super yacht industry

the latest feature published on orka fine arts in the march issue of super yacht industry.

a floating studio

"dusk from pierland island" watercolor on paper. image size: 10.5 x 24.5 cm 2009 artist's collection


"approaching storm" watercolor on paper. image size: 10 x 15 cm. 2008 artist's collection


"untitled" watercolor on paper. 10. x 13 cm. 2006 artist's collection



catharina & i are involved in a 'menage a trois' and her name is georgina, our beloved 1939 bakdekcrusier. when we first laid eyes on her and stepped aboard, we were seduced by her elegant sweeping lines, her plumb bow, teak interior and headroom throughout. we restored her ourselves: 2 weeks of dirty back-breaking work but we loved every minute of it. she has become our studio on the water where i like to do small watercolors as pictured above. the perfect long weekend getaway and the official 'flagship' of orka fine arts.

the scream

"the scream" (self portrait) oil on canvas with lightbox and x-ray. 43 x 81 x 10 cm. 2005 artist's collection

I had myself x-rayed while screaming for this piece. poverty, corruption, injustice, CNN, NBC doling out a constant stream of fear and anxiety while we sit back, turn a knob for enough steaming hot water to fill a swimming pool while people are living on top of garbage heaps living under corregated tin shacks while bankers are paying themselves obscene bonuses while kids are being sent away to die in the name of 'freedom' while corporate greed has us all by the throats, while poor people are given 25 years for misdemeanors while the planet dies beneath our feet while polar bears drown..................it all just makes me want to SCREAM.

redefining marine art

"lost at sea" acrylic, cement, spray paint on canvas 107 x 183 cm. 1986 private collection

marine art is not a subject tackled by many contemporary artists as a means of artistic expression as opposed to illustration. it was a theme i delved into in the 80's. as a story of human drama, man against the sea as the visual narrative, it makes for compelling subject matter if removed from the illustrative embrace of sentimental romanticism.

maps

"zealous" acrylic, pencil, ink, collage on paper 101 x 70 cm. 1992 artist's collection

there is something intrinsically beautiful about maps and i don't know an artist who is not drawn to them in some way. i can understand why antique maps are highly sought after by collectors. their simplicity of composition and color combination is what attracts the eye. over the years, i've based aspects of my work on them and continue to this day, as in the print titled, '4you' pictured below. to view some others, click on OLDER POSTS at the bottom of the page.

the martyr series 1990 - 1991

'the stoning of st. stephan' acrylic, oil, cement, gold-leafed box containing a rock on canvas 117 x 214 cm. 1990 artist's collection

stoning is the oldest form of capital punishment and is still in use today throughout parts of the middle east and africa. it is usually carried out by a local mob and most victims today are usually women accused of adultery. for the taliban, it is the preferred method of punishment for many crimes. it does not take much imagination to realize the horror.


'martyrdom of margaret clitherow' acrylic, cement, press type, gold-leafed box containing a brass weight on canvas (triptych) app. 61 x 140 cm. overall. collection: decordova museum, mass. usa

margaret clitherow was well respected in her community. in a fit of collective religious zeal, she was executed for a minor offense in york in 1586. she was stretched out on the ground, arms and legs tied to posts. a sharp rock was placed under her back and a heavy wooden door laid on top of her body. rocks and boulders were then thrown on top, slowly crushing her. the stone at her back forced her spine to snap. man's inhumanity to man knows no boundaries and its usually carried out in the name of god. go figure! while i was working on this series, in the back of my mind i was operating in a state of disbelief, that people are more than willing to kill one-another based on their spirituality. makes me want to scream.

4you

"4 you" screenprint and watercolor on etched 3 mm. aluminum plate 65 x 50 cm. 2009

newest print for dutch superyacht builder heesen. custom frame (not pictured) created from the same wood used throughout the ship's interior. gift to the owner on behalf of heesen yachts.

for their annual yearbook, heesen yachts devoted several pages titled, "the making of a print" which documented the print process in the creation of 'jems2', a print on aluminum presented to the owner of the boat. the entire process was shot by dutch photographer, jan willem steenmeijer. see also: art for the maritime industry under categories.

drawing

no title. crayons on paper 1961 artist's collection

picasso once said, "I was an artist in my mother's womb." i guess i was too judging from the way i signed and dated this drawing. this is me in front of my house that had a big tree in front. i actually like the composition of this!
because of my incessant drawing, my parents took me to the 1964 world's fair in NY to see michelangelo's pieta in the vatican pavilion. it was my first 'art experience'. i clearly remember gliding past on a slow 'conveyor' belt, in awe, holding my mother's hand. "look tommy, he carved this from a single block of marble! look at the veins in his hands!" i knew from that moment i wanted to be an artist.

clipper

"clipper" oil on canvas. 46 x 61 cm. 1967 artist's collection

i took a few painting lessons when i was 12 and i was the only kid amongst adults. i quit to play little league baseball. the teacher was not too pleased with my descison. i remember his sarcastic parting words, " good luck with your baseball career!" my pitching career with the yankees never materialized so he was probably right: i should've stayed.

shipwreck

"shipwreck" acrylic on canvasboard 45 x 61 cm. 1969 artist's collection

i painted this in junior high school. i was 14. my art teacher recognized my talent and provided me with a space where i could come and work after school hours. i remember him saying, " i wish this wasn't so easy for you."

its not. especially when you're confronting a blank canvas 2 meters square.

seascape

"seascape" acrylic on canvasboard 23 x 35.5 cm. 1972 artist's collection

i did this when i was 16 and a junior in high school. my attachment to the sea is part of what defines me. when encountering a work of art, a truly wonderful experience is when the work transcends the consciousness, almost on the level of a spiritual encounter, as when i 'hear' the morning in a corot or smell the salt air in a winslow homer. when i look back on this piece now 38 years later, i am reminded of that deep, sharp, penetrating new england winter chill along the coast.