The golden apple, latex and metallic spray paint on canvas, 30 x 48", 2021 Golden apples appear frequently in classical mythology. Both Hercules and his ancestor Perseus are connected with the tale of the golden apples of the Hesperides - daughters of the titan Atlas. In some versions of the Hercules myth, he gathers the apples himself. In another version, he recruits the aid of Atlas, offering to relieve the titan of his burden (holding up the heavens on his shoulders). Golden apples also feature prominently in the "Judgement of Paris" which sparks the Trojan War. They appear again in the Atalanta myth, as a form of distraction leading to the heroine losing a footrace to her future-husband.
The figure of this painting could be any of these heroes, princes or titans. Their hand reaches up to gently pluck one of the golden apples, so small, yet so monumentally significant to theirs and other's lives.
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Drawing 611, charcoal and chalk pastel on black paper, 12 x 9", 2021
Laocoön, latex paint on canvas, 72 x 36", 2021 The Trojan priest Laocoön, in his last moments, attempted to warn the Trojan people of their terrible mistake. The cunning Greek commander Odysseus had hatched the plan that would come to be known as the Trojan Horse - a supposed offering to the gods concealing hidden Greek soldiers. Laocoön, sensing treachery, had tried to convince the people to destroy the horse, but they feared angering the gods.
Perhaps due to this interference, or perhaps other earlier transgressions, the gods brought forth serpents from the nearby sea. The beasts attacked the unlucky priest and his two sons, devouring them all. The Greek plan succeeded and Troy was lost. The theme of Laocoön and the serpents has always been one of my favorite themes. From the iconic marble Laocoön Group to the almost surreal Laocoön of El Greco, the theme provides an opportunity for a powerful figure to push and fight against a writhing adversary - man versus beast, man versus the anger of his gods, and man versus his own mortal decisions. This painting exists in a space of motion and contortion, inhabiting a moment that could be interpreted in numerous stages of a mythological story featuring Capaneus and the walls of Thebes. Blasphemy upon the wall, latex paint on canvas, 30 x 48", 2021
This new large painting captures Might's zeal and physicality as he restrains the rebellious titan Prometheus in Aeschylus' drama "Prometheus Bound." Find out more about it by clicking on the image below. Might binding Forethought, latex paint on canvas, 60 x 55", 2021
The Latin word "averto" means to turn away or aside. My latest series of works on canvas and paper by that name (AVERTO) draws inspiration from that very act. The work depicts Oedipus, the mythological king of Thebes, and his subjects as they turn away from the awful fate that has gripped their kingdom. See a full description of the new work by clicking on any of the canvases below. Oedipus turns away, latex paint on canvas, 72 x 36", 2021, private collection, St. Petersburg, FL
In August I released two new Heracles-themed paintings - "The Shield of Heracles," and "The Madness of Heracles." Read more about the two new large pieces below. The shield of Heracles, wrought by the hands of Hephaestus, appears in the account of the hero's encounter with the god Ares with his son Cycnus. The murderous Cycnus challenged Heracles to a duel, when the two met upon the road. Taking up the glorious and unbreakable shield, Heracles defeated Cycnus and with Athena's help the god Ares as well. "The Shield of Heracles," latex and acrylic paint on canvas, 60x55", 2020 Upon returning home from his final labor, Heracles was weary and ready to find peace. Instead, the hero found his father, wife and sons on the verge of being executed by his enemy Lycus. Heracles destroyed his enemies, but the goddess Hera wove madness before his eyes and the tragic hero turned his malice on his own family as well. "The Madness of Heracles," latex paint on canvas, 60x55", 2020
Something BIG is on the way. Sign up for my Studio Newsletter to get a first look once this new large piece and others like it become available. A new collection of works will be coming outing in June 2020, titled PAOLO & FRANCESCA, featuring the tragic lovers immortalized in Dante's "Inferno" and Rodin's "The Kiss". Subscribers to my Studio Newsletter will get first access to the new work in early June. Theseus and the Minotaur II, latex paint on canvas, 55 x 60", 2019 Revisiting a subject from 2016, this painting portrays the brutal encounter between the hero Theseus and the monstrous Minotaur. Some accounts describe the hero as taking the Minotaur by surprise and slaying him with his bare hands. Like the 2016 piece, I have purposely blurred the distinctions between who is the monster and who is the hero in the scene.
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