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Self-Portrait-in-Mirror
20 x 16, oil on panel

Title: Self Portrait in Mirror
Size: 20 x 16 inches
Medium: Oil on Panel
Description: This painting was inspired by a sense of longing that I feel in my artwork for an escape into my imagination. Images have long held a fascination for me, the more mysterious and beautiful the better. Beautiful pictures have fed my imagination since childhood, giving my mind and emotions a place to wander and a sense of freedom that feels just as vivid as it would in the real world. Whenever I feel the need for a sense of calm or joy, my imagination often goes looking to connect with an image that gives me that feeling . The self portrait is a glimpse of me looking into this space which is much more in my mind’s eye than just behind my shoulder.

The painting will be exhibited and offered for sale to the public at the upcoming Paris Seminar Exhibition in Laguna Beach in mid April. The proceeds from the exhibiitons will fund an opportunity for the artists to participate in an educational trip to Paris. The selected group will have the benefit of special lectures on the humanities by distinguished guests, discourses on composition, and painting sessions in the historic atelier of the Grand Chaumiere. I invite you to come to this exhibition and participate with the artists in a rare event that brings together a mixture of hope, excitement, philosophy and adventure.

I am proud to feature my latest painting, Flowers of Eden which was painted for a special exhibition, The Rennaissance of Realism, that will be debuting in two  days at Gallery 1261,  in collaboration with Windows to the Divine. Windows to the Divine is a registered trademark established in 1998 of the Colorado Dominican Vocation Foundation (Foundation), a nonprofit foundation that supports the vocation of artists and the Dominicans.  Through exhibitions, education and outreach, Windows to the Divine® programs promote these important vocations as well as multiculturalism and interfaith dialogue. Along with the exhibition at Gallery 1261, there will be a Renaissance of Realism National Symposium to be held on Friday, November 13, 2015 at the Denver Art Museum for the Collectors for Connoisseurship, a membership of patrons and artist sponsored by the Windows to the Divine program.

The painting takes an imaginative departure from a dramatically lit arrangement of flowers to a living display of the Biblical story of the snake and the apple. It was created with an indirect technique in which an underpainting is first realized before subsequent transparent glazes and opaque scumbles are laid over. The result achieves a characteristic subtlety where vivid  color and atmospheric depths are a prominent feature. Also, visible here in the close up photographs, the painting surface is exquisitely smooth and polished. I left in the dust particles reflecting the light as a reference comparison so you can see all the surface disturbances. This style is typical of the Flemish paintings of the 17th century and various artists in later times who achieved a similar refined look such as Ingres and David. This elegant style is set off by a simple gold leaf floater frame and would look perfect in a similarly elegant setting. It is of slightly larger than life size proportions standing at 26 x 20 inches in height to make a impressive statement. In the photo of the framed painting on the easel, you can even see a jar of Gamvar, which is the varnish I choose to protect my paintings with.