Tumbalalaika at Narcissus Press

My wife, partner, goddess, muse, poet, etc., Diana Ayton-Shenker is pleased to announce the publication of her first collection of poetry, "Tumbalalaika" on our very own imprint, Narcissus Press of Rhinebeck, NY. The cover of the book is my painting, "The Temple of Diana" (2006), appropriately enough. Diana is a published writer of political analysis, human rights concerns, and, of course, poetry. She is very good. I haven't been paid to say that. Yet.


Above: the front cover.

www.narcissuspublications.com

More books will follow. "Wake-Up Blast" by Hall Gardner, a collection of poems, is in the works. Another collection of poems by Eliot Katz. A literary review, Narcissus, will also be published...

New Head Shot

In comparison to my startled portrait (see post below) by Nadine Robbins, alongside my wife, Diana, I thought maybe I should set the record straight with an actual photo. I'm not very good at having my photo taken, and not always very photogenic. However, I quite liked this one (even if it's a bit blurry), which I think was taken by Phil Zemke. It was taken a month or so ago. I really must replace the one on my web site bio page, as that one is around 8 years out of date now (update: I just added the above photo to the page). Yikes...

Anglo-American Gothic?

It's unusual for me to be actually *in* a painting (as you can perhaps tell by my startled expression), but here you go. Diana & I recently posed for a portrait by a friend of ours, Nadine Robbins. I believe that this is the first in a series of "artsy couples" that she is currently working on.



You can see more of Nadine Robbins' portraits here. And here.

Links:
www.nadinerobbinsportraits.com
nadinerobbinsportraits.blogspot.com
www.namaro.com
namaro.blogspot.com

Wounded, Falling Colossus

New monochrome painting:


China marker & acrylic on paper, 28" x 22", 2008.

The Prisoner (monochrome painting)

New work:


China marker & acrylic on paper, 28" x 22", 2008. Click for larger version.

Stranger On The Shore

New monochrome painting on paper:


China marker & acrylic on paper, 24" x 18", 2008.

Painting of Empathy

A new small acrylic painting. Thinking about human rights & the implications of that subject area, & why things go wrong, a lack of empathy would seem to be at the heart of things. I like to try & summarize abstract, universal concepts in a simple image, often of a head, which would be the most expressive human element, I guess.


Acrylic on board, 10" x 8", 2008.

New UDHR Image: The Vessel

This small painting is the first UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) image I've painted in around 16 years, I think. As this is the upcoming 60th anniversary of the UDHR, I thought I'd maybe revisit some of the images & themes.


Acrylic on board, 10" x 8", 2008.

The name, "the vessel" was coined by a Brooklyn (at the time) friend, Jeanne C. Finley. The vessel itself is a symbol that appears & morphs throughout the UDHR series. It is simultaneously a scroll, a beacon, an eye, the letter "i", a symbol of hope & human rights, and probably many other things.

Spanish UDHR Painting of Article 4

Here's Article 4 of the Spanish UDHR series (see entry below for details):


Acrylic on paper, 25" x 20" approx., 1992.

"No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms."

Eventually, all the Spanish paintings will be uploaded to the UDHR Art dot org site.

Spanish UDHR Painting of Article 3

Here, at last, I'm posting the Spanish version (with Spanish text handwritten at the top) of the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) paintings, done in 1992, whilst the original show was touring the province of Sevilla, Spain, as part of the 1992 World Expo. Here is Article 3:


Acrylic on paper, 25" x 20" approx., 1992.

The colors & feel are more Andalusian than the original paintings, I think. The images are also developed half a step or so.

"Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person."

As far as I am aware, the Spanish series has never been reproduced anywhere before. I'm also going to post the images on my UDHR Art web site.

B/W Study for UDHR Article 20

Here's another of the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) studies -- pencil & ink on paper, from 1991. Size is A3 paper, which is 11.7" x 16.5".


Click for larger version.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

The Further Adventures of Jürgen Waxweiler

My German sculptor friend, Jürgen Waxweiler, (whom I met in Jerusalem at the Museum on the Seam) just sent me a photo of his latest exploits. He was up in Canada in Winnipeg making sculptures out of snow, which is a cool (pun intended? I'm not sure) thing to do. Here he is with a large foot. Whilst the cold & snow are keeping me inside & not making much art, he is definitely out & about.

Jigsaw Puzzle -- Woman With Red Hair

A while ago, I created some jigsaw puzzles from my artwork over at Facebook with the PuzzleBee widget. Now, they've made it possible to embed the puzzles in blogs, etc. Here's probably the most popular one I made, of a 2002 painting, Woman With Red Hair. The original painting is 24" x 18", oil on canvas. It's in a private collection in Upstate New York.

Create your own puzzles at PuzzleBee.com!

New Ink Drawings

It's been a while since I did some new work. Various reasons for that, foremost probably being the weather & time of year. When everything seems to be under a crust of ice & snow, it's difficult to get motivated to brave the elements & go out to the studio & make some new art. Maybe I've just been in a funny mood. Anyhow, notwithstanding all of that, here are some new ink pieces (ink & brush on paper, 2008, all of them are approx 11" x 8.5"):


Study of a Madman


The Engorged Pelican


The Rather Lonely Platypus


Some Kind of Tree