A journey by sea and land, five hundred miles, is not undertaken without money. ~Lewis Hallam

Of course it was more like 1300 miles and not really across the sea but you get the drift. Yikes! These boxes are expensive but the paintings traveled well and arrived unharmed and safely delivered to Peterson-Cody Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico by FedEx ground.

The boxes are "Strongboxes" and can be purchased from Airfloat Systems. They have a liner that is as puncture resistant as 3/4 inch plywood and foam padding all around that  you can custom cut to fit the work.

The paintings were wrapped in Dartek film that I first learned about from the Mobile Museum of Art when they shipped one of my paintings back to me wrapped in the stuff. It doesn't stick to the varnish in my experience. It can be purchased from University Products.

I taped the boxes shut with EXTREME amounts of Scotch "Extreme Tape", loaded them in the back of my Mazda and headed off to the local FedEx office, where I turned them over to a very nice man and held my breath for the next four days.

Shipping work across country is not for the faint of heart!

What the Heck am I Trying to Say?

I recently re-worked my artist statement, a challenge for all visual artists, but an important process as well. If we, as artists don't know what we're talking about who does?

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to relate specific pieces to different parts of my artist statement to see where I'm exploring what topic. I've done it here with work specifically that will be in the Figurative Group Show at Peterson-Cody Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, February 2011.

Using the human figure and still life objects I consider intangibles, challenging myself to capture small nuance in relationships, life, death,  and love. Much of my work is about transitions, whether it is a midlife juncture or coming of age as a universal truth. These paintings are decisions reflected and possibilities contemplated. 

(As in "Near at Hand", I'm dealing with symbolic walls that can appear in relationships or in "On With the Show" I was thinking about the continuum of time, the birds are flying into and out of the painting suggesting that the show must go on, WE must press on, as surely as time passes this too shall pass.)  

 I’m intrigued by the idea of a work of art looking like an old master’s painting but with a contemporary edge, as an artist I want to be a filter for the time I live in. 

(In "The Ascent", the figures are very classically rendered however the ladder is a modern aluminum one, or "Call of Duty", which has the feel of a Renaissance portrait but the imagery from Superman comics, my red haired model in "Dreams of Flying" brings to mind a Botticelli Venus but with the addition of the airplane there is no mistaking her for one) 

I’m frequently inspired by fairy tales, superheroes, or works of literature, and reexamine them in a contemporary way. Mythical characters may become a device to explore our responses to modern day situations, for example Superman becomes a symbol for the mighty dreams each of us hold close to our chests. 

(As in "The Call of Duty" and "If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On" which has it's title from the first line of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night play)

Recurring themes, of flying and birds, have been turning up in my work, kind of a surprise personal imagery and that I was not conscious of adding. My paintings are so long in the works that I'm delighted when I discover a surprise such as this.

American Art Collector Magazine previews the February Peterson-Cody Gallery Group Figurative Show

I'm delighted to be showing in Santa Fe! 

Be on the look out for American Art Collector February 2011 issue! They should be in bookstores near the end of January.  I'll post works by the other artists to be included as soon as I know what's up. My other paintings to be included in the show, besides the paintings listed in the article, are "Near at Hand" 47x32 and "On with the Show" 30x22. 

Hyper Realism Show, Mayer Fine Art, Norfolk, VA

I'll be participating the "Hyperrealism Show" at Mayer Fine Art in Norfolk, Virginia. The opening is Sat. April 10, 7:00-9:00pm. I'll have seven works in the show and am one of four artists included. The show is the brain child of Sheila Giolitti, artist, and gallery director/owner. The show will run through June 13, 2010.

Sheila has chosen the following works for  the show. Fresh off the easel, Don't Blink, 30x40, oil on panel.

A few details.

Oracle, 22x30,  charcoal on toned paper.

 Flight Plan, 23x32, oil
 On With the Show, 30x22, oil

 Near at Hand, 47x32, oil

Enlightenment, 24x24, oil on panel.

And lastly a small study for the Don't Blink painting, Strike Two, 3.5"x5.5", oil.

I'll be in good company with other artists Michael Fitts, Sharon Moody, Rieneke Leenders.

While I'm in town I've been invited to give a slide talk about my work for Mark Miltz's Painting 1 & 2 classes at Thomas Nelson Community College. Mark and I are long time friends. We met when we were both silk screen artists for the imprinted sportswear company "World Class" in Florida.
Mayer Fine Art 

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