Click on any to see a larger image; these are all from the early to mid 1980s. No. 7 in the row is a diptych executed on 2 sheets, each 22" x 30", simultaneously (for those who care about technical information, there were 153 layers of color). I wished the viewer's eye to move in a programmatic fashion, finding a story among the images, lingering here, passing swiftly there; this was the furious work of a younger artist, burning the energy of the late 20s to mid 30s. Editions were small, 5 to 8 or 9, as the medium was acrylic mural paint with transparent glazes, which can be screenprinted for a very short time before setting. During this time I eventually realized that the fashion of appropriated imagery, which I used once in a while, might cause associations outside the present image, when my intent was to, paradoxically, still the mind as it constructed the story, or more simply, progression of associations - so the following are entirely images from my camera (some textures and images generated by other means - shattered automobile glass on the screen, "bubbles" made of water and spray paint on acrylic sheet, etc.).

These above are from the late 80s into 1992 or so, all are single sheets 30" wide x 22" high, in 26 to 45 color layers. The female body is a thing I see as lovely, especially if not conforming to common stereotypes such as large breasted, skinny, fish lipped. Finding beauty where it might be less than completely obvious, and commenting upon it, became more the aim into the early 90s. Beauty should not stay still, it should seethe.

3 prints remain

2 prints remain

These are all (except No.5, which is an odd sized sheet) single sheets 22" wide x 30" high, also in 26 to 45 color layers. They range from 1986 to 1992. I'd become yet more interested in the space carried around a form, having looked at a good deal of Egon Schiele's work. Also, the idea of light existing independent of dark took hold of me. The third from the left was a problematic print for reproduction, as it has a reflective undercoat pattern (tiger stripes shine across her hips) that cannot show on a single 35mm slide, which had been the preferred medium for galleries' use in judging work.

 

And finally, some portraiture, an interest in showing something about the "model" as a person, up close. The models are women I once knew, one who stayed at our house while her relationship broke up, one was an inquisitive person with marble white skin, one had been a busker in the Paris subway:

 

I took a bold step a few years ago. A large printmaking studio, requiring several thousand square feet, was becoming economically less and less sustainable; the economics of trickle down just weren't trickling.... Editions had always been small, as related above. Eventually most had been sold, and I gave up the printmaking equipment and the studio. The above pieces are all that remain; of most editions I retained a single print, of those that note otherwise up to three prints. Of many editions I retain none. Interested buyers may purchase small reproductions or high resolution reproductions or the originals; inquire at orchids (at) orchidconsultant.com - the (at) instead of @ so that phishing websites cannot begin spamming you under my name. This work was quite strenuous to complete, hours to days of preparation required to print each color, months to complete each print and occasionally something would not work - the fundamental scheme wasn't going to produce what I wanted to see (those pieces did not see light of day).

I began working on images on the computer instead of with space- and time-consuming silkscreens. I've found that thinking in layers and logistics for the 33 years I printed with silkscreens has greatly informed this work.

Single frame photos, with minimal adjustments except that these three are from black and white 35 mm negatives made between 1982 and 2002:

 

Not to bore you, but the background on this page is taken from the pattern on the skin of a persimmon.

I've started doing a bit of work on images that strike me. When one stops and pays attention, the most remarkable things are happening. These are, one, records of real things, but two, now they are things themselves, to reproduce that stilled experience for you. These are, in short, made to be arresting moments. Something a little peculiar about each:

The left image is something I noticed in a mirror, machineries of decoration, the manufactured, the primitive and the dead - imagine a ratcheting sound just beyond the range of normal hearing; an unsuspected machine of crude manufacture is at work in the room with you, in this instance of artificial realism.

In the center we have what appears to be a miniature landscape, as for model trains, but it's actually huge, made out in the back field, the frame changes our perception of scale; perhaps, given the light fog that morning, a model view of the Mesozoic Era.

On the right, well, we'd call this The Founder - a series of porticoes giving onto a hidden patio, we see something casting a shadow, and onto what - some stilled vaporous eruption that's formed itself into the image of some august and stern Presence (sculpted by Javier Marin around 2005, the portico is at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Oaxaca, Mexico).

A couple more, below. On the left, something simple, but if you gaze you'll notice something odd about the space and shading, especially toward the bottom, perspective becomes a little uncertain. This is to the purpose.

On the right, a spot in Mexico City where there appear to have been differing plans for the arborists and the concrete workers, my task being to bring you the strangeness of being confronted with such a thing.

 

I've recently begun making faux woodblock prints. Apologies to Kawase Hasui, whose lovely work is inspirational:

As with all the images on this page, click on a thumbnail to see a larger image; call 650 201 7546 or email about medium- or high- resolution prints.

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