do, indeed, find the sound of a flute very pleasing.

"Salem, 1692"
Oil on Canvas 24"x24"

Years ago, I played John Proctor in The Crucible, and ever since, I've been fascinated by the strange witch trials of the late 17th Century. What sort of fear, greed, jealousy, or pure evil stirs enough in any heart to accuse an innocent? Here sits young Abigail Williams, playing with her poppets. Is there mischief in that gaze? Or was she, perhaps, just another victim of the patriarchy? I mean, what's so wrong with dancing in the woods?

"Considering Rumspringa"
Oil on Canvas Board 18"x24"

When Amish children turn 16, they are urged to go into the world for a year or two, to decide if Amish life is right for them. This rite of passage is called Rumspringa ("running around"). Here, I attempt to convey that pivotal time. Is the young woman putting on her bonnet, or taking it off for good?

"Pausing on the Path"
Watercolor on Paper 9"x12"

Inspired in part by the film The VVitch, and all things slightly ethereal, this painting depicts one brief moment in the life of a young peasant girl, as she glimpses her own destiny and feels her own power for the first time, while wandering home from a pumpkin patch.

"The Scarlet Letter"
Watercolor on Paper 9"x12"

This painting was inspired by the Hawthorne novel. I've always considered Hester Prynne one of American Literature's most intriguing characters--an independent woman possessed of more inner strength and integrity than all the sorry lot surrounding her.

"Twilight on Baker Street"
Oil on Canvas Board 12"x16"

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle insisted that his celebrated sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, met his fate at Reichenbach Falls, but the public wouldn't have it. Neither would I. This is my painterly assertion that Sherlock lived to a ripe old age, solving mysteries all the while.

"The Fair Ophelia"
Graphite & White Chalk on Toned Paper 9"x12"

To describe her as "concerned" might be an understatement, but given the way Ophelia was treated by the Prince of Denmark, many would say her mood swings were justified.

"John Irving~American Writer"
Graphite, Charcoal, & Chalk on Toned Paper 9"x12"

From the moment I first heard him utter the name "Garp" on Tom Snyder's "Tomorrow" show, I believed Mr. Irving to be one of the most intense writers of American Literature.