...a Saint is simply an idea with a face. The human face is truly a magical landscape and I believe the expression of any idea or emotion can be found in it. I started painting faces, making them up, twisting them, distorting them, looking for a dialog between the painting and me. I added references to things from my life that I find important; history, literature, mythology. In many of my pieces humor plays a role. Humor is an important part of my life, so it is in the paintings.
The collar and thin necks are trademarks of the Saints; they offer an effective barrier between mind and heart, an essential element in the human condition. The Saints are quixotic; grounded in history but very contemporary, serious yet whimsical. The fundamental idea is that of the shared universal experience; the greater connection I have to the painting, the more honest it is, the greater connection the viewer will have.
Don Quixote
Kafka Kandinsky but Immanuel Kant
"Kant is often referred to as the father of existentialism. I like to think of him more as the epistemological uncle we are not supposed to mention. Kandinsky made an entire career painting abstracted images of St. George slaying the Dragon, he, of course being the Saint and art being the lizard. Kafka, well, every time I hear his name, I sigh. Whenever I find myself in an existentialist pickle, I ask myself what would Kafka do? Got it! Turn into a cockroach!
Three artistic and intellectual icons to me, yet I don't believe any of them knew a thing, that is because, I am certain, they all sensed that there is really nothing to know."
St Vitus
"St Vitus is the patron Saint of many things. In addition to comedians, he is also looking out for over-sleepers and insomniacs. Legend has it that he was martyred by being boiled in oil with a rooster. He survived, there was no word on the rooster. The reason for the colander on his head?...well that's obvious."
Ensign Ahab
"I am always interested in the early lives of famous people. If you look closely enough you may be able to see why they took the path they did."
The New Wine
"Recently, on a trip to Napa Valley, I participated in a number of wine tastings. Looking around the room at people who were as ignorant as I was about the art of evaluating wine, I noticed that when a new wine was poured, the hapless, hesitant connoisseurs would cautiously stick their noses in the glass. They looked like rabbits with the probing proboscis, searching for a hint of a new adjective."
Aaron Copland
"I have always felt very close to Copland because he was the mentor of Leonard Bernstein and once, in a small restaurant near Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Pops Orchestra, I washed Lenny's dishes."
"Copland's best know work is Appalachian Spring. Originally entitled Martha's Symphony, the title was changed at the suggestion of Martha Graham, Copland's good friend and collaborator. She suggested using a phrase from Hart Crane's poem The Bridge. Appalachian Spring has nothing to do with the time of year, but refers to water coming out of the earth. Copland simply liked the sound of it. For the rest of his life he was accosted by zealous fans telling him how the work transported them to April in the Smokies. I am sure he looked down his nose at them, as if they were dishwashers."
The Young Scholar
"There is something heroic about a young scholar, like Don Quixote, storming the windmills of knowledge."
A Night at the Opera (Mr. Butterfly)
"My wife and I had the pleasure of attending Madam Butterfly in Paris. Whenever something impresses me like that, I give the experience a face."
The Man with the Small Idea
"There are some people who have one great idea after another. At first glance that seems like an admirable trait, after all, there are some who never have one. The problem with having so many wonderful directions to in is that often, before you can act on the big idea, another one comes up, even better. After all is said and done, you get nothing done. It is ironic that often it is the person with the small idea that gets the most accomplished."
The Wealthy Mendicant
"When I lived in Korea, I was fortunate enough to know a number of Buddhist monks. I remember one in particular, on a wintry morning, going from door to door begging for rice. Dressed in rags, through the snow, empty bowl in hand, he seemed like the happiest person I had ever seen."
Carolus Linneaus
"Linnaeus constructed the intricate system of the classification of plants and animals that we all learned in high school and then immediately forgot. He was of a mind that if we know the name of a thing, we know the thing itself."
The Martini Saint
"TGIF in heaven"
Eating Watermelon at Night
"The Common American Watermelon (owfarius cedespidius) is the most friendly fruit of all. It should always be eaten in the daylight hours in the company of friends. Never should it be consumed at night, alone."
Drunken Silenus
"Silenus was the teacher and boon companion of Dionysus. When drunk, it was said he had special knowledge and the power of prophecy. Sound familiar? Once, when especially prophetic, he was rescued by King Midas who treated him kindly. As a reward, he bestowed upon the King the power to transform anything he touched into gold. It seems like Silenus would have known what was going to happen."
The Young Darwin
"I think if Darwin were alive today, he'd be rolling over in his grave."
The Irascible Erasmus
"Desiderius Erasmus Rotterdamus was an important figure in sixteenth century theology, laying the ground work for the protestant reformation. That is not why I painted him though. In addition to having an impressive name, indicated by the handsome bird on his head, I don't think anyone has painted his portrait since Hans Holbein, so now it is just Hans and me."
James Joyce
"When I first read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, I wondered how Joyce could have known my family so well. On a personal note, he was very dapper and vain when it came to his appearance yet he rarely took a bath. When asked why, he explained that he had no need to as "all of Ireland is bathed by the Gulf Stream."
Agatha Christie
"Dame Christie is credited with being the best selling writer of novels of all time. Over four billion copies of her novels have been printed, outdone only by the Bible. Poirot would be impressed but I doubt Miss Marple would care."
St Julian of Norwich
"Widowed and sent off to a nunnery, she is credited with being the first woman to write a book in English."
Pinot and Grigio
"Before Romulus and Remus left the comfort of their Mother's den to found the Eternal City, Sts. Pinot and Grigio were planting grapes. How could there have been Rome without wine?"
The Inspired Chopin
"My mother was a pianist and I went to sleep every night of my childhood listening to Chopin's Etudes. I believe that is why to this day, whenever I hear the name Chopin, my eyelids get heavy."
