the a list

  Here's one that slipped my mind.  I had three asemic prints published  in DeLuge Journal in last years Fall/Winter 2022 issue .  These are prints from the pandemic era and ones that I think have stood the test of a few passed years.   

  Yay, a new poem accepted by the rebranded CARASUS Magazine - Look for an update here when it's published

  One of the recurrent themes of my works is the use of words, numbers, and ascemic writing.  In particular, I've felt drawn to the original motto of the United States.  E Pluribus Unum - out of many, one - has always felt more authentically American.   In God We Trust, which replaced it in 1956, feels more like a Christian Nationalist political platform item than a unifying statement.  So I have adopted the use of the phrase in quite a few paintings and prints. This painting is notable in that it starts with a black background and includes the use of handcut print stamp that produces a blueish white root like structure, or maybe even an image resembling sperm.  The blue coming from previous inkings in blue used for more traditional prints. This is one of several black background paintings that have cropped up this summer. We'll see where this format goes.

  Something as little as a pencil mark up and to the left can finish a composition.  Much of this painting was planned.  The text and the punctuation mark were linocuts I've had for a while.  The sparse contrasting black and white with the gold is a common color choice for me.   But the line was spontaneous and final.  Such is composition. When to say "enough".   

  Its been probably 20 years since I last spent time with paint and canvas.  In June I took a stab at it again.  I bought some cheap materials at Ocean State Job Lot and started to revive my chops.  This is the first of several posts of paintings that I've completed since June 2023.  This painting connects back to an influence I discovered near Soho, NY in my 20s.  I wandered into a studio and found the works of James Coignard - a French abstract artist who had the right touch of composition and grit to inspire me.   Later that day, visiting the Strand Book Store , I was lucky enough to find a copy of the limited edition book of his work.  That book is something I referred to regularly, and something to which I've reacquainted myself. But the years have added new inspirations and perspective.  I've incorporated my printmaking and other elements that I've worked through since 2019, as part of my recovery routine when I lost some motor function in my right hand due to a

Sunday, July 2nd, 2023 I'm in between jobs and getting myself to museums. This summer has been rainy.  The grass (and the bittersweet) is growing. I went to the Harvard Museums - which are now free to the public - and found my favorite space there.   On the 5th floor there is a sitting area called the lightbox gallery.  Its generally quiet - there are gallery books for reading and a circle of comfy chairs.   Looking up through the glass ceilings, the rain rolling down the panes captured the mood of the space and the day perfectly.