Abstracts
Which Came First? 16X20
Acrylic on canvas, framed (S)
Birdwatch 11X14 Acrylic on canvas (S)
Elements of a Red Jacket 16X16
Acrylic on canvas
Iris 7.5X11 Mixed Media on board (S)
Lifeline 18X23
Acrylic and graphite on canvas
East Foothills Deconstructed Winter 30X40 Acrylic on panel (S)
East Foothills Deconstructed Spring 30X40 Acrylic on panel (S)
East Foothills Deconstructed – The lines covering both the hills and the sky are the collection and intensification of the colors one sees in each. The colors of the seasonal sunsets, clouds and atmosphere are seen in the sky; the colors of the plants, grasses, rocks and soils are seen in the hill. The lines also resemble spirit sticks, found in some indigenous cultures, and represent the elements of the earth and overarching spirits.
Excavation 12X24
Acrylic on canvas, framed
Crux 18X24 Acrylic on canvas (S)
Five Dots 8X8 Acrylic on canvas (S)
Quiet Purple 12X12 Acrylic on canvas
RedBlue Colorblind 24X24 (framed) Acrylic on canvas
Pour Blue 10X21 Acrylic on board
Pour Green 8X12 Acrylic on board
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Pour Red 11X16 Acrylic on board (S)
Pour Yellow 9X15 Acrylic on board
One Day 16X20 Mixed Media on canvas (S)
For 30 straight days, mostly in August, my home in San Jose had Bay Area Air Quality Management District Spare-the-Air days, indicating poor and sometimes very poor air quality. While the house was safe, in contrast to so many others, our lungs were not. Smokestorms, as they are now being called, contain smoke and soot, among the most dangerous types of air pollution. A Stanford University study concluded more than 1,200 “excess deaths” during the year among Californians over 65 could be attributed to air pollution. Many have experienced the cumulative effect of smoke, reporting a flare-up in asthma and emphysema.
In the grip of very smoky days, most people I know stayed indoors with the windows closed. On a particular day in late August, it was like dusk at noon and nearly dark by 6:00 P.M. when the sun was to set around 7:30. The yard was covered in soot and ash, casting a gray pall on the plants and outdoor furniture. It resembled a horror film.
Of course, we were lucky. I know many who were evacuated because of fire danger, a friend who now lives in a scorched moonscape, and a friend whose home burned to the ground. Friends in the Midwest and East Coast complained of haze from the distant Western states smoke. Altogether over 5 million acres of the state burned.
This painting is a distillation of the days in August when one could see, smell, and literally feel the air. (September 2020)
