The focus of my artistic expressions is captivated with nothing more at this time than cities. Behind every window is a family, a worker, a person. Every street is a journey. Every park a sanctuary. The urban centers of our world serve as an icon of communal identity and the collective thrust of Jesus’ redemptive work.
I am blending some cubist foundations and impressionist strokes into a style of my own. Camille Pissarro’s work most typifies what I am shooting for.
The Park
Parks offer us a sanctuary from mainstream life; a place for rest, a place for long hours with friends and family, a place to remember that we were meant for play. We find the brighter sides of our humanity during a day at the park.
Boston Public Garden, 16×20, Oil on Masonite, Boston, Massachusetts, 2007. Status: For Sale
Rockefeller Center Flags, 36×48, Oil on Canvas, New York, 2008. Status: For Sale
Harbor of Boston, 24×30, Oil on Masonite, Boston, 2008. Status: Private Collection
Bay View, 18×24, Oil on Masonite, Bay View, Wisconsin, 2006. Story: This painting was done alongside my sister as we spent the day together for her 24th Birthday. With a view of the harbor and dowtown Milwaukee, this park was a favorite thinking spot for her while living in Bay View, Wisconsin. Status: For Sale
Bay View Mock-Up, 5×7, Oil on Masonite, Bay View, Wisconsin, 2006. Status: Gifted
Millennial Park Fountain, 16×20, Oil on Masonite, Chicago, Illinois, 2006. Story: After spending the morning with my sister at the Art Institute of Chicago, we then painted until dusk at Millennial Park. Status: For Sale
Millennial Park with Umbrellas, 18×24, Oil on Masonite, Chicago, Illinois, 2004. Status: For Sale
Frame Park, 18×24, Oil on Masonite, Waukesha, Wisconsin, 2006. Story: Frame Park holds many memories for my family and I as we spent many sunny days on a blanket there, cooing at our oldest son during his first year. Status: Private Collection
World Peace, 18×24 New York City Battery Park, July 2007. Story: Fritz Koenig’s The Sphere once stood in the plaza between the World Trade Center towers as a symbol of world peace. Damaged yet enduring, its symbolism is richer than ever, now located at the Battery Park. On a personal note: My family loved New York City’s Battery Park as a quiet sanctuary away from the mayhem on the rest of Manhattan Island. My son initially tried to rescue me from the interactive fountain, but latter led me back in for a closer look. Status: For Sale
Central Park Schenectady, 18×24, Oil on Masonite, Schenectady, New York, 2008. Inspiration: The rose garden is one of my favorite aspects of living in Schenectady County. While sharing one last visit with my sister before a two year international trip, I was able to paint this by her side. Status: For Sale
The Street
There is a grander story to the streets we drive than mere medium between our starting and stopping. Notice the doors, the windows, the benches and chairs – each has a story; a place where our story may engage another’s. The journey of one’s life does not amount to much if a passion to explore and curiosity for people does not take you off the road from time to time.
Time Square, 36×48, Oil on Canvas, New York, 2008. Status: For Sale
Boston Oyster House, 18×24, Oil on Canvas, Boston, 2008. Status: For Sale
New York’s Little Italy, 30×40, Oil on Canvas, New York, 2008. Status: For Sale
Shorecrest, 48×78, Oil on Masonite, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2006. Status: For Sale
Milwaukee Alley, 16×20, Oil on Masonite, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2005. Status: For Sale
Fish Market,18×24, Oil on Masonite, Seattle, Washington, 2006. Status: For Sale
Wandering, 7×10, Oil on Plywood, Chicago, Illinois, 2005. Story: This was a fast mock-up for Chicago Bridge series. Although not my most detailed piece, I have found it to be one of my best for getting lost in its story. Status: Gifted
LaCrosse Alley, 16×20, Oil on Masonite, LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 2009. Status: For Sale
The Bridge
Bridges are places where the created architecture of civilization intersects with the created nature of God; places where the two have found harmony alongside each other.
Chicago Bridge with River, 16×20, Oil on Masonite, Chicago, Illinois, 2006. Status: For Sale
Chicago Bridge with Wriggly Building, 16×20, Oil on Masonite, Chicago, Illinois, 2005. Status: For Sale
Chicago Bridge with Flags, 16×20, Oil on Masonite, Chicago, Illinois, 2005. Status: For Sale
Chicago Bridge Mock-up,16×20, Acrylic on Masonite, Chicago, Illinois, 2005. Story: This was my first focused attempt at exploring cityscapes withpaint. I was far from satisfied with the test run, but determined to make the next one work. Status: Gifted
Pier AMini, 4×6, Oil on Masonite, New York City, 2009.
The Court House
There is no civilization when justice is not upheld. ”‘The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” – Numbers 14.8
Lebanon Court House, 16×20, Oil on Masonite, Lebanon, Indiana, 2006. Status: For Sale
Empire Plaza in Fall, 16×20, Oil on Masonite, Albany, New York, 2008. Status: For Sale
Empire Plaza in Fall – Mock-Up, 5×7, Oil on Masonite, Albany, New York, 2008. Status: Gifted
The Church
In almost every city in America you can find a church steeple several stories above the local homes. The task at hand is to make the church the embodiment of Jesus’ message and mission, and more than a religious civil service.
Grand Rapids Steeple, 3×5, Oil on Cardboard, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2006. Status: For Sale
Charlotte Steeple, 3×5, Oil on Masonite, Charlotte, North Carolina, 2006. Status: For Sale
Finlay Park, 18×24, Oil on Canvas, Columbia, South Carolina, 2003. Story: Although this was not my first cityscape painting, it was the foundational work from which I took interest in exploring the subject matter. The style evidences a cubist bent which I have since distanced myself from. Status: For Sale
The University
Naive enough to dream something new, young enough that they have nothing to lose – the world changers are in college. The discussion, ideologies, and experiments of the colleges hold the steering wheel for what is next.
University of Wisconsin Platteville, 12×18, Acrylic on Paper, Platteville, Wisconsin, 1999. Story: This piece was done as an art student at my Alma Mater, long before I ever developed specific interest in city subject matter. Status: For Sale
Duke,18×24, Oil on Masonite, Durham, North Carolina, 2006. Status: Gifted
The Neighborhood
Neighborhoods add a little identity and personality to the masses of humanity, a corporate individualism if you will. What I love about neighborhoods is that they just happen – no one has to draw lines or designate the boundaries, each person independently arrives at a concept of who they share identity with. Even the home bound and the hermits cannot avoid being shaped by their neighborhood.
Neighborhoods done well have begun the redemption of Jesus, even if this was not their intention: People identifying with each other regardless of race, religion, and morality; identifying with each other simply because they are there.
Ashley’s Home, 18×24, Oil on Masonite, 2007. Story: This was one of the few commissioned pieces that I have done. The recipient formed an attachment to her various homes throughout the years, as we all do. Her husband therefor requested one painting that would blend images from all seven – it was a challenge, but fun. Status: Sold
