Wind Bastard Bothering My Friends Painting

I live for creativity, music, and humor. Laughter has always been one of my best friends, but I've also had an ongoing love affair with the absurd and bizarre. From early on, all of my art was made with a still camera, darkroom or movie camera, and I hadn’t given much thought about creating anything in other media. At first I found drawing and freehand artwork frustrating and I didn’t get much enjoyment from it. Enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design, I started taking courses in silkscreen, intaglio, and lithography. I was encouraged to keep doing more by friends and a few brave faculty - they especially liked my nude renderings. The more I did, the more I enjoyed it, gaining confidence with experience. I remain grateful for the encouragement I received. Most of my professional assignment work was not exactly what I would consider "art." I was looking for projects to call my own and that might express some inner reality. Studying jazz guitar was one; drawing and painting was the other. At one point I lucked into a windfall from a friend whose mother was a painter: dozens of tubes of top-quality artist oil paints. Cadmiums, titaniums, cobalts, the crème de la crème. That really gave me permission to get going. I like to work big. One of my first paintings was 6 feet by 5 feet. I'll sometimes even make frames using leftover wood from home improvement projects. Oil pastels also have a special attraction for me, as they're unique in the way you can blend the colors - the lovely sensuous smear. With their directness and spontaneity, I create most of those while camping or traveling, especially in Mexico. Along with lots of boobs and other anatomically incorrect body parts, my work references animals. Many are pets from the past and present that still live inside me.