Tethered

       36" x 24"

                Pastel on paper           

     Tethered is one of a series of pastel portraits I painted because I was interested in the nostalgic feeling I felt when I looked at my son's tricycle as it hung in storage in the garage.  I painted the tricycle's portrait from different vantage points and through this work, learned to look at my own life from a new perspective.

 In Tethered, I disassembled the tricycle and laid its handlebars over the top of the tricycle.  I removed the front wheel and attached the pieces to nails in the wall.  I was attracted to the shadow's resemblance to a dancing figure and the beauty of the warm light on the tricycle.

     Angel Trike

    36" x 24"

  Pastel on paper

  Angel Trike portrays the bright side and potential of human life.  Limited edition giclee   prints are available of this image.   This painting is on permanent display at the Mesa Child      Development Center at the University of California San Diego.  Click on the link that follows to read about the unveiling of the portrait:

 http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/general/10-01Donated_Tricycle_Painting.asp

Overlook

24" x 35"

Pastel on paper

Overlook  features the tricycle waiting outside for the child to return and ride it once again. Children's drawings adorn the sidewalk, mirroring the image itself and its foundation as a pastel painting.  Overlook  has won the following awards:

The Phillips Museum, Philadelphia, PA.  Thornton Oakley Memorial Award in the 107th International Juried, 2007.

21st International Annual Open Juried Exhibition, Sacramento Fine Arts Center, Bob Suggs Award for Excellence, 2007.

Los Angeles, CA. I-5 Gallery Juried Group Exhibition, Honorable Mention for Outstanding Work, 2008.

        Rainy Day

      36" x 24"

      Pastel on paper

  Tweety

   9" x 9"

 Pastel on mat board

I painted this image because I was attracted to the figurative aspect of Tweety on the cupcake.   I drew in a shadow that resembles Sylvester the cat (Tweety's nemesis) lurking in the background.

Smurf and Slinky

11" x 14"

Pastel on suede

      Cherry on Top

   9" x 12"

  Pastel on mat board

Portrait of Liberty

10" x 12"

Pastel on mat board

Vanity Chair

10" x 10"

Pastel on mat board

                    Figure 8 -- Thousand Words

                              36" x 24"

                          Pastel on paper

I staged Figure 8 --Thousand Words by setting the tricycle upside down on my drafting table and lighting it with a halogen lamp.  I worked at night because I liked the drama of the shadow cast by the tricycle's front wheel.  This painting's rich background consists of thousands of thoughts that emerged as I drew.  The thoughts were translated into art using layers of pastel pigments.  The wheel became suspended in the myriad of words and layers of color.

Spinning Wheel

24" x 36"

Pastel on paper

      I used the lyrics from the song Spinning Wheel to inject life and movement into the tricycle as it hangs from a hook in the ceiling in Spinning Wheel.  "What goes up, must come down, spinning wheel got to go round..." Woody and Buckeye from Toy Story keep the tricycle company as it hangs around.

Hang Time

30" x 26"

Pastel on paper

  In Hang Time, the tricycle casts an unexpected shadow that resembles a wheelchair.  This portrait is illustrative of childhood days spent hoping for affirmation and acknowledgement.

Suspended -- Part II

24" x 36"

Pastel on paper

Jalaludin Rumi's (1207-1273) poem That Lives in Us inspired me to paint Suspended.  Rumi  wrote:  "If you put your hands on this oar with me, they will never harm another, and they will come to find they hold everything you want."

In this image, the handle bars cast a shadow resembling a bird in flight which heads toward the shadowy figure cast by the wheel.

Stage Trike

36" x 36"

oil on canvas

Turning Point

32" x 24"

Pastel on paper 

Turning Point features the tricycle poised as it seemingly looks off into the distance.  The tricycle's front wheel is perched upon a window ledge and the tricycle takes on an anthropomorphic quality as it stands ready for its unknown future.

                              Two Scoops

                            10" x 11"

                    Pastel on mat board

                               Cherry Pie

                             10" x 11"

                       Pastel on mat board

    Shakes

    14" x 11"

   Pastel on suede

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