Journal
Practice & process notes
Occasional writing on my art practice, techniques, process, and the ideas behind the work.
4 articles on vanitas
June 16, 2025
What Dreams Wither
Fresh off the easel today is this new still life, my first classical still life in years, actually--a commission for a dedicated collector of my artwork featuring items of personal significance to her. "What Dreams Wither" oil on linen panel, 12 x 16 inches, 2025 (private collection) It was great fun revisiting these techniques and some dark vanitas subject matter, which was utilized heavily in my "Blood Rituals" series from 2016-20. I consider this painting to be the newest--albeit posthumous--addition to that series. The prominent use of the color pink in this piece is symbolic of innocence, naivete, and femininity, the crumpled tissue paper evoking fragility and gifts unpacked, wrappings tossed aside. The softness of the peony and the sparkling tiara complete the feminine symbolism, which is contrasted by the masculine hardness of the dagger, knife, and marble slab upon which the scene has played out. As with other pieces in the Blood Rituals series my focus is on the aftermath of events; quiet overlooked moments and the ephemera of some unknown human activity. These objects left behind and cluttered in a corner of a cabinet or hutch have a new importance as artifacts, telling the story of innocence lost, illusions pierced by hard truths, wisdom hard-earned through suffering, childhood dreams withered in the cold autumn of adulthood. A subtle nod to Jung and the psychological archetypes is given in the upturned cranial cap, the blood the life force and animator of the self. We spill it and drink it in, and someday it will be all gone. The vanitas still life reminds us of this fleeting cycle, urging us not to lose ourselves in the decay of material pleasures and the flesh, and instead seek the ultimate truth of personal enlightenment.
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July 6, 2015
“Flesh To Canvas” Group Show
I’ll have my recent painting Singularity for sale in Last Rites Gallery’s annual Flesh To Canvas group show next weekend at the Empire State Tattoo Expo in NYC, July 10-12. Please contact the gallery for inquiries on this piece or my other recent work currently in their inventory, Sacrament (Vanitas). Singularity, oil on canvas, 18 x 20 inches, 2014-15 Sacrament (Vanitas), oil on panel, 16 x 20 inches, 2014
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November 2, 2014
The 13th Hour Group Show
This past month I’ve had the honor of my painting Sacrament (Vanitas) being on display at Last Rites Gallery in NYC, as part of their annual Halloween group show The 13th Hour. Sacrament (Vanitas), oil on panel, 16 x 20 inches, 2014 This year’s lineup of artists was exceptional, and I’m sad to not have been able to attend the opening reception last month. From what I saw in the online preview, the pieces in this show were top notch. If you’re in the NYC area, you can check them all out in person until November 15th. My painting is for sale through the gallery until that date.
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April 16, 2014
April Magazine Exposure
By sheer coincidence I have paintings featured in 2 magazines this month, both from my ongoing Apostasy series. The painting Hand Of God II graces the inside back cover of anarchist journal Rolling Thunder #11 (with a beautiful 7-word interpretation offered by the editor), while a newer painting Sacrament (Vanitas) causes queasiness on the front cover of Tattoo Artist Magazine #37. Hand Of God II, oil on panel, 36 x 48 inches, 2013 “The operation succeeded, but the patient died.” To see some progress shots of the following painting, revisit my previous blog post about it. Sacrament (Vanitas), oil on panel, 17 x 22 inches, 2013 Sacrament (detail)
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