Delta House

My water colors and pastels have focused on my experiences on the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta. The Delta is the area around the confluence of California's two great rivers, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin. It is an utterly unique area, but in many ways a neglected place. The large plantations, some from the 19C and still family owned, developed the pear harvesting industry in Northern California.Of interest to me as an artist are the people of this area and how they live. Bridge tenders, ferry operators, farmers and salvage operators and all the attendant gear have left their footprints in this unique natural zone. 

New York Glass

A primitive image of supplication and a cloaked image in medition are my attempts to embed into the two Manhattan structures the importance of this tragedy. While some with validity think the World Trade Towers should not be hastily recreated, I think it is also important through collage to reassemble the past. The glass figures from a wedding cake trade book triy to convey the idea of how fragile life is for all of us. I am sorry that the event led to so much warring hence the glove restraining the Statue of Liberty. "The gloved hand could mean powerlessness," said someone at a show. Maybe restraint and admission of weakness are two sides of one coin, however.

Found Materials

This collage is an example of my collages that utilize found materials. Here, ribbon, seamstress paper and lace all work to give a sense of the well-known mythic subject of Shiva in combat. In mythology, quite as in Western myths, spiritual figures have many faces or representations that capture a range of personalities. For example, the Old Testmanet figure of David has a warrior side, but also a lyrical side.

Collages Happen

The antecedents for some of my collages can be found in the 1960's. The above collage, "Urban Angels" is one of my first attempts at a 1960's style Mad Photo collages. A Mad Collage is my term for condensed, scrapbook compilations that were glued up on sheets or boards to decorate the wall of a room or hall. Even at this stage of my work, however, I have attempted to follow some ideas of composition. There is an attempt here at  themes of weightlessness (or balance) and wonder.

These two themes (one physical and one emotive) both compare and contrast. What I wanted to show was that in human beings that sometimes there is a merging of the internal and external sense of flight.

The use of sparse religious images in the context of the work is also apparent. As well, I try to be respectful of the magazines I rob for images by showing where possible the entire frame of the individual and by a simple presentation without too much gimmicry.