At a bar in the Russafa neighborhood of Valencia I did this charcoal portrait of an English woman.
English Woman, charcoal portrait
People and portraits
Us in a field in Pennsylvania
Us In a Field in Pennsylvania, digital painting
Matteo
Matteo was my mother’s brother. He was born in Partanna, Sicily in 1893. His last name differed from his siblings. This anomaly has been prodding my curiosity for several years. Recently I wrote to Partanna to request his birth certificate. Unlike others I’d received, this one did not show his parents. Then I requested a copy of his Social Security application. There he named his father. Assuming he had the facts correct, now we know his father’s name. But what happened to his father? His mother, my grandmother, remarried when Matteo was around 5 years old.
He immigrated in 1915. I remember him teaching me to use utensils the continental way, fork in left and knife in right, and now switching back and forth. He was a very quiet guy as I recall him. My brother me he was quite active in the garment workers union in NYC, as was his sister Anna (Annette). He married a woman named Nellie who died in the early 1940’s. I think they married in Newark, at least I found a record of a Matthew and Nellie in the marriage records and as this is a uncommon combination of names it’s likely to be them. He died when I about 10 years old.
From the Banister
“From the Banister” acrylic painting
Us
We are in a field in Pennsylvania.
First Kiss
Giclee print (highest quality available) $60, signed 1 of 100
High quality prints $35.00, 30 x 42 cm/12″ x 16.5″
Peggys in A Lonely Room
Inspired by Edward Hopper’s Conference at Night, 1949. Strong contrasts, the powerful light of the window, two shimmering figures replace the dialogue of Conference. Out of focus, fuzzy dresses, perhaps made of fuzzy fabric, envelop the figures in a warmth protective against the rooms colder hues representing the starkness and loneliness of modern urban life. SOLD
Dancing with Susan
We were good friends in high school and lovers for a bit after that, and still enjoy her company. We danced at our 50th high school reunion, just us for a bit, silly and fun, a bit of swing dancing thrown in, as seen in the second painting.
Peg Visits the Nighthawk Bar
Based on Hopper’s “Nighthawk,” I put stylized versions of Peg in the bar.
Ukranian Woman
We walk to museums, to look at buildings of particular interest, to lunch or dinner. I can not help but look at the people. Ukraine was part of Russia for hundreds of years but the area has been inhabited for over 30,000 years. Who are they? The ethnic group called ‘Ukrainian’ is Slavic, as are Russians, Poles and parts of the old Yugoslavia. They do not seem in general to be quite as blond with super light skin tones as I noticed in Russia, but close enough.
