“You can't sit around and wait for somebody to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it.” — Faith Ringgold
What We Saw
I set out to make a painting representative of the three major themes which, at certain moments, overwhelmed us in the infamous year of 2020-2021: The COVID-19 pandemic, a national racial reckoning, and a gut-wrenching presidential election.
Acrylic on canvas, 16” x 24”
2020
Open edition giclee prints for sale
“This is an outbreak of historic proportions, the likes of which we’ve not seen in 102 years”
Coming Out Of It
This is the way I’ve felt some days during the pandemic of 2020-21. Everyone I know is baffled by the head-spinning turns of events. The farther we get from normal, the more normal it becomes.
Acrylic on canvas
10” x 14”
F Crane Hustle
I was thinking one day how great it would be to make an interactive painting, one that gives the viewer a chance to manipulate the piece. My invention — a scroll box — contains a 6-foot by 10-inch canvas. Check out the video below to see how turning devices fashioned from copper tubing tracks the cross-country migration of a flock of origami cranes.
Meandering Duck in Louis Vuitton
Inspired by the intrepid Mandarin Duck, who landed in Central Park on The Pond across from the Plaza, where guests and residents prefer Louis Vuitton when traveling.
Acrylic on canvas, 13”x 8.5”
The Fourth Floor
Acrylic on canvas
30” x 40”
An homage to the skill of compartmentalizing: Romance in the bedroom, lounging with the dog in the living room, cooking in the kitchen, admiring a Picasso.
Formula for Surfing
“I grew up in California, but learned to surf in Rockaway Beach, New York.” — B. Hutch
Acrylic on canvas
16” x 20”
The Breakthrough
Acrylic on canvas
40” x 40”
Les Calanques
Acrylic on canvas
40” x 40”
The squiggly-lined map bordering this painting is the route me and my wife/muse, Lisa Amand, took through the South of France. We got lost, circling roundabouts, neither of us certain which spoke to take. Just outside Cassis, we came upon a real-life Shangri-La. To this day, Les Calanques is our most idyllic destination.
Natalie and Corky’s Wedding
Acrylic on canvas
16” x 24”
Corky Siemaszsko, a friend and former colleague at the New York Daily News, commissioned this painting. On their 30th wedding anniversary, he surprised his wife, Natalie, with this piece.
Clemente
Acrylic on canvas
37” x 33”
On New Year’s Eve of 1972, one of my favorite baseball players of all time, No. 21 Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates was killed while flying relief supplies to earthquake-devastated Nicaragua.
Walking My Goldfish
Acrylic on Canvas
19” x 15”
Click below to hear how this painting titled Walking My Goldfish prompted a hilarious radio conversation in San Francisco over why gold fish make the best pandemic pet.
Brighton Beach Bus Stop
Acrylic on canvas
30” x 30”
I came upon this scene walking to the el train from Brighton Beach. Set against graffitied brick walls at a bus stop were four women. Three appeared to be old friends, including one I assume had sore feet because her shoes were removed and her stockinged feet and legs were swinging. Eyeing a trendy, young woman with her dog at the other end of the bench, their outfits suggested a chasm of styles.
The Coffee Pot People
These paintings tell the story of a family of tiny people who live in a renovated coffee pot they annexed in the home of their human counterparts.
Acrylic on canvas
12” x 7”
Acrylic on canvas
30” x 28”
Acrylic on canvas
30” x 24”