Bio
I established my studio in Chicago in 1984 after earning my MFA in Painting from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. I have shown in solo exhibitions; national, regional and local juried shows; and have had work commissioned for private homes and more than 55 restaurants and bars over the past 40 years.
I work out of my studio in Chicago, and I am currently working on Chicago urban scenes, random landscapes, and Anthropomorphic Salt and Pepper Shaker paintings.
My MFA painting thesis was based on an examination of the anthropomorphism embodied in particular salt and pepper shakers. I have recently begun to re-explore the fascinating anthropomorphic nature of these little guys.
Humans have always attributed human traits to anything from animals, to nature, to inanimate objects. While it is easy to understand this transference to animals, it becomes a more complex process to appreciate this transposition to inanimate objects.
Artists through literature, painting, sculpture and film have continually used anthropomorphism to illustrate parables and metaphors. Think about false idols, children's fables, cartoons, or Bob Ross' "happy little trees" and "happy little clouds".
The illusion that my salt and peppers are engaging with me, and have tales to tell, must stem from any number of stimuli my subliminal mind has absorbed over the years. The creative mind lights-up when it discovers a personality in an inanimate object.
One of my favorite expressions of this thought is William Jay Smith's poem about his toaster:
THE TOASTER
A silver-scaled dragon with jaws flaming red
sits at my elbow and toasts my bread.
I hand him fat slices, then one by one
he hands them back when he sees they are done.
While I can't match Smith's poetic mastery, I do try to offer some interesting and perhaps insightful paintings that are anthropomorphically characteristic of the more playful side of the human condition.