Order
Oil on canvas,
48 X 60 inches
1980

This painting required a whole year to complete. It is the result of a near-death episode I experienced while asleep due to having stopped breathing (sleep apnea). The experience was one of the most enlightening I have ever had. Matter became energy and I became aware of my entire inner structure and its energy needs. I became conscious of my sub-conscious and discussed the condition with myself before forcing myself to awaken from the beauty of the spiritual world hitherto unknown to me. The light was the mind's energy processing the distribution of nutrients throughout the body. Our minds have capacities many times beyond our waking states.

Self Reflection
Acrylic on paper mounted on masonite,
46.5 X 57 inches
1996

This composition addresses questions of the duality of our natures: one nature that strives for meaning and one that allows life to happen. Which of the two natures leads each of us? Why do we talk to ourselves? Most of our thoughts are private. We are constantly in a state of self-examination. We continue this way into old-age. Our last moments are filled with flashes of our lives in a final attempt to give meaning to ourselves. Another dominant struggles of the artist.

Stretch in Time
66 X 96,
oil on canvas
1998

This figuarative work was conceived by Francisco Franco and executed in my studio under my direction. The execution was about evenly divided between Fancisco anf myself with some input from Leo Bratenus. In this work we brought together the sensuous elements of a beautiful figure in motion (my most beautiful studio model) with a brilliantly colored rectalinearly geometrical abstraction and a softened atmosphere. Parts of the figure are transparent while others are brought to full form and color. The painting addresses various notions of the beauty of biological nature and that of conception: geometry. There is a bit of Retro-Pop in this work.

Satyr's Dance
Acrylic on canvas,
66 X 96 inches
1999

This work is one of three paintings produced as a type of disconnected triptych by my former students Leo Bratenus, Francisco Franco and myself as the lead artist working in my studio. This composition is completely by my hand. The composition addresses questions of transformation and realization of potentials. We must metamorphose from the physical to the spiritual and back, through integrating our intellectual, expressive and instinctual natures. It is the way of the artist. My students often tell me that they see a self-portrait in this work. They may be on to something here.

Three Graces
Oil on canvas,
66 X 96 inches
1999

This painting was conceived by my student Leo Bratenas as his contribution to my conception of a tripych on the theme of creative modes. In this work the figures are based on one of my studio models repeated. The division of the execution is about 45% each between Leo and myself and 10% by Francisco Franco. This painting addresses the poetic inspirations of nature, here represented by the birth of three lovely forest nymphs from the water under a wise old tree that has fallen where it would not be heard.

Death of Hero
Acrylic on canvas,
66 X 96
1999

The Death of a Hero was inspired by the Gulf War. At the beginning of the war (September 1990) A student of mine (Alexander Moghadam)and myself had a drawing session at my studio and the basic conception for the composition was formulated in a pastel on a 5 x 7 foot piece of paper. Years later I suggested that the Satyrus Group (Franco, Bratenas and myself) use this drawing as a starting point for the development of the present composition. The idea here was to create a detached narrative that focuses on the reaction of the death of the seeker in his trip through the labyrinth, symbolized in the staff held by the bandaged man at the center of the composition.

Freedom
Acrylic on panel,
60 X 108 inches
1999

Freedom was conceived by Leo Bratenas and the composition was developed by the group as a whole. We wanted to create a large and powerful statement about the natural state of animal freedom. We saw the wild horse, as did Carl Jung, as symbolizing the "uncontrollable instinctive drives that can erupt from the unconscious - and that many people try to repress", and decided it was the perfect creature to reflect the struggle for freedom. We studied the real animal, illustrations of them, but were most inspired by the drawings of them by Leonardo da Vinci. The composition evolved slowly, and individual horses were added to the composition to reflect the various feelings brought on by confinement and liberation. At the extreme upper left is terror, and at the lower right is repose, with anxiety, turmoil, escape and release in between. The paint on this panel is heavily built up to emphasize the power of the animals.

Traversing the Orb
Oil on canvas,
54 X 84 inches
2001

This painting explores the nature of humanity and its links to the animal world, using the vocabulary of ancient Greek mythology. The canvas took 5 years to complete. I chose this work because of its technique, subject and incompleteness as the cover art of my book (Art and..., 1997) because they were both clearly unfinished works. The satyr, minotaur and sphinx all were brought to their deaths by the superior minds and abilities of creatures that resemble the golden god Apollo.
Techically this was one of my most challenging works.

Fireworks
Oil on canvas,
48 X 32 inches
2005

This composition was created using a thin but open brushwork technique with a relatively soft paint. The colors work in contrast to each other to emphasise form and space.

Origins of the Eye
Oil on canvas,
48 X 54 inches
2005

This painting began as an exercise in rhythm with the intent of creating a spherical space. The inspiration for the approach comes from quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle and the characteristics of light. Wave or point. Johnjoe McFadden, Quantum Evolution, W. W. Norton, 2000, has been a great inspiration for consideration of how order is created from the seeming randomness of nature, and how creation is an onging thing.

Psychomachia
Oil on canvas,
60 X 120 inches, painted frame: 6 inches wide
2006

This work was conceived in 1973 while I was still in high school. The objective was to give myself a challenge well beyond my understanding of art as a vehicle for exploration. It was to become a sounding board for all of my ideas for many years. I often thought of Friedrich Nietzsche's allegory of the metamorphosis while composing this work. It is a very autobiographical work. The canvas was stretched in the summer of 1980 and the composition laid out in gray tonalities in the following year. The bulk of the background landscape was completed by 1987 and the dragon by 1995. The horse and rider are now near completion: the lion cape was added in 2000. In the summer of 2003 I worked mainly on the forground grass and rocks. The painted frame was begun in 1997, and is meant to give more space to the composition while introducing an abstact mosaic element. It is still unfinished.

The Depths
Oil on canvas,
36 X 48 inches
2006

This painting began as an exploration of rhythm. Using short bright brushes to emphasise edge, a series of marks were laid down. A shifting from opaque to glaze painting throughout its development contributed to the depth and complexity of the space.

Fire Dance
Oil on canvas
36 X 48 inches
2007

This painting is based on a one-hour free-form drawing (see drawings) executed during a meeting at work. The objective here was to produce a dynamic figure that came out of the background but blended in extremities via common brush strokes and complemetary colors weaving over and through the entire surface.