New Painting: 1975

1975, acrylic on panel, 18x24, 2009

This new painting is based on a 1975 photograph just after I turned 4 years old. For some reason though, the disco shirt and the way I painted it makes me look like a teenager. It started off as more of a mixed media piece but ended up as a fully-formed painting. The birds were created from a screen-print image that I've been using in some other recent works.

I was trying to capture that sunny, free, 1970's childhood feeling with this painting. A time when parents didn't have to worry about kids playing outside by themselves. A time when strip malls didn't dominate the suburban landscape. A time before tainted water was served up to residents of my hometown.

Here's the original wallet-sized photograph this painting is based on:

Photo Fridays: Barber Shop (Seattle)

Barber Shop (Seattle), photograph, 2008

This photo is part of my Old Signage series. Taken on a quiet night in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood, it's a reminder for this weekend: get a haircut!

Photo Fridays: Furniture Loft

Furniture Loft (Uptown), digitally enhanced photograph, 2003

I used to live a few blocks down the street from this building. It once was a furniture warehouse. It got rehabbed a few years ago and now it's a loft condominium. There's a bar below it on the ground floor and a theater. It's just a few doors down from the Green Mill and the corner of Lawrence and Broadway, in Uptown's arts and entertainment district.

This photo is part of my colored cityscapes series where I digitally manipulate the images to create new colors and textures of cityscapes and architecture.

Work in Progress: 1975

1975, mixed media on panel, 2009 (work in progress)

This work in progress mixed media piece on panel is a combination of acrylic paint, screen print, and image transfer. The image transfer is from a 1975 photograph just after I turned 4 years old.

I scanned the photo and turned it to black-and-white. After printing it, I made a photocopy enlargement, and transferred it to the surface use an acrylic gel medium. It definitely has a way to go but it's a fun start to a new experimental painting.

Photo Fridays: Chestnut on the River

Chestnut on the River (Chicago), photograph, 2000

From 1999-2000, I worked at an internet marketing company which was part of a larger "incubator" of tech start-ups. This shot was the view I had from my cubicle looking west over the Chicago River. It's part of my water tanks photo series.

I had so many stock options in various companies that I was a multi-millionaire on paper. Well, the tech bubble burst and I was laid off - until I found another job 8 months later. Of course, that job was in the telecom industry and it only lasted 4 months - laid off again. This time it was 2.5 years until I found a permanent, full-time job, where I've been ever since.

New screen prints section launched

I just launched a new screen prints section of my website. Some sample images are below or click here to check out the new section. Enjoy!

Peeking Through, screen print on record album, 12x12, 2009

Watertanks and Birds, screen print on paper, 11x14, 2009

El Marina, screen print on paper, 11x17, 2008