"Selfless One"

She spent her life raising 7 children with her husband. They were both wonderful parents and always put their children first. Even as the kids became adults the parents did everything with their family in mind. As grandparents they were equally giving.



As years went by she lost many loved ones-her father, her mother (who she took care of until she passed), all of her siblings, then her husband. That changed her. Her and her husband were high school sweethearts and did everything together. A few years later she tragically lost her oldest child. She has since not been the same.



This woman had a lot of love in her life and a lot of loss. She worked full time until she was 75, taking care of children at a day care. Along with my own mother, she is one of the most giving people I know. This person is my grandmother.



This painting is one of many in a series (The Alzheimer's Series) that is dedicated to her. She was recently diagnosed with this disease. I dedicate this painting to her, who dedicated her life to her family.

Weeping Buddhas

"The world is profoundly sad, they say, and someone has to always be weeping for its sorrows, so that you can be joyful."

-quote on the weeping buddha

I have a beautiful hand-carved wooden sculpture of a weeping buddha. When I started my pen and ink series I decided to do a few with this image of the buddha. This one happens to be my favorite. He is surrounded by all the darkness, absorbing it form the world around him. Hope you like it!

"Ponder"

I have been wanting to work with pen and ink for a while. I did some pieces when I was in college, but haven't worked with it since. As soon as I started this piece I remembered why I enjoy using India ink so much. I simultaneously use "pens" (with the quills) and a Chinese brush to apply the ink. As I do this I also water the ink down in varying degrees depending on how dark I want the area I am painting. The more you water it down, the lighter it gets. I love the whole process-it is completely different than oil painting (which is my primary medium). It's nice to switch it up every now and then. I think there will more to come in the near future. Enjoy!

One of my new paintings

Unfortunately I am short on time but wanted to post something for the weekend. This is one of my latest and is currently on display (along with 16 other paintings) at The CSI Group in Paramus, NJ. This is part of the Alzheimer's series dedicated to my Grandmother who is currently suffering from the disease. Hope you enjoy!

The Creative Process...

Thought I would give you a glimpse into my creative process. There are so many stages and layers of paint in my paintings-some pieces more than others. This particular painting had many! You can see for yourself how different the two images are. The overall layout is similar, but once I gave the different areas of the painting more definition and color, the piece took on a completely different feeling. I am really happy with the way this one came out. What do you think? I would love to hear your feedback!

Clothing Line

For those of you who are not aware, I am starting a clothing line based on tattoo-inspired designs. I decided to do a separate line of clothing with images of my paintings on them. I thought that the new series of nudes I did would look great on a shirt. This attatched image "On The Prowl" happens to be my favorite of the 4 that I have so far. If anyone would like to see other images of my paintings on clothing I would appreciate the feedback. (and I would be more than happy to do custom orders) These products can be ordered via email at this time and I will ship the products directly to you. Thanks to everyone for your support.

"Cayuga"

Last fall I visited the Finger Lakes in NY and I went on a wine tour on Cayuga Lake. It was a great experience not only because of all the wine tasting (which was definitely a highlight), but also because of the beautiful fall scenery. When I returned from the trip I started this painting right away. Although I was physically home my mind was still at the Finger Lakes. The intense colors of the foliage and the beautiful view of the lake were stuck in my head. I could still taste that wine too, in fact some of the wines from Cayuga Lake were the best I've ever had. I feel that the whole experience was translating itself from my mind to the canvas. Still, when I look at this painting I am transported back to that trip to the Finger Lakes. I hope you enjoy this one!