Science Lab, Watercolor on Paper, 10" x 7", 1988
Science Lab, Digital Art, 2019
Left: Science Lab, Watercolor on Paper, 10" x 7", 1988
Right: Science Lab, Digital Art, 2019
Candy World, Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 8.5" x 5", 1988
Candy World, Digital Art, 2008
Candy World, Coloring Card, 2009
Left: Candy World, Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 8.5" x 5", 1988
Center: Candy World, Digital Art, 2008
Right: Candy World, Coloring Card, 2009
The Gentleman's Agreement, Watercolor on Paper, 7" x 10", 1988
The Gentleman's Agreement, Digital Art, 2023
Left: The Gentleman's Agreement, Watercolor on Paper, 7" x 10", 1988
Right: The Gentleman's Agreement, Digital Art, 2023
When I moved to Philadelphia in 1982, there was a so-called "gentleman's agreement" that no building would be built in Center City that was higher than Philadelphia City Hall. Developers occasionally attempted to bypass this "agreement," but were not successful until the mid-1980s. At that point, developers complained that Philadelphia's skyline was outmoded when compared to other cities. Preservationists argued that the historical emphasis on preservation of the original architecture gave the city a tremendous advantage when compared to cities that had bulldozed many of their original buildings. The Philadelphia Inquirer and other newspapers carried articles and letters debating the issue for quite some time but the "gentleman's agreement" did not survive the 1980s and City Hall has been eclipsed by many taller buildings. I painted the original of the above as a reference to this debate by blending the new and the old into a pattern.
Mechanical Clouds, Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 10.75" x 8.75", 1988
Mechanical Clouds, Digital Art, 2007
Left: Mechanical Clouds, Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 10.75" x 8.75", 1988
Right: Mechanical Clouds, Digital Art, 2007
Salem NJ Mini Version 1, Mixed Media, 1988
Salem NJ Mini Version 2, Mixed Media, 1988
Salem NJ Mini Version 3, Mixed Media, 1988
Salem NJ Mini, Three Versions, Mixed Media, 1988
Acrylic Paint on Ready-to-Paint Miniature Frames with colored ink on paper and photography remnants
Rehoboth Beach Mini, Version 1, Mixed Media, 1988
Rehoboth Beach Mini, Version 2, Mixed Media, 1988
Rehoboth Beach Mini, Version 3, Mixed Media, 1988
Rehoboth Beach Mini, Version 4, Mixed Media, 1988
Rehoboth Beach Mini, Four Versions, Mixed Media, 1988
Acrylic Paint on Ready-to-Paint Miniature Frames with colored ink on paper and photography remnants
Shadowbox, Acrylic on Wood, 1988
Shadowbox with Childhood Tea Set, Acrylic on Wood, 1988
Shadowbox, Acrylic on Wood, 1988
Shadowboxes, Acrylic on Wood, April 1988
When I was a tot, my parents gave me a toy tea set, which I still have. My Dad glued back together the pieces I broke while I was serving tea to the table where a number of my dolls were seated. The shadowbox came with the set but was in rough shape by the time I became an adult, so I painted it.
Fish Diagram, Watercolor on Paper, 10" x 7", 1988
Fish Diagram, Digital Art, 2021
Left: Fish Diagram, Watercolor on Paper, 10" x 7", 1988
Right: Fish Diagram, Digital Art, 2021
I gave the original painting (left) to my sister as a wedding gift.
Radio Waves, Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 1988
Radio Waves, Digital Art, 2021
Left: Radio Waves, Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 1988
Right: Radio Waves, Digital Art, 2021
In 2021, when I created this digital art version of Radio Waves, if I wanted to know the name of a song I heard on the radio, I summoned apps like SoundHound or Siri to ask the name of the song. I never get tired of this technological magic. When I made this painting in 1988, I had to work hard to find out the name of a song playing on the radio. The announcers often didn't announce the name at the time the song was playing. I often called the radio station to ask for the name. I would write down lyric snippets and ask in the record stores if they knew who did the song. I actually laid in bed wide awake at night plotting some way to find out what that great song I'd heard was named, so that I could buy it. I also searched far and wide to find radio stations that would play the kind of music I wanted to hear. Past favorite radio stations include CHOM-FM in Montreal and WKDU-FM in Philadelphia. In the 1980s, I found almost all the dance music I wanted through DJ Reenie Kane on WKDU.
In 2021, you could listen to radio broadcasts complete with posted playlists on your computer or phone. That was not possible in 1988. I bought a short-wave radio in hopes of picking up some of the best music radio stations in New York City. The idea that amazing music can hurtle toward us from great distances by invisible radio waves has always been fascinating to me.
X Wheels, Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 1988
X Wheels, Digital Art, 2021
Left: X Wheels, Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 1988
Right: X Wheels, Digital Art, 2021
In the late 1980s, other artists noticed I was using regular paper and unstable mediums to create my artwork, and taught me to use acid-free paper and other high quality materials. This painting was done before this metamorphosis. In such cases, I didn't just create a digital version, I also improved on it. Someday perhaps I'll use the digital art as the model and go the other direction to redo the painting on acid-free paper.
Ice Cubes, Watercolor on Paper, 1988
Ice Cubes, Digital Art, 2021
Left: Ice Cubes, Watercolor on Paper, 1988
Right: Ice Cubes, Digital Art, 2021
Night Carnival, Pen and Ink on Paper, 1988
Night Carnival, Hand-Painted Linoleum Print, 1989
Night Carnival, Digital Art, 2022
Left: Night Carnival, Pen on Paper, 1988
Center: Night Carnival, Hand-Painted Linoleum Print, 1989
Right: Night Carnival, Digital Art, 2022
This set is an example of how you can create much more precise lines with vector drawings (image at right), but lose some of the handmade look in the process (center image). The variations and errors in the linoleum print seem more pleasing to me.
Steel Frames, Watercolor on Paper, 10" x 7", 1988
Steel Frames, Digital Art, 2021
Left: Steel Frames, Watercolor on Paper, 10" x 7", 1988
Right: Steel Frames, Digital Art, 2021
Invasive Species, Watercolor on Paper, 7" x 10", 1988
Invasive Species, Illustrator Image Trace, 2021
Invasive Species, Digital Art, 2021
Left: Invasive Species, Watercolor on Paper, 10" x 7", 1988
Center: Invasive Species, Illustrator Image Trace, 2021
Right: Invasive Species, Digital Art, 2021
The center image was created by "placing" a scan of the original painting (left) into Adobe Illustrator, and then applying the "Image Trace" tool with the High Fidelity setting. As a visual representation of the original painting, it is surprisingly accurate and much faster than creating a vector drawing of the painting (right). Usually I prefer to recreate my artwork into digital format by creating the vector drawings, because it is easier to separate out elements for re-use in other artwork and also easier to make changes and create other versions.
As an urban gardener in a temperate climate, I frequently contend with invasive species, formerly known as weeds but now specifically labeled to differentiate from native plants. Sometimes the species dubbed as invasive are very effective in urban gardens for quickly creating a beautiful privacy screen, such as honeysuckle or bamboo. But soon these plants start muscling out everything around them and intruding into neighboring yards where they aren't welcome. For the past few years I have been doing landscape renovations to remove the invasive species and replace them with native plants. This painting represents the idea of invasive species being as beautiful as any other plant but pushing in and taking space and resources away from less aggressive plants.
Compass, Charms and Found Objects on Fabric, 1989
The fabric is a remnant of stretchy pants I wore when I was six years old. A friend gave me the charms. As a young adult I wore analog Timex watches and when they broke, I took them apart and kept the pieces. For this art, I turned the clock face containers into picture frames (faces blurred to shield identity). The metal pieces are all found objects. I repurposed the hangers from my old worn out knapsack.
