Local Color

Exploring and seeing a place with fresh eyes is what keeps me inspired. And if you follow me at all you know I really dig abandoned places, peeling paint, decay and pretty much anything with rust. It would be great to hop a plane every time I get the urge but since that's not practical there are plenty of local places to satisfy my wanderlust.

A favorite spot is the Marin Headlands where there are remnants of decaying military batteries and lots of graffiti art. And the views, oh man, the views are insane. As you can see from the photos it's pretty amazing. The art is pretty cool too. The best part is the art changes constantly so it's like a new show every time I hike up there.

Street art-inspired work. Wild Ride, Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 48 in., $3,200

What's in a Name?

If I followed the advice of my high school art teacher all of my work would be untitled. He believed that titles give the viewer too much information. He also banned the adjective "interesting" when describing art, became infuriated when students sat in assigned seats during class, and had the students take turns teaching the art history class. I don't know, so maybe he was just quirky. In any case, he popped into my head when I started thinking about the power of titles.

I've always preferred neutral titles for the same reason as my teacher – to allow the viewer more freedom to interpret the image. So what happens when the title has more meaning and becomes an integral part of the art? Most of my pieces have layered narratives so choosing a title that is unexpected or even slightly irreverent might encourage the viewer to look deeper and ultimately makes a piece more... dare I say it... interesting.

Originally the artwork shown above was called, No Turns, for obvious reasons. The title had some room for interpretation but, I admit, it was pretty generic. When I changed it to Divergent I saw a broader narrative, without being too literal. Now brainstorming titles has become a much more important part of my work, an enriching experience that I hope touches the viewers too.

What's in a name? Please share your thoughts

Making Connections

I tore a big hole in my favorite jeans today. These aren't just any pants. These are my go-to studio jeans—the ones I dry my brushes on and where I wipe my paint covered hands when I get messy, which is often. This new hole reveals a little too much skin in a place that rarely sees the light of day, so it might be a deal killer and it makes me sad.

Yeah, these jeans are pretty special. They are perfectly stretched in all the right places, with worn areas on the knees from working on the floor and covered in speckles of paint from every art project I've worked on over the past year. But what I love the most are the great reactions I get when I wear them.

Strangers stop me to chat, curious about what kind of art I make. "I bet I can guess what you do for a living," said a man in passing. Or, sometimes, I just get a nod and a smile and that just makes me very, very happy. After all, isn't that what art is about—connection. Constantly reaching for that emotional connection with the viewer is what drives my work, but viewers and collectors don't always get to express that connection with me. With the jeans, I hear it all the time and the reactions are face-to-face, immediate and completely genuine. Yup, I'm going to miss these jeans. Sigh...Do you know anyone who sews?

All the Cool Stuff in Between

Driving a dusty dirt road in who-knows-where South Dakota, my friend and I were searching for a Native American petroglyph site. With no signs, no cell reception and certainly no people to guide us, we trudged along dodging cattle and boulders in the road. Finally, in the vast nothingness, we saw a beacon of hope–a porta potty.

We laughed, and laughed and still laugh when the topic comes up, a reminder that some of the best moments happen between destinations. When it comes to my art subjects I have the same attitude; I focus on the things we see every day. The fleeting second when the perfect light reflects off a biker as you cross paths, the powerful silhouette of an Oakland factory as the sun sets, or a touching interaction between strangers on the street. Aren't these the moments that make life fabulous?

By the way, we never found the petroglyphs and that's just fine. Please enjoy this series of photos from last summer. They are a celebration of the stuff you see in between the major cities. Next stop...Northern California and Southern Oregon.

Happy Trails!

Ride On, 36 x 24 in., mixed media on wood