OLD BLUE OLD BLUE was a commissioned piece for a barbeque restaurant chain in Charleston, South Carolina called Sticky Fingers (great barbeque!).  The image was placed on their menu.  This is one of my favorite paintings.  I love the concept of implying  emotion.  You don't have to see his face to know what's he's been through.   GHETTO CHILD I believe in empowerment!  This painting is about looking at the glass as being half full as opposed to being half empty.  It's about holding on to dreams and believing that achievements can be accomplished if your mind is sharp, your soul is open; you believe that life is inherently good and that the universe wants you to succeed.   BUTTERFLY Being melancholy can happen even when our most important treasures surround us.  If we try, we can find comfort in even the direst of circumstances.   GIOVANNI-MEDITATION The dictionary defines perfection as the highest degree of proficiency, skill, or excellence, in some art.  This painting represents perfection.  The man in the painting is my brother in spirit.  When I think about sacrificing for one's art, I think about Giovanni.  His art is music.  His music is perfection.  I'm also a fan of contrasting colors.  The black, green, red and yellow contrasts make a strong statement.   SELF PORTRAIT This painting is about shapes, contrasts and motion.  Breaking through!  This is what I envy - to be fearless and to have the courage to sacrifice everything for what you love regardless of the costs.  I was raised to be cautious.   SIMPLE WORDS From 1997 - 2000 I lived in an area of downtown Seattle called Pioneer Square, across the street from the ferry terminal.  Every night on my way to the local teriyaki joint, I would walk by a homeless man distributing bible versus to pedestrians, in exchange for loose change.  Those of you who have spent time in that area may know the individual to whom I refer.   Every time I'd claim my personalized bible verse I would always ask my self...what if?   LADY IN MOONLIGHT On four separate occasions in a period of about two weeks, a lady bug presented itself to me (true story).  Not the same lady-bug.  At least I don't think it was the same one.  Since that time, the lady-bug has always symbolized the need for me to be present and to pay attention to what the universe is showing me. This painting is a play on the word lady.  The lady-bug lies on her leaf staring at the moonlight.  Her hands tell us a lot about what her heart and face do not.   WITH CHILD Women have always played an influential role in my life.  My grandmothers, my sister, my wife, and of course, my mother.  My mother is one of the most influential role models in my life, and my father made sure that I respected her.  She is smart, fearless, timeless, and loves unconditionally.  To be a mother is to be all of these things.  I experienced it everyday as a child, and I see it now in my wife with our children.  The original now hangs in my mother's house.