Four Roses Painting

I've been a painter working with watercolor and ink for more than sixty years. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania and then migrated south to Florida for the early part of my career. Inspirations for my work are the lush, organic colors of Alphonse Mucha and the translucent, intricate designs of Louis Tiffany. Culturally my work is influenced by the circular symbolism of Eastern Europe, the earthen tapestries of the Middle East, and the bright ornamental styles of Asia. I moved to New Mexico in the mid 1990’s and I've enjoyed experimenting with Southwestern symbols and themes occasionally but the bulk of my work remains largely non-representational by design. Although I've painted a variety of subjects over the years, my visual interest now lies more in working with shapes, patterns, and colors. How these relationships play along with the overall design and its end is what continues to fascinate me. This process has become my focus. Rather than trying to convey ‘some-one-thing’ in particular, subject matter, if used at all, is usually just another opportunity to work with a particular shape or a motif which serves rather than leads the process. In the end, while the nature of this process is both organic and spontaneous it is also intricate and symmetrical which has led to a style sometimes referred to as “Ornamentalism,” or more often, "Decorative.” Though this is not my primary objective, I am very pleased if the result is aesthetic. My objective has more to do with ‘The Process’ which involves being both meticulous and original, and I hope too, that it culminates with some semblance of harmony. Although I've painted a variety of subjects over the years, my visual interest now lies more in working with shapes, patterns, and colors. How these relationships play along with the overall design and its end is what continues to fascinate me. This process has become my focus over the years. Rather than trying to convey ‘some-one-thing’ in particular, subject matter, if used at all, is usually just another opportunity to work with a particular shape or a motif which serves rather than leads the process. In the end, while the nature of this process is both organic and spontaneous it is also intricate and symmetrical which has led to a style sometimes referred to as “Ornamentalism,” or more often, "Decorative.” Though this is not my primary objective, I am very pleased if the result is aesthetic.