As Lauren and I made our way into the Joan Mitchell exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art we were greeted by some of her earliest canvases from the 1950s. Signage in the exhibit cites her moving to the city (Brooklyn) as much of the inspiration for these early works. 

1st room of the exhibit featuring (from left) City Landscape, Hudson River Day Line, Untitled and Lyric.

Hemlock, Swamp and Harbor December

Recently, Lauren and I were able to visit the Baltimore Museum of Art and experience their amazing exhibit of Joan Mitchell works. We were able to see room after room of her large canvases (which I will share soon), but also works on paper that were new to us. 

Joan Mitchell: Untitled, charcoal and pastel on paper, 24 x 18, 1964, private collection

Joan Mitchell: Sketchbooks featuring pastel and marker.

Joan Mitchell: A charcoal sketch of the Brooklyn Bridge

It's no secret that the Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti is one of the greatest influences on my work. In particular, his drawings have always been a source of pure inspiration. I was even fortunate enough to visit the Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of NY in 2017 (see sketches from the visit here).

In fact, I've always been drawn to the twisting and frenetic energy of his studies for the Battle of Cascina. See examples below:

From those studies, I took inspiration for my recent painting Startled Man. I sought to capture that twisting urgency and heightened awareness in black and white washes of latex paint. The resulting painting owes a deep gratitude to Michelangelo's studies for the Battle of Cascina. 

Startled man, latex paint on canvas, 43 x 55, 2022

I recently came across this photo of retired art professor John Clovis in the 1980 edition of "The Mound" - Fairmont State University's (then Fairmont State College's) student yearbook. The caption reads: "JOHN CLOVIS, associate professor of art, helps students individually in painting class for oils and acrylics."

Conflicted man, latex paint on canvas, 30 x 48, 2021

Forerunner, latex paint on canvas, 48 x 30, 2021

My recent classically-inspired mixed-media works on raw canvas - Nemo propheta in patria, Progenitor & Patrician - were inspired by the Roman portraits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY. In their collection you will find gods, emperors, senators, and all manner of citizens of Rome, all beautifully carved in marble. One particular piece always caught my attention - the Marble Portrait Bust of a Man:

Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - check out this link for a 360 view of the portrait

I even sketched this piece in black and white ink during a visit to the Met in 2017:

This piece, and the others in the Met's collection, display a penetrating gaze and distinct personalities that traverse the thousands of years that separate their subject and ourselves. As with the above image, they often possess a softness or vagueness due to damage and time. These characteristics only serves to enhance their personality and emphasize that great chasm of history.

Drawing 632, ink on paper, 9 x 12, 2021

The Madman II, latex paint on canvas, 72 x 36", 2021, private collection

This painting was a revisiting of the theme from 2020's 'The Madman' pictured below:

The Madman, latex paint on canvas, 30 x 48", 2020

Drawing 629, ink on paper, 9x12", 2021

Check out this short video of 3 quick gesture drawings:

Portrait of a man holding his arm, acrylic paint on canvas, 30 x 48, 2021

Drawing 622, charcoal and pastel on paper, 11 x 14, 2021

My recently painting, Laocoön, was unsurprisingly inspired by these famous versions of the myth. The story involves the Trojan War, Odysseus' cunning, the gods' wrath, a ruse and a priest - upon angering the gods, Laocoön and his sons are devoured by sea serpents. 

The large marble piece below is one the most famous in art history. Buried in the earth for hundreds of years and discovered in a field during the Renaissance, this piece dazzled its finders (Michelangelo came immediately to witness it) and viewers ever since. A perfect example of Hellenistic carving, it embraces the heightened drama and graceful power of the period. 

This painting by the Mannerist painter El Greco - created some 1,700 years after the marble above - is one that I love to visit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The heightened drama and pain exist in this interpretation of the myth as well, and the grace here is punctuated with raw expression. 

Lastly, the strokes I used to create the "serpent" in my painting were inspired by the the fluid and simple marks of Zen "Ensō" paintings. Ensō embrace one spontaneous stroke of a brush to create an imperfect circle. Though the continuous line in my painting isn't a circle, I still wanted to adopt this honest and simple mark to capture the energy of the moment.