The Phlegethon

This acrylic painting is titled The Phlegethon. The image is that of the fiery river Phlegethon as it flows through Tartarus - The area of Hades reserved for punishment of souls deemed unworthy by the gods. The painting is an 18X15.5 canvas mounted to a reused Plexiglas sheet.

I like using plexi panels because they are impervious to the atmosphere, vermin, normal temperature ranges, and most chemicals. They also give me the opportunity to keep non-biodegradable materials out of our landfills, and put their longevety to good use.

Elysian Fields

This is my latest acrylic painting. Elysian Fields is a 16X20 canvas panel (canvas mounted to a sheet of acrylic plexiglass).

Happy 4th of July America!

This is a 24X36 acrylic painting that I recently completed to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. How many people throughout the world owe not only their freedom, but their very existence to the founding fathers of this great country and successive generations of American heroes?

Blessed Trinity Completed

I posted a WIP image of this on April 12, 2009, and have finally completed the painting after starting and stoping many times.

The idea behind the painting is to present the concept of the Blessed Trinity graphically using the metaphor of the primary colors and primary shapes to represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God the Father is yellow, the warmest and brightest of the primary colors. The triangle symbolizes perfection, thought, and creative power.

Jesus, God the Son, is red to symbolize his martyrdom. Red is the color of love, courage and human passion. It symbolizes the humanity of Jesus through the blood that ran through his mortal body. Likewise the square is the symbol for the earth, the domain of humanity.

The Holy Spirit is symbolized by the cool fluidity of blue. The circle symbolizes relaxation and smooth motion. It represents the guidance, inspiration and grace that we receive from the Holy Spirit.

I have also worked with the composition to give it a feel of depth with the blue circle moving closer to the viewer and the yellow triangle moving to the background.

Galveston Waits for Ike

Here is the finished version of Galveston Waits for Ike - unless I begin to obsess over some of the details.

Galveston Waits for Ike - WIP

This is an initial layer of a painting that depicts the beach at Galveston just before Ike begins its approach. A fishing pier will be added just at the horizon line. Below is a brief narrative of the painting's key elements.

The granite sentries keep watch in the eternal struggle between land and sea. The looming assault from hurricane Ike is a couple of days off the coast of Galveston, Texas. Allied with the land, we have added a concrete seawall along the border and stationed the sentries in front. A lone pier extends the land over the sea and facilitates the harvest of food from its depths. In the end, the land will stand firm and prevail against the sea, but the pier will fall victim to the violence.

The Futile Crescent - Finished

Here is the finished version of The Futile Crescent. The images all point to the long history of war and conquest that has characterized the fertile crescent.

My next painting is a somber view of the Galveston coastline as Ike approaches.

Futile Crescent - Continued

Here is an update to the painting.

Futile Crescent - Continued

This is a continuation of the previous post. The paint is still wet, which causes a glare in some areas of the photo. Essentially, I have added some detail to the crossed sabers, the Mosque on the right side the 50 cal, and the Yusafiyah power plant.

The Futile Crescent - WIP

This is another work in progress. It is an oil painting on an 18X24 lauan panel. My son, who is currently deployed with the Army Infantry in Baghdad, suggested the painting. I think that I have all of the elements in place, with the possible exception of a crescent moon in the upper right corner.

The Blessed Trinity-WIP

This is my latest painting, which is still a work in progress, titled Blessed Trinity. It is an abstract representation of the christian dogma of the Blessed Trinity - three unique and distinct divine Persons who form the single God. I am still trying to work out the composition and the symbolism, so any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Fall of Lucifer

I just completed the oil painting at the left. It is a 24X36 abstract image of St. Michael defeating Lucifer and casting him into the emptiness of hell. The painting is executed in painting knife on stretched canvas. The concept is to use multiple layers of thick paint with an emphasis on primary colors to depict the violence of combat between the two spiritual beings.

This is a continuation of my desire to bring modern techniques and materials to traditional Catholic themes.