Artworks

Bottles Don't Kill People, People Kill People
1986 8'x2.5' Marker on poster board






People tell me, "You seem like a pretty nice guy...why is your art so dark? " Good question. Much of my art work, ESPECIALLY the early stuff, frightens the mice, causes my dog to lose her appetite and I myself, regard as " disturbing". However even my darkest works usually contain a smidge of humor and along with accompaniment of originality, make them "intriguing" if not likable. Certain social/ political issues are brought up in the painting's themes as well. The defense rests.



Jamaican Woman
1986



Fighting Fatigues
1987

Here a prostitute determinedly dresses for her job. Her nameless, headless and well-heeled John awaits in the background. I have always been drawn to what our society deems "bad girls". I think the conditions of class and socio-economics are what distinguish between the"bad girls" and those women who marry for money. I somewhat admire the former.



The Rape, Pillage and Subsequent Yardsale of a Primitive Society



The Rape, Pillage and Subsequent Yardsale of a Primitive Society [detail]

Never Love Without The Thorn, Nor Love Without The Prick
1987

My parents fought...a lot


The Judge
1976

Painting based on a photograph I found in a book. I still like it after all these years.


The Very Last Supper
1976

One of my very first original paintings. Yes, I admit, my mother was a Sunday school teacher.


Blackjack Solitaire, 3am
1990 6'x3.5'
There was this girlfriend...she began to act very strange. I couldn't figure it out but then I didn't know about crack cocaine.


Scars In Bars
1985

Four individuals, alone together. Contemplating the sad circumstances that has brought them together in this seedy bar.


Scars In Bars [detail]

"Mac" sits contemplating a dull, but nonetheless tragic fate...stuck with a blue-collar fate and, seemingly, no escape.

Scars In Bars [detail]

Woman contemplates the circumstances that have brought her to this seedy bar.



The Walls Inside My Mind are Very Thin and I Can Hear the Neighbors Beat their Children and Starve their Dog
1985

I had moved from living in a hick-town above a bible bookstore to a gritty section of Columbus, Ohio. More specifically, above a burlesque/strip theater. Hookers, panhandlers and a struggling working class called it home. I was both taken aback and inspired by my new surroundings.



The Purge
1978

The old Good vs. Evil storyline...the duality of the self. The superhero good-guy type is destroying Evil, but in doing so he's ripping his own guts out. I guess that's what's considered a problem.



Soft Revenge
1976

One of my very first original paintings. As rabidly weird as certain elements in this painting are, there's no real violence. Man smooches young Woman with custard pie. Yes, I was having a falling out with my girlfriend at the time.



Prostitute In a Poison Green Room
1977

I've always had a fascination and a certain sympathy for the "Working Girls". A handgun rests on the far left table.


Mother Russia Meltdown
1996 12'x6'

If I do have a "greatest hit" I guess it would have to be this. A mammoth painting who's subject matter seems to be about the collapse of the Soviet Union. Having grown up in America during the cold war I was of the majority of children who were taught that the Soviet Union was not just an oppositioning system of government but a dangerous enemy tied to the Devil and all other sources of "darkness".

I began this painting in 1993. and even though at times I've declared it "finished", I find myself back at it, fine-tuning it, year after year.

View this image on Flickr.



Every Fish Baits It's Own Hook
1993 4'x3'

This painting of fish-like creatures flipping about has some vague reference to the way some people fall into patterns or "traps" of self-destructive behavior. At least that's my take on it. The purple strap-on butt on the yellow fish earns an extra 10 points.