Notable Work: El Arenal - The volcano in Costa Rica - First painted frame. Notable by the inventive use of squared swirls, part homage to Kuna Mola Textile Design and Van Gogh. Dual Violins - Klezmer music at its finest inspired this drawing, which became a painting. Created in Krakow, Poland, while researching my book, The Horse Adjutant. It was done at the Bats Gallery in an old square that included one of the oldest temples in Europe, built in the 1600s The Party Favor - The title refers to the extra given at weddings. In this case, a photographer. The painting goes along with the book I wrote, The Horse Adjutant, about a survivor of the Nazi holocaust. The painting depicts Jews on horseback in Nowy Sanz, Poland, in 1935. Notable are the electric telephone poles in the background. The world was changing rapidly, and the war would upend everyone’s lives. Sainte Chapelle - The drawing was completed during a classical music concert inside the church held at sunset so the people could experience the stained glass as the colors changed. A painting of this scale has many layers. Each takes time to dry. The arch, for instance, took three months to complete. Historic 5th Avenue - Drawn on premise at Delray Beach, Florida’s historic black 5th Avenue neighborhood. The drawing was created a day after I visited the African Museum of Art in Washington, D.C. Some of those drawings ended up in the composition. The Shuster’s - Taken from the oldest photo of my family. This large painting was done with a palette knife, which gave it a texture. I used pink for the epaulets to soften the war stance of these people. On the right is my granduncle Benzy. Bear Creek - Based on an afterparty at a music festival. The drawing was completed at around 3 am on a freezing night while sitting around a campfire with all our friends playing music.
In art school, we would do timed exercises. When I draw musicians as they play, I use similar techniques. I start drawing when they start playing and stop when they stop. I work as fast as possible, letting the rhythm drive my hand. When the set is over, I like showing the band. They are always supportive and excited to see themselves. I started to standardize my processes and materials. I always have a drawing pad with me. I use extra soft woodless pencils (4b). They are heavy and balanced. I keep a set of them very sharp. As they quickly lose their points, I switch pencils frequently. To keep them pristine, I use a high-quality electric sharpener. Once the drawing is complete, I review it with ink and then erase the graphite. This results in sharp, professional graphics. I call these master drawings as they are the basis for anything that I can derive from them. My collection keeps growing. I selected a few of the drawings completed during the year to prepare for the painting. I do not like to redraw them on the canvas. I prefer to print them using a wide-format printer. It’s not that I can’t draw them; it is just that doing so is a tedious process that would take a lot of time and result in something less than the original drawing. Once the works are printed, I stretch the canvas and frame it. I take a few of them to a framer at the same time to save on the shipping. The methods of working I have settled on are one of the keys to my productivity. I am open to using modern systems. Because the unfinished paintings are already framed, when I apply the paint, I invariably have lots of extra paint; I extend that onto the frame. In this way, the frame becomes bespoken, perfect for the painting. I traveled a decent amount during these years. Here are some of the places I found myself: The Upper Peninsula of Michigan; Costa Rica; France; Greece; U.K.; Poland; Washington D.C.; Wisconsin; Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; and in Florida: Gainesville; The Florida Keys; and The Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida.
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