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National Stain 1162024 #1
National Stain 1162024 #2
National Stain 1162024 #3
Changing Landscapes 062615
Painted after the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision on the rights of gay couples to marry.
War is Not Healthy for Children and Other Liiving Things 2003
Painted shortly after the US declared war on Iraq, the baby wears his grandfathers’ dog tags (both served in VietNam). The lollypop doubles as a target, and the flower petals become sitting ducks. The title borrowed from the protests of the 1970s.
Bort Gray
Whatapity 2002
Within spitting distance of the US, families in Matamoras MX live in the squalor of colonias, watching.….. just watching the land of milk and honey on the “right side” of the river.
Bort Gray
Immigrant Nation 2016
During the campaign season leading up to the 2016 election, one candidate was a constant voice for exclusion. Immigrants to America include Einstein, Musk, Hepburn, Albright, Lennon… and my own grandparents.
The boarded up opening to the American dream references a time when minorities were relegated to the fringes of a country which purports to welcome all.
Prescient is the lightning strike to DC, originating from a private plane.
Smoke and Liars 2016
During the leadup to the 2016 presidential election, it was clear to critical thinkers that one candidate was all lies and bluster, promising everything that appeals to many. Mass deportations, closed borders, corporate tax breaks, medical malpractice, broken alliances shrouded behind visions of a Great America.
Up LIFT Up
Sign created for our participation the Women’s March of 2017
America’s Heartbeat 2017
On January 21, 2017, my daughters, granddaughter, and I attended the Women’s March in Washington DC. We never imagined the size of the crowd, the collective angst of what the next four years might bring.
America’s Heartbeat stemmed from that day. America seemed to be turning away from the welcoming words on the Statue of Liberty, instead unleashing so much grievance and hatred. Immigrants were maligned, Muslims were banned, our history was whitewashed.
The stack of Americans, supported by those whom we supplanted, were all immigrants. My grandmother, who entered the US illegally in 1915, is on the top of the heap. The boat that brought her here replaces lady liberty’s torch, while the border guard dog tries to snuff out her flames.
Never did I imagine that this painting would be one of two bookends…
American Sedition 2022
For the past two decades, most of my art was realistic and pretty. The turmoil of the past several years roiled my mind to the point of constant agitation. January 6th, 2021 was an event that refused to stay confined. For more than a year, I sketched, erased, painted, repainted, always remembering more horrific scenes. The painting became my therapy, and what should have been the second and final bookend to the madness America has endured. Sadly sanity has not prevailed.
Chaos Theory 2021
Created after the madness of the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol. Desecration of flag and property, assaults on the police who are charged to keep us safe, shouts of hanging the vice president and killing members of congress. Art again serves as my therapy.
Paradise Lost
Created in 2018 after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. After the initial death toll directly attributed to the hurricane, that number rose substantially due to lack of food, clean water, and basic services. Our government minimized the tragedy, contributing to the horror.
Hindsight is 20/20,
Continued fallout from the Jan 6 Insurrection
Crossed 2019
Painted angrily after a Salvadorian father and child drowned crossing the Rio Grande, having just been denied legal asylum.
Caged 2019
Created after photos showed immigrant children locked in cages, separated from their parents, scared and alone… in a country rich with everything but empathy.
Everything’s Legal in New Jersey 2022
A birthday trip to attend a Broadway show ended sharing a joint with my daughters on the NJ back deck.
Elena
We met Elena at a resort in Puerto Morels, Mexico where she worked as the customer service manager. Very straight laced and proper during work hours, Elena lets her hair down afterwards.