"Crossed Design"

I created this piece for my Fundamentals of Design class as an exploration of both the use of line and good design composition. The actual pice looks much better in reality and I felt that it was a well executed design. My teacher apparently did as well since he gave me an "A" on the project.

"Peace in Death"

I drew "Peace in Death" as a cover for my report on "All Quiet on the Western Front." I was supposed to draw a scene from the novel that was meaningful in some way to me or that I found particularly interesting. On page 127 of the novel, in the last paragraph I found my inspiration. I remember that as Paul Baumer was in the trenches on one particularly peaceful day, he looked out of the trench to spy two Brimstone butterflies fluttering about. He watched as they slowly flew down toward the ground and settled on a skull. I felt that, that was such a powerful image and so appropriate for the novel thatI had to illustrate it.

"Hope Arising After War"

I painted this piece shortly after Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American President. Throughout his campaign he made very obvious his dislike for the war on Iraq. He has also been seen as a symbol of hope in these tough times, with the recession, massive loss of jobs, etc. This piece was inspired greatly by his message and the hope that he has brought to Americans in a time when there was none. It was alos partially inspired by a previous work of mine called "Peace in Death," which I created as a portfolio cover for my report on "All Quiet on the Western Front," but with a more optimistic outlook.

"Orchid Paradise"

Orchids have always been one of my favorite flowers. I have always found them to be visually appealing and when I had to draw a flower for a school assignment. there was no better flower to draw, in my opinion, then the orchid. I used an orange orchid that had a great variation in color and I thought the little bud that had yet to sprout added certain sweetness as well.

"Sleeping Angel"

This isn't the best painting of an animal that I have done, but it is one of the most meaningful for me. The sleeping dog in the painting was my aunt's dog, Sad-Sack. I painted him from life as he slept. At the time of this portrait he was 18-years-old. Because of his age and my health problems that plagued him due to his aging, I knew he might not last much longer. So I painted him over a four hour period in which he barely moved an inch. He was the best model I have ever had. I was right to paint him when I did because that was his last summer. I gave the painting to my aunt and she had it professionally framed and t now hangs a s a reminder of a truly loved dog in the living room of her home for all to see.

"Web of Lies"

My painting of the golden-orb weaver spider in its web relates to the massive web of lies spun abut the war in Iraq and the major players behind these lies. Some of the more memorable of these were the Sadam-Al Qaeda connection, the supposed connection of Sadam and 9-11, and the weapons of mass destruction that Iraq supposedly possessed and planned to release. These are only a few of the lies that were spun by the Bush Administration that eventually led to the war on terrorism and the war on Iraq. Each played a important role and now, we Americans, as well as the Iraqi people have now been caught like insects in a spider's web.

"Lyrical Songbird"

I drew this piece one summer when I had nothing really to do. During this particular summer I drew and painted a number of birds, including my piece "The Hungry Hummingbird." That summer my fascination with birds and the bird form was at its peek and resulted in some of my best animal work (birds specifically). After this short period I veered away from birds for fear that my work might be compared to Audubon in the future. Though his drawings of birds are absolutely incredible, I didn't want to be compared to a master such as him for the rest of my life.