Upon hearing of the death of Sinead O'Connor at the young age of 56, I was moved to paint her portrait, as she was such a uniquely powerful singer, songwriter and activist. I thought I would challenge myself by doing this portrait with a palette knife. It was challenging.
Another trip down memory lane with this painting of cottonwood trees by the roadside I found so enchanting on a drive from Taos to Ojo Caliente.
Here's another botanical study. Just playing around here, trying to push the abstract and botanical elements together.
Fooling around with a more sculptural look, at least in the background and the hair. I've long seen myself as a more sculptural painter, and yet I rarely seem to apply that method to my work. This is an attempt to break out of a mold and get more playful with the medium.
This study is a rural scene from the lower end of Taos, New Mexico, mostly done with palette knife.
Continuing with this little burst of still life exploration that I'm going through, I'm trying to push more abstraction into the mix with the palette knife here. I do like the warm textural effects of the background and the cool green foreground, but the mauve vase was what I was after.
I just stumbled on this Sharpie drawing I had done of Tina Turner way back at the beginning of this art thing, in 2005. She is really fun to try to capture.
This is a palette knife study in progress, about 95% done. I rarely do still life paintings, but I'm pushing myself to do them now in a way that is more expressive than representative. Still, it's all about color for me.
And speaking of lions, I've long thought of Tina Turner as a lioness. Her fierceness, tenacity, chutzpah, and general badass veneer, while being deeply rooted in her Buddhist faith of love for all beings forms an intoxicating cocktail of inspiration to women everywhere. Her message will live on for years to come. Tina Turner is Simply the Best!
Another bird study, this one of a white-bellied sea eagle. I was drawn to the intensity of the stare.
After hearing of Tina Turner's passing, I just had to paint her. This is before she became Tina Turner, when she was still known as Anna Mae Bullock and probably in her late teens. I've got one or two more of her in me yet to do. What an inspiration she was, is, and will remain well into the future.
Just a spontaneous "mood" painting to help me switch hats.
This thing turned out better than I expected. Bob Dylan is the real thing.
This painting is in tribute to my great friend Marilyn. She is a total horse lover, and Victor was her quarter horse sweetheart. Quite a handsome fella, and once upon a time, he was a race horse.
Finally getting around to doing a painting of this little owlet pair which, in their kiss, form a beautiful heart-shaped face.
