Hawaii #4 “Blue Moon over Ukumehame”

Hawaii #4  “Blue Moon over Ukumehame”

Oil on linen. 

This is an abstraction of my time surfing at 1000 peaks. 

This was a enjoyable to paint, and surfing is wonderful. 

Aloha...

New work Hawaii #1 "Between Interruptions"

I have been living in Maui Hawaii for 5 years now.  The majority of my time has been spent tattooing, spearfishing, surfing, and enjoying my life with Athena. and our dogs. 

This winter I started a new oil paining.  Nothing too serious, I simply had an idea to work out.  I worked on the painting when I was not tattooing; which is mostly never being that I have been almost booked solid for a few years now.

My life here on Maui is so very different then what it was in Minneapolis.  I have found that the ocean is everything to me.  All I want to do is play in it as often as I can.  With this new painting I decided not put too much academic thought into painting it, and simply paint. I work on it as I have time and at my leasure.  Everything is improvisational as I am only reacting to the work as I do it.

"Between interruptions" 2017

More to come as I finish them. 

Aloha...

Maui, I am a compositionalist.

I have lived on Maui for a full year now.
Moving my family here was one of the best choices I have ever made.  I needed to get away from the city, the ratrace, the bullshit, the traffic...
...so we sold everything and moved to one of the most remote places on the planet.

We live in a fairly remote part of the island, and I have become a Napili hermit simply because where I live is beautiful, calm, quite, and I have no need to go anywhere else.
I am still a compositionalist, but I have been expanding my vocabulary.

I have been exploring water color painting as a study for oils.  I have also been tattooing on Maui.  the last year has been a great year of research for my new series of paintings, exploring artistic mediums that I have seldom used, and slowing down my life in general as I enjoy my family and our life here on the island.  

Now, after a full year of living on the island I feel that I am reenergized enough to start my next series of oil paintings.  I will continue to post here on this blog as it relates to oil painting.

Even Caravaggio loves living as artists on Maui.

Minneapolis, I am a Compositionalist - Goodby and thanks for the dreams.

Today I am leaving my adopted home town of Minneapolis, MN.  My beautiful wife Athena ( of Such Good Dogs :)  ) and I have decided to try and live our dreams.  Athena wanted to become a professional dog trainer, and I wanted to become a professional artist.  We are now the people we have always wanted to be, and knowing that, we understand how much more we can become.      


Both of us have had the pleasure of truly knowing some of the coolest people in this city.  We both would not be the people we are without the true friendships we have built here in Minneapolis.  We love you all, and we are very sad to leave you.  Albeit, we are family, and we will never simply leave you behind.  Our home is yours.

I moved to Minneapolis in the fall of 1996 to become an artist.
This is my last oil painting I will complete in Minneapolis.  It is meaningful to me if only for that reason.  During the last 17 years I taught myself how to oil paint anything I want, anything my mind can see.  I have total control of my medium, and with that I am able to truly use my philosophy to communicate through the aesthetics of composition.  Now I am going to speak my mind.

 My current paint pallet.

A portion of my current subject matter.

BitTorrent #13  "Penitent Magdelene"

Thanks Minneapolis, I have been able to live the life of interesting dreams.  For everything you have given me, I am continually grateful.  I should be arriving in Maui, Hawaii in a few hours.  Athena and I are going to build a beautiful life together...a life of happiness and productivity in our chosen fields.  

Minneapolis, I am a Compositionalist - Goodby and thanks for the dreams...

...Maui, Hawaii here we come, welcoming the challenge.

One way tickets!!!

Athena and I purchased our one way plane tickets to Maui, Hawaii in August.  

We are moving with 4 suitcases each, our car, our two dogs and some art supplies.  I intend to paint a complete series of new oil paintings while we are there.  Hopefully my work will change in ways I can not see in my mind at the moment.  

Our new life on the island will be good, with a place in New York and a place in Minneapolis we can go visit our favorite haunts anytime we want to.  We both are very excited.

I have three oil paintings to finish here in minneapolis before we move...

...so check back soon.