
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
"Structure & Light" Exhibit Opens at the Jordan Hall Arts Center

Saturday, March 28, 2009
Winter's Light

"Winter's Light." 16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas. Completed in June 2007.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Sunlight on a Pink Sofa

The sofa seen in the painting is a large Hollywood-style sectional sofa that I purchased at an antique shop in Raleigh. At the time it was dilapidated and covered in a badly stained yellow-and-green oriental-themed fabric. However, the bones of the sofa were solid and a reupholstery job was all that was needed to bring it back to life.
The bay window is the most prominent architectural detail on the front of my house. It opens to a southern exposure, and the shadows created by the ever-present sunlight form intriguing shapes throughout the day. Another canvas produced in this series, "House at Dusk," shows the window in the evening when the street lights outside produce eerie shadows that create an almost menacing atmosphere within the room.
This painting will be featured in my solo exhibition "Structure and Light" which will be on display in the Jordan Hall Arts Center, Cary NC from March 31 to April 30, 2009.
"Sunlight on a Pink Sofa." Oil on stretched canvas, 14 x 11 inches. Completed in January 2007.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Chateau Marmont

Opening in 1929, the hotel has hosted Hollywood royalty from its inception. It was a favorite hideaway for Greta Garbo, and Jean Harlow honeymooned at the Marmont. Perhaps its most infamous story surrounds "Saturday Night Live" actor-comedian John Belushi, who was found dead from a drug overdose in one of the Marmont's guest bungalows in 1982.
When I returned home from my trip, I decided to complete a small study of the hotel based on some of the photos I took while in California. The painting above was the result. I wanted to capture the hotel's mystery and allure in this canvas, so I chose a dark night scene. The complex sits high above Sunset Boulevard, and is especially intriguing at night. Having completed the small study, I decided to do a much larger version (30" x 24") a few weeks later. Unfortunately, the second work doesn't capture the Marmont's unique atmosphere as well as the small study did, and feels heavy and stilted. I will likely paint over that version at some point, but the small study is a personal favorite of mine.
For more information on the Chateau Marmont, visit http://www.chateaumarmont.com/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_Marmont.
"Chateau Marmont Study." Oil on stretched canvas, 11 x 14 inches. Completed in October 2008.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Song of the Hurricane

While listening to the Rodney Crowell album "The Houston Kid" one day, the idea for this composition came to me during his rendition of the song "Telephone Road." I let the idea ruminate for several months before beginning the canvas. Using myself as a model, I combined a self-portrait sketch with a composition based on a photo I found on the Internet of Hurricane Wilma hitting south Florida in 2005. The plate-glass window was improvised, but the curtains and furniture are based on pieces I have in my own home.
"Song of the Hurricane." Oil on stretched canvas, 24 x 36 inches. Completed September 2007.
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