Acrylic paint on 12 × 12 inch wood art panel (ships after 9/6/25)
As a kid I was a big fan of Kiss. I had a bunch of their records and was a member of the Kiss Army. I painted and drew their album covers and loved the onstage theatrics and their outfits and stage makeup. They were really the predecessors of corpse paint in Death Metal. Later, as an adult listening to Gene Simmons being interviewed by NPR’s Terry Gross in 2002, I realized Simmons was kind of a douche. A well, they say never meet your heroes. I think the records hold up pretty well as solid straight forward hard rock.
For most of my art career I have been exploring open-ended narratives in my work. Using mostly a portrait format, I tap into my subconscious to conjure loose metaphors and symbols, and weave them into compelling characters. Some of these beings represent a kind of psychological self-portrait. Others represent people (or critters) I have encountered throughout my lifetime, friends, neighbors, and generally everyday folks. Often these characters are amalgamations. These beings are not specific portraits, more like fictional impressions of various people or animals. The character’s life-story is left open to interpretation, inviting the viewer into the story-telling process. The results are what appear to be damaged or vulnerable beings, but a second look reveals complex and sensitive spirits, more like enthusiastic upstarts, rather than rejects or troublemakers.
Acrylic paint on 12 × 12 inch wood art panel (ships after 9/6/25)
As a kid I was a big fan of Kiss. I had a bunch of their records and was a member of the Kiss Army. I painted and drew their album covers and loved the onstage theatrics and their outfits and stage makeup. They were really the predecessors of corpse paint in Death Metal. Later, as an adult listening to Gene Simmons being interviewed by NPR’s Terry Gross in 2002, I realized Simmons was kind of a douche. A well, they say never meet your heroes. I think the records hold up pretty well as solid straight forward hard rock.
For most of my art career I have been exploring open-ended narratives in my work. Using mostly a portrait format, I tap into my subconscious to conjure loose metaphors and symbols, and weave them into compelling characters. Some of these beings represent a kind of psychological self-portrait. Others represent people (or critters) I have encountered throughout my lifetime, friends, neighbors, and generally everyday folks. Often these characters are amalgamations. These beings are not specific portraits, more like fictional impressions of various people or animals. The character’s life-story is left open to interpretation, inviting the viewer into the story-telling process. The results are what appear to be damaged or vulnerable beings, but a second look reveals complex and sensitive spirits, more like enthusiastic upstarts, rather than rejects or troublemakers.
