What Lifts You Up Brings You Down

Finished with this one.

What Lifts You Up Brings You Down
84"x102"
Oil on canvas

The fat boy and little man

The Fat Boy and Little Man
Two panels
24"x36" and 18"x36"
Oil on canvas




One Awkward Step
12"x12"
Oil on canvas

And another

Conflict, collision and the promise of protection

Recently I've been asked why I'm painting these new paintings of car wrecks.
When I started painting them I wasn't sure. I had collected the images some time ago from the net during a time when I was searching for images which to me conveyed the conflict between protection and control. This manifested itself in the series I did with birds being banded. The more I worked on the series the more I began to feel it became about birds and hands. The more of them collected together the more it became about the specific action being represented and not as much of the metaphorical implications I was getting at.
Feeling that, I began to look for other images that conveyed a similar dialogue. Driving home late one night from the studio, at the end of an exit ramp, was a car that had wrecked into a lamppost. The driver was alright but the car looked like a crushed can. When I saw that, the sense of security I felt in my own car was shaken. I realized that there are similar implications in that situation. We drive in these sealed in environments, feeling in control, protected and empowered but in a moment that can change.
I'm risking the same dilemma of loosing the metaphoric language of these images in doing so many of them but I'm enjoying the making of them - a prospect not to be taken lightly. More than likely these will be used in groupings along with other paintings or installation but for now I'll continue working on them. They are seductive.

Fresh paint

All 12"x12"

Two shows, one night

Two shows came up quick for me and both are opening the same night - January 12th!


The first is at Ore Projects in North Beach:

850 Greenwich St.
San Francisco, CA
Reception 7 - 10pm
Artwork by Bruk Dunbar, Lily Black and yours truly

Then my video, Five Constant Factors, is screening in the T-10 Festival at 21 Grand in Oakland:

the 8th Annual T-10 Video Festival
Two nights of short video works each clocking in at 10 minutes or less

January 12 & 13, 2008
Doors 8pm
Screening 8.30pm

Hold Still, I Love You

"Hold Still, I Love You" 22"x28" Graphite on paper


Open Studios were Saturday. Thank you to all who came to them. The turn out was terrific especially for this time of year. I love all you art lovers.