The broken man, latex paint on canvas, 36 x 48", 2021
​A simple and suggestive painting, this figure's tale is told through its burdened shoulders, it's crossed hands and its tortured center.

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.

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.
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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.

Blasphemy upon the wall, latex paint on canvas, 30 x 48", 2021

Might binding Forethought, latex paint on canvas, 60 x 55", 2021

Oedipus turns away, latex paint on canvas, 72 x 36", 2021, private collection, St. Petersburg, FL

This 5th century BCE krater was an inspiration for my recent large mixed media painting Talos, the Bronze Man. The painting depicts a mythical construct created (some myths say by Hephaestus) of bronze. The giant patrolled the shores of Crete and hurled large stones at invaders.

The death of Talos depicted on a 5th-century BCE krater now in the Jatta National Archaeological Museum in Ruvo di Puglia
By Forzaruvo94 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22906318

Talos, the Bronze Man, latex and spray paint on canvas, 36 x 72", 2021

Thief, latex paint on canvas, 36 x 48", 2021