Being in the zone frees the mind of compulsive thinking, leaving yours truly to notice the sweet irony of a middle-age-rocker-dad™ painting little watercolor landscapes. It has been fantastic making work again and approaching the flow of some of my previous rounds of art making and preparation for exhibition. It’s a transcendent headspace to be so immersed in the creative process with such energized focus that time and effort evaporate.

As to not give the whole shebang away, I am presenting some of the first images completed and chosen for the show. Yeah, I am keeping some powder dry for the exhibit, so here are some sweet nothings about three paintings you may have already seen.

First up is “Rocks”, incidentally the title of the first vinyl LP I ever bought in 1977 and the first painting I completed in this series. A unbelievably dangerous sounding record to my 10 year old ears that felt like a rock ’n’ roll pitfall itself. Here in this barren valley, our fallen soldier lies in repose on the field of battle, headless and without an axe in sight. So alone, stoned, and dethroned. But it’s not all for naught, if our Prussian blue fallen hero can make it to the river, perhaps it can escape downstream to fresh territory and sights unseen.

Next is a picture of the dreamy augmented and enhanced world of “Orangy Sky”. Featuring a scarlet Vox AC-30 loaded with an onboard tremolo shimmering with references, the image comes full circle in a painting about a Cars song about a painter - Vincent Van Gogh, an intensely illustrious man of blue eyes and mass confusion who painted orange skies, wavy midnights and slipped into insane.

The last painting up, “East of…”, is pretty much an on-the-nose gimme. Here stands a large lime green Orange cabinet by the shore of a reflecting lake, where floats a splayed Gibson Flying V. The amp and guitar remain connected by cable, even through the water, which is fortunate as an amp doesn’t really function without a guitar. In the distance stands a fruit tree, for good measure. It’s an ancient story referenced by a great novel, adapted into a classic movie, starring a rebel icon who presaged rock ‘n’ roll itself. My only question is whether the V is drifting closer or further away.

I guess all of this is to say in this work I am constantly making connections, layering and pulling references from every which way, trying to make something fresh and compelling out of what has come before. In a crazy world and time, often the things I once found wild and dangerous ultimately to be the most sane and grounded.

I’m so glad we had this time together, please check the links at the top of the page to my other work. This and 20 other similar watercolors are to be exhibited as part of this year’s Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Details are on my homepage, and thanks for reading. Ciao!