This page will give you a sample of the diversity of art that I create. If you would like to see more of any one of the genres of art I've included in the samples, use the direct navigation menu on the left to click directly to the type of art that you would like to see.
Enjoy!
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Japanese cultural art: At left, a sword handle called a "tsuka." The tsuka is made of Japanese magnolia, covered in sea-ray skin, and wrapped with silk ribbon called "tsuka ito." It is held onto the sword with a single bamboo pin just in front of the decorative gold menuki which you can see under the tsuka ito. |
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A scabbard for my New York Sensei, Shozo Kato. The scabbard is called a "saya" and is made from yellow poplar, and tipped at the opening with buffalo horn and the end with a steel etched cap. This saya has seven coats of Japanese lacquer on it. |
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Nordic cultural art: At right, a detail from a sword box that I made to contain two Viking-era swords I own. This is in the center of the upper half on the front door to the box. The image is a mosaic made with walnut, red oak and yellow poplar. My neighbor, an African artist, suggested to burnish with charcoal where the wood meets. Nice touch!
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Sculpture: I don't do much sculpture. However, I have a genuine need to do some. I've cast with the lost wax technique, I've printed and cast directly into plaster, and I've carved. I enjoy sculpturing the least, as it's dirty, hot, and very time consuming. I also get frustrated when a carving is ruined in the final throngs of work. Nevertheless... At left is a Korean party mask I copied (more or less) from a display given to me by a Korean friend. It's carved poplar mounted on cardstock and then painted with ancrylic.
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Pen, Ink , Cartooning, etc.: I've actually gotten back into this recently, as I let it go by the wayside for years. In High School, I did a cartoon strip until it got dumped for lewd content, and then I did ad hoc cartooning, calligraphy (and Engrossing) and ink line work for the Illinois Department of Revenue. More recently, I've done logos for our Adventure and Mountaineering club (at right) and cartoons for fun. I have a great one running about an oblique group who runs a shushi shop... based on reality! |
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Sketching and research drawing: This is important, and I use it extensively. In fact, I sketch five times as much as I paint. The piece at left is a preliminary work for a complex piece that I am painting, albeit slowly, titled The Bocci Ball Game. Many of my research sketches are within the website. |
En Plein Aire Painting: I do some painting in the out-of-doors, but not as much as I'd like to. The painting at right is from Oaxaca (pronounced wah-HA-ka) Mexico. After vacationing there with my roommates from college, I was hooked and have been back several times. I've also painted in Iceland, Norway, and all over the US.
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Studio Finished Works: This is the vast bulk of what I do. Even most Plein Aire pieces end up becoming studio works. The most challenging studio works are portraiture. Studio work includes realism, impressionism (I know, they are supposed to be En Plein Aire, but I don't get them done outdoors), and abstract works. My personal favorites are situational impressionistic settings. See some I've mixed everything into, such as Tien Tse Hoa. At left is Dave's Oranges painted for my late friend David Clarke. It's based on Kurt Andersen's Still Life with Oranges, which I reproduced as a small piece on a bet. David liked the small research piece, so I did this large piece for him as a gift. |
