"Creation" gesso on wood / 24" x 24"

This piece has a fun history. It was commissioned by a collector in L.A. as a birthday present for her close African friend whom she feels consistently demonstrates the power to create something workable out of seemingly nothing.

"Labyrinths" gesso on wood / 24"x 24"

This image pays homage to local "Outsider Artist", Welmon Sharlhorne, whose 50 or so drawings from inside the walls of Angola prison always feature a clock (and who has of late become a good friend). 
Decent local blog that mentions Welmon

"Fear of Zippers" gesso on wood / 36" x 36"

This piece was one of two featured and auctioned off in a recent fund-raiser to support New Orleans' musicians affected by hurricane Katrina.  The symbolism is so extensive that I don't have room here to go into detail, but suffice it to say it is the encapsulation of everything that I find seductive and siren-like about this spooky, beautiful town. 

"PERV" oil and acrylic on wood / 16"x 20"

Sexuality has been a theme of many of my pieces. Here I am acknowledging, as we all must to some extent, the thin line between sexuality and perversity.

"Splitcha" gesso on Masonite / 24"x 24"

I recently met and began dating someone whom I was convinced was "it", only to have her demonstrate in a less-than-admirable fashion that she could never be "it" in my world -- preoccupied as she was
with being "it" in her own. And so the full title of this piece:
"Don't Let the Door Hitcha where the Good Lord Splitcha."

"Lorelei" gesso on wood / 24"x 28"

There's something about being trapped in the karmic cycle of birth, death, birth again, etc...that reminds me of the rut we can get into here in New Orleans if we let ourselves succumb to her darkness.

"il Monstro " mixed media on wood / 24"x 24"

Honestly this piece is a product of a dark moment and frankly it scares me, which is why I've named it "The Monster." I guess it's a self portrait of sorts, but at the end of the day, what isn't?

"Dragon" gesso on wood / 24"x 24"

This was literally the dragon I had to conquer when I returned to my studio after having fled the storm. It sat on my easel half-finished for weeks before Katrina, and was here when I returned. Having finished it symbolizes my commitment to keep working no matter what life throws my way.

"NOW" mixed media on wood / 16"x 18"

One night in my studio, while I was painting this, I listened to a friend on the phone with her mother in Seattle, who was explaining why she had decided to sell the house this friend was raised in. It made me think of a Zen koan in which an old woman burns a monk's hut down for his ingratitude.

"Daughters" Marble dust, acrylic, oil,
tempera and bronze powder on wood / 3' x 4'

"N.O.-Unplugged" mixed media on wood / 24"x 42"

This is closest in style to what I began in NYC at the age of 19, strongly featuring what has become my favoite symbol, the Vesica Piscis.
Vesica Piscis

"Cut-Uncut" gesso on wood / 28"x 48"

I was really struggling with alcohol and the trappings of physical desire in general. What I love about this piece that it incorporates the knots in the wood so that the image becomes a constellation of sorts, coaxed from a preexisting pattern. Leave it to a Jewish friend to point out the comedy of the title with respect to the uncircumcised figure.

"Fleur de Mains " gesso on pickled wood / 24"x 36 "

I was walking through the park looking at lilies, considering the fleur-de-lis, moving my hands to imitate the shapes and it hit me...this idea. I ran right home and created an instant classic, as this is currently the most reproduced image I've created.

"KISS" mixed media on wood / 36"x 48"

To come full circle, this again was for my patron in L.A. and features her African lover. Sweetly, the only direction I was given for this commission was the intimation of one of their most cherished exchanges; a kiss she'd placed upon his forehead while he lay snoozing in her lap.

"Hands Across the Water"
mixed media on vellum / 14"x17"

These sketches were submitted to the Y.L.C. for their project
A Streetcar Named Inspire. The piece was accepted, purchased
and shall enjoy a long life as a park sculpture after this event is over.
For more information check out Plywood Leviathans News Updates.

A collection of images which didn't make the first cut,
but which you may yet enjoy. These vary in size and are all mixed media
either on canvas or paper.