Dilata

Dilata

19 July 2026

Acrylic on canvas

18 x 24 in (45.7 x 61 cm)

FOR SALE

The figure becomes one with the landscape. I was starting to paint something abstract in vertical orientation vs a horizontal. However, the initial lines I painted and the red/gray areas started to appear as a horizon and somewhat eerie sky respectively. So I turned it on it's side and added the clouds. The clouds are done with loose strokes which was on purpose. I planned the figure to be the same - looser strokes - but it seemed to work out as is. The grass and flowers are a little surreal...the figure seems to be on or in the grass. I liked that question remaining. The question of her condition remains as well. Is she enjoying the day and resting? Is she in need of help? We're not sure.

This is the frame currently holding Dilata. It is made from Nebraska farm wood and taken from Slider. I think the colors match well with the distant terrain. This frame doesn't have 45 degree miters. I wanted to try a simple box. Like almost all of my painting/frame combinations, this can be easily removed and/or changed.

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Cantando : 2026-06

Cantando

10 June 2026

Acrylic on hardboard

21 x 26.5 in (53.3 cm x 67.3 cm)

22 July 2026: Sold to Out Loud Colorado Springs Men's Chorus

I painted this for a call for art the original idea was to use Winogrona, but I didn't like it very much. Nor did I think it conveyed the idea of a chorus group very well. I was going to paint over Winogrona, but I had enough hardboard left over so I spared it - for now. I like how it turned out and think it's a better representation of the targeted organization. The only think I would change is the sun or cloud in the left corner. I might've stretched it further across the sky to make it more mysterious. "Cantando" is the present participle in Spanish for singing or the Italian musical term meaning "in a singing, songlike style". I thought the title worked well in both cases.

This is the frame currently holding Cantando. It's nice an simple and I think the

gold makes a nice compliment to the colors of the painting.

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Untouched : 2026-06

Untouched

9 June 2026

Acrylic on hardboard

30 x 38 in (76.2 x 96.5 cm)

22 July 2026: SOLD to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum (USOPM)

This was another entry for the Stronger Together call-for-art sponsored by COPPR. You can read more about the call at Vaquera. This was a nice surprise since I painted it by accident. I.e., I thought I had selected the USOPM, but had not actually selected it.

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Vaquera : 2026-06

Vaquera

04 June 2026

Acrylic on hardboard

46 x 32 inches (116.8 x 81.3 cm)

FOR SALE

There was an art project/call for art titled Stronger Together and I painted Vaquera as one of the entries. Cottonwood Center for the Arts (CCA) in partnership with the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPR) established the call to mark the 20th anniversary of COPPR (underwritten by Herman Tiemens). The project was designed to foster a deeper connection between local creative organizations and local creatives, to benefit our community at large. I'd say which organization this is for, but I'd rather not presume it'll be selected. I wanted to try pink for the clouds which I thought worked better than I imagined. It helped me be a little looser with the sky and foreground which I also thought worked well. The woman, or the vaquera (female cowboy or cowgirl) is corralling the clouds with her magnificent ribbon. Maybe to move them somewhere needed or to bring clearer skies...maybe both at the same time. 

On the left is a gif showing some along-the-way shots...about 3-4 days with painting. 

On the right is the frame currently holding Vaquera. I think it's a great match

but it's known people don't like my frames. It originally held Fifty Pound.

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Beseech : 2026-05

Beseech

29 May 2026

Acrylic on canvas

16 x 20 in (40.6 x 50.8 cm)

FOR SALE

I wanted to make another set of clouds with a palette knife and there was a deadline approaching for an art call. This call was for the Bosque Art Classic at the Bosque Arts Center. I was invited last year so I wanted to submit again. This depicts someone with their horse but we're not sure what is happening. Is the horse tired or sick? Has it passed? Does the rider just need it to go a bit further? In any case, the companion is beseeching the horse to go on.

On the left is the canvas before I started - it was being used as a brush cleaner.

On the right is the frame currently holding Beseech, made from Radiata or Monterey pine.

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Sonno : 2026-05

Sonno

25 May 2026

Acrylic on canvas

20 x 16 in (50.8 x 40.6 cm)

FOR SALE

I had recently seen one of those glorious skies where a cumulonimbus is peaking out above the lower, darker clouds and illuminated in amazing later-day light. I like how this turned out but the brightness you see with your eyes is hard to capture. Next time, I'll try making the surrounding sky and clouds darker. That might get me closer to that brilliance. The form is just a form but there's a hint that it could be someone taking a rest after a long day and/or long travel. In a sense, it compliments Long Ride and Long Mount. 

This is the frame currently holding Sonno. Hand-made from Radiata or Monterey pine.

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Pozzo : 2026-04

Pozzo

07 April 2026

Acrylic on hardboard

41 x 34 in (104.1 x 86.4 cm)

This was painted for an contest where you pick one of several in-town organizations and paint something that would capture what that organization is and does. The artworks must incorporate themes unique to selected cultural organization(s), including but not limited to performances, events, people, architecture, exhibits, art forms, or spaces, including abstract interpretations etc. This is for one of them but I will not list that organization before the contest is over. Pozzo is Italian for well - water well not state of being. The frame came with a picture that had a handpump water well and the title also sounds like 'pose'. Dancing can bring out things that might otherwise remain deep inside. It can be the well which lets expression flow freely. Love the title. It may be for sale in the future.

This painting really when through some changes but just three shots don't really show that. The concept (and first image) were to be similar to Ekster Dance. I think I retained that feeling but the main figure became much smoother. The background dancers are very Eskter-sih.

Pozzo is currently in this frame.

A shot of the print in the frame and inspiration for the title.

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Pigskin : 2026-02

Pigskin

02 February 2026

Acrylic on polycotton canvas

10 x 10 inches (25.4 x 25.4 cm)

FOR SALE

I bought two of these ball prints...this one was a football and the other one was a basketball which turned into Rock. I bought them because they were 10x10 and the deadline for a call for art hadn't yet arrived. You can read more about the call for art at Whitewood. The original plan was another abstract, but the more I try an intentional abstract, the more I find my better ones are unintended. This one was a paint over in frustration and lo and behold, I saw the man on the pigskin. Is he alive or not? If so, is he going to make it? I liked the sky in the center picture below but over painted it and it became too pink. Other than the sky and some lighter color on the person's shirt, the final isn't different than the picture on the right below.

Only three stage pics, but you can see the complete departure from the original idea.

Pigskin is about 1.5" deep and in this case I did a gallery wrap vs a museum wrap.

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Reticule : 2026-01

Reticule

02 January 2026

Acrylic on hardboard

25 x 30 inches (63.5 x 76.2 cm)

FOR SALE

First painting of 2026. There was a call-for-art at a local gallery entitled RAW, CONCRETE. The opening text of the call's description read, "The Brutalist Movement of the 1950s-1980s got its name in part from the French phrase béton brut—”raw concrete”. It inspired artists and architects to create works that solved societal ills: income inequality, housing and food shortages, and political instability in the wake of two world wars." I think Brutalist is cool - always have so it was an easy 'yes' for me to compete. The idea of a man hammering something with little value and/or to no effect was from a movie. The stars on the banners/posters are a nod to life in other governmental constructs but kept generic. The title? I think it's great. It was going to be Handbag, but an old, unused word for drawstring handbags is reticule. You can see what I've talking about below. This will be entered to compete with Equal Labor (another shoutout to life in other governmental structures) and Moslavina.

(L) A gif showing a few stages. Painting it in one day and didn't stop much.

(R) The original print in the frame. You can see the handbag, or reticule, on the table.

Reticule in the frame it was cut to fit. I think it turned out to be a pretty good match.

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Ekster Dance : 2025-08

Ekster Dance

25 August 2025

Acrylic on hardboard

10.25 x 16.25 inches (26.0 x 41.3 cm)

FOR SALE

I'd removed Burden from it's frame as they didn't seem to be a good match. I cut this hardboard to fit. For the subject... I visited the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison and took a picture of Three Costumed Figures because I thought they'd be interesting to paint. And here's one of them standing near what seems to be a beach with some eerie foliage. I named it Ekster Dance after Aleksandra Ekster, who made the original models from paper and wire - about 98 years ago.

This is the current frame holding Ekster Dance.

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Segregation : 2025-05

Segregation

26 May 2025

Acrylic on cardboard

16 x 12 in (40.6 x 30.5 cm)

FOR SALE

This was a spur-of-the-moment piece. I was getting frustrated with the original path. It's obvious in the gif below that it was more of a place to remove excess paint as opposed to a vision. Since there was a call for art which was to "speak to this moment in our country", I thought I'd comment on race and/or segregation. It will be submitted with Fast Food, Team Meds and Mans Cloud. The idea is to provoke the question...what is segregating / making the issues between these people? Is it media, evil, Satan, the way we're raised, political motivations? In this image, I could argue the figure in the center represents Satan or the media. The shallow shells of the figures offer no resistance. Are they guilty of letting it happen?

Segregation in the frame holding the original surface.

The print of the wolves came with the frame.

The gif shows about six days passing.

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Fast Food : 2025-05

Fast Food

26 May 2025

Acrylic on hardboard

14 x 11 in (35.6 x 27.9 cm)

FOR SALE

This painting was juried into The Arts Uprise Festival.

It's also posted at the Auric Gallery in collections.

I thought I'd enter this one along with Team Meds, Mans Cloud and Segregation. for the call-for-art mentioned in that post. I wanted to practice a face/people and the cubes/boxes were from the original sketch. I think they show how well they don't fit with the human/mouth and which the same could be argued for fast food. I could have called it Door Dash, or another delivery service, but I don't think that's conveyed very well. The shape (the food) doesn't fit very well, but the consumer still pushes it in.

A gif showing some of the steps. Originally, it was going to be a work similar to Blue Dance.

About 10-11 days passed before it finished it.

On the right, Fast Food in a simple black frame.

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Toothbrushing : 2025-05

Toothbrushing

22 May 2025

Acrylic on hardboard

28 x 22 in (71.1 x 55.9 cm)

FOR SALE

This was the other piece I wanted to put in a call for art titled "Self Starter". It would be the third self portrait with Tight Spot and Eyebags. I wanted to change up the perspective a bit so I took a picture while brushing my teeth. I again failed to take pictures along the way - was trying to beat a deadline. I wasn't sure how to depict the lit up vanity so I kept it a bit vague and abstract. I did the same for the cabinet. I'm pretty happy with the result. The black socks add a nice touch.

Toothbrushing in a pale blue frame.

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Eyebags : 2025-05

Eyebags

20 May 2025

Acrylic on hardboard

36 x 24 in (91.4 x 60.9 cm)

FOR SALE

This was fun to do. It's a self-portrait which is supposed to emphasize the bags I typically have under my eyes. It is also intended for a call for art titled, "Self Starter". The only stipulation was you had to start with selfie. I plan to submit it with Tight Spot and Toothbrushing. I took a some artistic interpretation and liberty for certain. Eyes are green, hair is brown and eyes are baggy, but the nose turned into more of a exaggeration than reality. I liked it because it's not much of a realism approach anyway.

A few of the stages. I laid out the image with dried glue lines and tape.

Eyebags in a wonderful frame that held a mirror.

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