My E.A. Poe

8"x8" oil on canvas. • Most of the portraits you see me paint are from live models. That was a problem with this guy, because, you see... he's dead. As a matter of fact, another dead guy prompted me to paint this dead guy—both authors of various, little-known works. A little while ago you received an email from me with a painting I did of the late Mr. Charles Dickens. That painting was so fun, that I proceeded to look around for another black and white shot of somebody to paint. It was going to be an older Monet, with that huge white beard of his, but I first went for the guy with the huge forehead, my friend Poe. Just look at that wonderful cranium, it's planetary! Combine that with everything else on his face being crooked or out of whack in some way, and you have a fantastic model for a painting. All human heads are out of whack in some way or another and you should be suspicious of any that appear not to be (e.g., pix in ads of "perfect" people—perfect people should scare you). I am not promising to paint more of these posthumous portraits, but don't be surprised if they pop up in your email box in the future.

Report on the Beverly Hills Art Show
This past weekend I was in the Beverly Hills Art Show. Many friends and collectors came to visit, and one friend even brought lunch on Saturday (Thanks Viv!). I am continuing to introduce larger work at the show, and it was all very well received. As a matter of fact, I took Second Place in the Painting category of the show. Painting is by far the largest category, so I consider it an honor to be recognized at all. But I have much bigger news: The odds of me getting tasered have gone down dramatically due to the fact that a couple of the Beverly Hills Rangers have begun collecting my work. Don't get me wrong, there is still a chance of me getting zapped, but that chance has narrowed considerably.  •  Yet again, The Spousal Unit was able to be with me during the entire show and though my ego takes a hit because people come over just to talk to her (especially male artists), her being there was a big plus for me.  •  All in all, a great show.
Posted May 21, 2013
sold • private collection marina del rey, ca