MARTIN LUTHER KING

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

* I did this 18"x24" painting this past weekend to say "Happy Birthday" to Martin Luther King.

DIGGING UP BONES

A rare moment of downtime afforded me the luxury of snooping through my parent's attic one afternoon. Boxes of old books, cards, pictures, letters, school projects, and homemade Halloween costumes filled one corner of the room. Trunks were stuffed with moth-eaten regalia: my Nana's ratty fur coats, my father's old army uniforms, and my mother's Beaver College varsity jackets. There were two dead television sets, a few small appliances waiting for rewiring, and numerous dusty mousetraps - some sprung, and some still set and baited with oily, fossilized cheese. A century of attic heat had kiln dried the rafters - raising the grain and fraying the knob and tube. There was a single window sill, thick with bat droppings and hollow bug carcasses. One bare bulb cast a weak yellow light that created a fading evening ambiance no matter the time of day.

* an excerpt from my cancer memoir "CAR DEALER'S DAUGHTER"

PROUTS PERSPECTIVE

I rarely paint landscapes. I've managed to tuck a hint of vista into the background of a portrait, and I've sculpted realistic nature models, but rarely do I paint full on sweeps of land or coast. It's not for lack of attraction to nature; I'm far more interested in Mother nature than human nature, but it seems most of my paintings are figurative. 

*Here's a 3'x4' portion of Prouts Neck in the works. 

IN THIS CORNERRRRRR - WEIGHING IN AT 147 lbs. - OSCAR DE LA HOYA!

There's the big welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena tonight: 35 year old Oscar De La Hoya and 29 year old Manny Pacquiao. If I had any money, my bets would be on "The Golden Boy," and I'd be watching it couch-side (if I had a couch) on PayPerView for $49.95. Good luck Oscar, I'm in your corner.

* This is a 5'x6' painting I did of the 1996, Oscar De La Hoya / Julio Cesar Chavez fight which ended in the 3rd round - a TKO De La Hoya.

BIG, BIG BOW

Here's a big, big bow to the end of November 2008.

detail

*This piece is from a series of nudes I painted in 1994. It measure 3'5" x 5'5".

MAINE TO MEXICO, MEXICO TO MAINE

A trip from Maine to Mexico is an epic journey - even with a GPS, map, and compass. The Monarch Butterfly manages to flutter these same mind-blowing 2,000 miles south on papery wings - armed only with instinct and propensity. These southbound butterflies never return to Maine; the Monarchs we see in June aren't directly from the wintering grounds of Mexico - these are their offspring. Their migration northward follows the emergence of the milkweed.

No one has taught them the how-tos of getting home, but amazingly enough - by the millions - they do. I wish more people could find the same awe and interest in such quiet and "ordinary" feats of nature as they do in their iPods, Xboxes, Blackberries, and Wii's. 

* I sculpted this "Maple and Monarchs" from styrofoam, papier mache', paper, and paint. 

ANY DAY NOW

"Songbirds caroled in dulcet grace, while snowflakes gathered in bolts of lace."

Any day now, the snow will start to fall; this cartoon is my reminder to self that its beauty far outweighs its bother. So, when my car is iced shut at 6:30 in the morning, the city plows have dumped a four foot high frozen barrier at the end of my driveway, and my bones and muscles ache for Summer's sun, I will not grumble; I will remember that its beauteousness trumps its inconvenience.

* I drew this cartoon a few Christmases, several frozen car doors, and countless shoveled driveways ago.