Study 04

Study of Reflection (Self Portrait), by Lucien Freud

Study 03

Study of "Red Stare" by Jenny Saville

A couple of paintings about sleep

Sleep 1, 36" by 18", oil on canvas, 2014

Sleep 2, 36" by 24", oil on canvas, 2014

Sleep

Sweet rest

When my eyes stop burning

Loins cool

Stomach settles

The hope of what tomorrow brings

Leaving today behind

And now

I embrace the oblivion space

Staring Up At the Ceiling

Staring Up At the Ceiling, 18" by 36", oil on canvas, 2014

Why do we die?

Do something but you're guided by nothing.

Lost, fragmented, don't believe in anything.

Nothing is true.

What's important?

Throw-away images? Made permanent.

Taboos being challenged.

"Numb thyself."

Study 02

Study of Rosetta by Jenny Saville

Breathing Underwater

Breathing Underwater, 40" by 40", oil on canvas, 2014

Study

Study of Passages by Jenny Saville

Jenny Saville

Five reasons I like the paintings of Jenny Saville:
1. I'm drawn to the apparently wild strokes but on further inspection, realize that they are planned and help to build the structure of the figure.
2. Her colour palette is very "musical."
3. There's an energy in her painting that I also find in de Kooning's.
4. I'm impressed by the gargantuan scale of her work (some of these paintings are wall sized).
5. It's an affirmation for me that painting doesn't need to rely on being flashy, gimmicky, or trendy. Just do what you do. Paint what excites you. Keep at it and soon you'll have gone where no one else has. Keep painting and you'll make some amazing work.

Rosetta, Jenny Saville

Red Stare Head, Jenny Saville

Reverse, Jenny Saville

Reassuring Perspective

The Ogre

The Ogre, 22" by 28", oil on canvas, 2014