Uncomfortable.

I don't think I like to be uncomfortable. Lately when I paint I have found myself being uncomfortable. I stand in strange positions. I paint on the floor or on a table. The table is at a strange height and hurts my lower back. I found myself clenching my teeth and biting my tongue. After a couple of hours of painting my mouth is really sore. My studio is getting really messy and I trip a lot over things left on the floor. I think this is just part of my process and may contribute to the style that I use to paint people. I'm not sure I would say my people look uncomfortable but there is something off kilter or "Not Perfect" about them.

The Pugilist. This is about a woman who refuses to give up on her dream. She is constantly told No. She does not accept that answer. She is a fighter and will not give up!

 I will often change or paint over my work if I'm not happy with a piece. Sometimes I do that even after it is "finished" and hanging up. This shows a little evolution in this one. It was originally titled "At the Beach"  I didn't like it. I changed the ball to a king's crown and wanted it to be like a king giving up his crown by dropping it. I changed he title to "The King you See". Still wasn't right. I took away the crown and put him in a different suit with googles and a swim cap. I also love the title so I kept that. Now I love it and it won a prize at Art in the Park,South Portland Maine! The King you See

The Gardener

This painting is based on a song I heard called the Gardener. It is about a man that feels he can't live up to what the woman in his life wants him to be. He is paranoid that other men are trying to take his place with her. He murders them all and grows a pretty garden with their bones. He is proud of the garden and wants to show her.

King of a Pile of Shit

This painting is titled " King of a Pile of Shit". There story behind the title goes roughly like this. I was in a group meeting and a friend was talking about all the things he could do to improve his life. In the end he was still the King of a Pile of Shit. I loved that saying and worked hard to remember it for the rest of the meeting and did and here is what became of it.

The title of this piece is "I'M A NOBODY TOO". This is a title I have been working around in my head for quite a while. You will see the title a little bit on the right. It is painted on Luaun plywood and has been many images that I didn't like so I painted over them. The main idea behind this is that Everyone feels like a nobody at some time and that is alright to feel that way.