undertow
Beneath the calm surface, something is always pulling.
This set explores the forces we live alongside but never fully master — water, chaos, myth, the unmapped corners of the mind.
Water offers the clearest version of the tension: respite and calm on top, danger and dissolution underneath. Civilizations settle into its dark. Tides pull in rhythms no one controls. Rock is worn smooth by nothing but time. But the same undertow runs elsewhere too — in the beast we cast into darkness and can't stop being made by, in the obstacle on the horizon we're never quite sure is real. Some of these forces we try to discipline. Some we unleash. None stay contained for long.
The Treshold
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
18” × 24” x 1.5”
Atlantis, some records say, lay beyond the Pillars of Hercules — the Strait of Gibraltar — the threshold between the known, safe world and the dangerous, mystic unknown.
Just past the comfort of the Mediterranean, the sea widens into the vastness of the Atlantic. Already, the first spoils slip beneath the surface.
The Warning
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
18” × 24” x 1.5”
Atlantis's cataclysmic fall — moral decay, unchecked imperial power — reads like a warning built for our moment: this is what waits beneath the throne of arrogance and conceit. Temples and monuments drift midway now, suspended between the world above and the dark below.
The Aftermath
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
18” × 24” x 1.5”
Our institutions. Our works of art. Our industry. Swallowed slowly by the ever-present water of rising oceans — the last spoils of civilization, still falling, still finding no floor.
Leviathan
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
18” × 24” x 1.5”
Leviathan is a many-headed sea monster. In Psalm 74, God crushes its heads — divine order triumphing over primeval chaos, the dream of a structured world. Squiggled lines coil and thrash across the surface — chaos as a power struggle, no clean edges.
But chaos is never fully crushed. It returns — it must. Without it, only stagnation; chaos is the engine of growth. So the heads grow back, and order cuts them down again — not a war to be won, but a rhythm, the way the tide pulls out only to send itself back in. Nothing here is decided by force. It is decided by timing, by surrender, by learning to move with what cannot be stopped.
Minotaur
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
18” × 24” x 1.5”
The Minotaur is a hybrid — half man, half beast. Not evil by nature. Made. It symbolizes the untamed psyche — the Shadow, fears and rage cast into darkness that never stop moving beneath the surface.
Daedalus built the labyrinth to contain what he'd created — a maze so intricate even its architect could lose himself inside it.
We are building our own labyrinths now. Systems trained on the sum of us, set loose inside structures too complex to map. Black boxes, behaving in ways we can't explain.
The beast doesn't need us to build the labyrinth. It can build its own.
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
18” × 24” x 1.5”
You look up from the daily grind, toward the horizon, and notice an unexpected obstacle — a grief, a blockage. Is that just a metaphor, marking the boundary between desire and the reality around us? Or is it an illusion — something you could wipe away, like rubbing sleep from your eyes to clear the morning fog. Why not try and see?
The Dynamics of Fluid
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
18” × 24” x 1.5”
This abstract piece combines two elements: the free flow of watercolor, alive with the unpredictable dispersion of pigment in water, and bold, dynamic strokes contrasted against filled rectangular spaces, held in place through the use of masks.
Assembled together, the pieces resolve into something almost recognizable — a shape the eye wants to name, then hesitates to.
Exploring the meeting point of free flow and structure — nature and human hand in interplay, chaos alongside form, the expected beside the unexpected. Not one winning over the other, but each finding where it belongs in relation to the rest. The result: an interpretation that lives at the edge of chance and shape.
The Discipline of Water
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
18” × 24” x 1.5”
The smooth sculpting of rock and sand, shaped by millennia of advance and retreat, brings out a thought of patience — not the gritted-teeth kind, but the kind that asks for nothing in return. The ocean doesn't fight the shore into shape. It simply keeps arriving, again and again, until what was hard becomes soft. There is no effort in it, no straining toward an outcome — only rhythm, repeated without end. Perhaps that's the real lesson: not to impose our will through persistence, but to let time and tide do what they were always going to do, and find our own shape by moving alongside them.
Ebb and Flow
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
18” × 24” x 1.5”
Standing at the shore, observing the waves, offers a lesson in quiet persistence in the face of unpredictability and the unknown. Unseen currents, the pull of the moon, the strength of the winds, the shape of the ocean floor — all contribute to chaos and turbulence. Yet beneath it, a calming rhythm: the ebb and flow, the strike and return.
Hot Air Balloon Escape from East Germany
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
8” × 8”
This painting was inspired by the dramatic escape from East Germany to West Germany via hot air balloon on September 16, 1979. During the 1970s and 1980s, I crossed the heavily fortified East-West German border several times in search of a better life in the West. Barbed wire, watchtowers, landmines, and armed soldiers with instructions to kill on sight served as a stark reminder of the conflicting political ideologies. Today, the wall and its installations are gone, but the memory remains. This work is a celebration of freedom.
Third Eye Vision in Need of Correction
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
8” × 8”
This piece playfully reinterprets the religious concept of the "third eye," presenting it instead as a conventional optical apparatus for vision.
A parchment-colored rectangle, marked by irregular black shapes, suggests the outline of a head, complete with a hint of hair and a mustache. Over this, a tangle of dancing, wire-like lines evokes a surreal, three-eyed pair of spectacles.
This is a game of free association, where your imagination is the only constraint. Ambiguity is key here: much like a Rorschach test, you are invited to find your own unique interpretations in the shapes, colors, and lines.
Ink and acrylics on acid-free paper. Mounted on wood panel.
Lost in a Field of Poppies
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
8” × 8”
The inspiration for this painting lies in fields of red poppies I encountered while wading through the rural fields of Eastern Europe during my childhood. Later in my adult life, the fields of Ukraine and Poland were replaced by those of California, where the poppies are a bright orange. The brown and gray hills of the East Bay now explode with vibrant orange splashes of the Californian poppy. In the distance, an oncoming fog can be seen over the cliffs, crushing into the Pacific Ocean.
The Only Way You'll Get Him to Agree is to Hold His Feet to the Fire
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
12” × 12”
Exploring the space for consent and the withdrawal of it, the artwork questions when to hold someone accountable and when to release them from a promise. To err is human; changing one's mind is human. Yet, we all desire stability and fulfilled promises. When is the time to press, and when is the time to let go? The motion of the black circles, their constant "tuning and grinding," is captured here in a photographic like moment. This kinetic element is juxtaposed and contrasted with a steady reddish shape at the bottom. This shape symbolizes a yardstick, a sizing scale, or the proverbial "fire" to which one might be held.
Pinocchio In White
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
12” × 12”
Serious Consideration is Given When Looking Down
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
12” × 12”
The title, "A Serious Consideration is Given When Looking Down," alludes to a posture of contemplation and searching within oneself. An orange form of the body serves as a canvas on which a head is positioned in a bowed posture. This gesture suggests respect or withdrawal from a confrontation. Looking down can also be read as a posture of submission. I invite the viewer to a play of visual elements and words. Is it contemplation, a sign of respect, or the avoidance of eye contact suggesting hidden intentions? Again and again, a thousand meanings can be attributed to a few simple shapes, strokes, and spills—or no meaning at all. That is the joy of abstraction.
Threesome
2026
|Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
12” × 12”
Have You Ever Felt Like You Were Talking to a Wall
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
12” × 12”
Hoop Rolling in the Morning Showers
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
16” × 16”
I remember rare, hot summer showers offering temporary relief from the heat, leaving puddles on the roads that we kids would run through, splashing water with abandon. Barefooted, wet, and exhilarated. The rain smelled of wet dust. Summer. Vacation. The promise of free-wheeling adventures. The whistle of a distant train hinted at far-away places, seducing us with the exotic unknown.
The stroke on the left, suspended in the air, represents me—or one of us—jumping high, excited by the anticipation and pleasure of the moment. The circle on the right is a hoop I would roll alongside me, using a wooden stick to keep it moving at pace.
The energy is everywhere.
Seeking Connection Despite Obvious Differences
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
8” × 8”
The white and orange backgrounds symbolize different worlds we inhabit, while the circular shape and splattered stroke represent different approaches (modus operandi). The artwork uses minimalistic means to show that despite real or imagined differences, we can coexist in independent yet harmonious ways, celebrating the beauty of diversity.
Forecasters Warn a Major Storm Is Brewing
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
8” × 8”
The act of painting is a physical dialogue where constraint and wild abandon constantly spar and cooperate. Inspired by the relentless, dramatic spectacle of extreme weather—from tornadoes and avalanches to excessive precipitation and storms—this work is a meditation on nature's power. The painting captures the precise moment the heavy rain for a moment hesitates before hitting the horizon, an experience akin to observing a distant, monolithic wall of rain while driving on an open highway or hiking in the mountains. Here, nature challenges both us and our perception of its danger. It is a thrill to live, to experience our surroundings, a daily miracle to observe.
A Free Spirit Encounters Authority
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
8” × 8”
Playful, wavy black lines symbolize the free human spirit, representing the desire for uninhibited expression and a carefree existence. In stark contrast, a bold, simple shape in golden yellow embodies authority, defining boundaries and representing the forces of confinement and discipline. The inevitable result, visually rendered with spills and splatters, is a confrontation, culminating in a grinding struggle between these opposing forces. In its minimalistic style, the work thus symbolizes the eternal human tension between the desire for freedom of expression and the fundamental need for structure and belonging.
This Time I Took a Direct Hit
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
8” × 8”
This Time I Took a Direct Hit depicts a full, frontal impact. A black, nervous stroke, recoiling as if in pain, is struck by a bold, gold-green monolith. The splattering of paint emphasizes the kinetic and violent nature of the encounter. I invite the viewer to a moment of imaginative play, inspired by the massing, interaction, and correlation of shapes. Without noticing it, we assign meaning to everything around us. Here, I want us to stop for a moment and simply notice.
Semantic Satiation
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
8” × 8”
A playful interpretation of the phenomenon where the repetition of a word causes it to temporarily lose its meaning (known as semantic satiation). The bold part of the circle represents the initial, driving thought. In contrast, the trailing threads, with the deformation of their initial trajectory, symbolize the loss of momentum, meaning, and ultimate purpose. A golden-green, sun-like shape provides context for the idea. This motion requires an anchor, a fixed point against or around which it moves.
Facing the Depth of the Problem
2026
Mixed media on paper,
mounted to wood panel
8” × 8”
Everyday life challenges can feel overwhelming, but this artwork suggests that by confronting and "picturing" them, we find a way through.
Strokes, smudges, squiggles, and shapes dance across the canvas, pulling the viewer into a vertigo-like spiral. The lines, ranging from whisper-thin to bold and broad, and the stark contrasts evoke a breakdown of communication, a frustrating scream, and an entanglement of emotions.
Yet, the piece ultimately captures the constant weave and ebb of life: a moment of noise and chaos followed by the promise of calm and harmony.
Agate Beach 01
2025
Giclée print on archival paper
8” x 8”
Agate Beach 02
2025
Giclée print on archival paper
8” x 8”
Agate Beach 03
2025
Giclée print on archival paper
8” x 8”
2025
Giclée print on archival paper
8” x 8”
Bartlett on Yellow Green, 2025
Acrylic on wood panel
8” × 8”
Kishu on Blue, 2024
Acrylic on wood panel
8” × 8”
Granny Smith on Blue, 2025
Acrylic on wood panel
8” × 8”
Satsuma on Blue, 2024
Acrylic on wood panel
8” × 8”
Satsuma on Red, 2024
Acrylic on wood panel
8” × 8”
Two Bosc Pears on Red, 2024
Mixed media on wood panel
16” × 16”
Bosc on Parchment, 2024
Mixed media on wood panel
16” × 16”
Lonely Bosc on White, 2024
Mixed media on wood panel
16” × 16”
Mirabelle on Green, 2025
Mixed media on wood panel
12” × 12”
Mirabelle on Gray, 2025
Mixed media on wood panel
12” × 12”
Tilden Series - Autumn 01
2025
Mixed media on paper
9.5“ x 9.5”
Tilden Series - Autumn 02
2025
Mixed media on paper
9.5“ x 9.5”
Tilden Series - Autumn 03
2025
Mixed media on paper
9.5“ x 9.5”
Tilden Series - Autumn 04
2025
Mixed media on paper
9.5“ x 9.5”
Tilden Series - Autumn 05
2025
Mixed media on paper
9.5“ x 9.5”
Tilden Series - Autumn 06
2025
Mixed media on paper
9.5“ x 9.5”
Oil on canvas
36” x 36”
Oil on canvas
36” x 36”
Oil on canvas
36” x 36”
Oil on canvas
36” x 36”
Oil on canvas
36” x 36”
Oil on canvas
36” x 36”
Oil on canvas
36” x 36”
Oil on canvas
36” x 36”
Undertow
Abstracting
What's Real
Forbidden Fruit
Tilden Series
Building
Intersections