I use pigments and oils, brushes and knives to make pictures on wood and canvas. I tend to work loose and slow, building layers, pushing edges around, pitting dark against light. My approach to painting is vocational; there is work to do and there are problems to solve.
The goal, the overall effect, is natural realism. I like to paint and draw through direct observation and come up with a bold and accurate report of the scene. Details emerge but the light, feeling and atmosphere are what I’m after.
The first time I heard the term Still Life, I couldn’t believe this was even a thing. Years later I learned the term has historically occupied the lowest tier in the hierarchy of artistic genres.
To my mind, however, the realistic Still Life is so much more than polite decoration with lemons and bugs, but rather a fortifying tonic for disorder and confusion.
The invitation is to rest. The scene is a durable and intimate tableau—a table—never far removed from the notion of gathering. The items are ordinary, natural and true. The eye can move without strain. The essence of the setup can be interrogated again and again and again.
I believe that “lucidity, deliberation, probity and calm” remain the most important virtues of painting. Scientific principles of light, energy and matter fascinate me. I wish to remind and be reminded that the world is a real place with real things that we can touch and hold and see.
Solo Exhibitions
2023 - Fisher/Wall Art Gallery, “Still:Life”, Findlay, OH USA
2017 - Art Supply Depo, “Rock Paper”, Bowling Green, OH USA
2009 - Madhouse Gallery, “Produce, Produce”, Toledo, OH USA
Group Exhibitions
2023 - Allied Artists of America, “109th Annual Exhibition”, alliedartistsofamerica.or
2021 - Toledo Artists’ Club, “People & Portraits Show”, Toledo, OH USA
2021 - Waterloo Arts Gallery, “Waterloo Arts Festival”, Cleveland, OH USA
2019 - Porter Gallery at TSA, “Undisclosed”, Toledo, OH USA
2017 - Maker Gallery, “AIGA The Art of Protest”, Toledo, OH USA
2012 - Center for Visual Arts, “AIGA Half & Half Summer Show”, Toledo, OH USA
2004 - Toledo Museum of Art, “86th Toledo Area Artists Exhibition”, Toledo, USA
2003 - Toledo Museum of Art, “85th Toledo Area Artists Exhibition”, Toledo, USA
2000 - Toledo Museum of Art, “82nd Toledo Area Artists Exhibition”, Toledo, USA
1999 - The Davis Building, “Guerrilla Gallery”, Toledo, OH USA
Public Collections
“Resurrection”, St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Toledo, Donated 2015
“Reactor”,”Perry”, Rubbertree Software, Perrysburg, Acquired 2011
“Eden”, Sunset Retirement Communities, Sylvania, Donated 2005
Private Collections
“Vessels”;“Book & Grape”, Acquired 2022
“Life”;“Legal”, Acquired 2020
“Stacks”, Acquired 2015
“Pepper and Shallot”;“Lemons”, Acquired 2010
“Greens”, Acquired 2005
Publications
“Rock & Roll Never Dies” Midcentury Modern, 2016
“The WordIt Book” Vit | Palacio-Gomez, HOW Books, 2008
“The Grapes of Mrs. Rath” The Composition of Everyday Life, Mauk | Metz, Wadsworth 2007
Awards
Second Place, 2022 Toledo Artists’ Club Exploring Light and Shadow
Honorable Mention, 2021 Toledo Artists’ Club People & Portraits Show
Third Award, Graphics, 2015 Crosby Festival of The Arts
Affiliations / Memberships
Board of Directors, Toledo School for The Arts, 2006-2013, 2024-Present