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 a Need for 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 Filed 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”

A 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”

Did You Ever Feel Like You're 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.