In 1960, the family went to Florida while US Steel was on strike. This painting of a photograph was taken during that time. My father was in this picture, standing next to me, but someone clipped him away. My father left us soon after this photo was taken.
18 x 24, framed.
This painting is from a photograph taken in 1945. My mom was 25 at that time and they had been married five years already. My dad's shoulder, just to the left of my mother, is the only picture I have of him until some pics I took in 80s, after I found him. I guess my mother may have clipped this photo after my father left us, but I really don't know. It's one of the many mysteries of a family history that I do not have answers for.
18X24 gallery canvas.
These three paintings are taken from photographs I recently received from my sister. The first painting is from a photo taken in 1945. The middle painting is from 1960. The third is from 1950. Each of these three paintings have a blank space where the photograph had been clipped or torn. The person removed from each photo was my father.
I do not know who clipped or tore the photo but I suspect it was my mother or my step-father.
My mom and father were married in 1941. My father was a WW2 vet with the 82nd Airborne. After the war, he worked for J & L Steel in Pittsburgh as a steelworker. They had five children.
One day in 1960, while the mill was on strike, and we were all in Florida, my dad took the car and left. My mom was pregnant with my little sister. I was six. The family never saw or heard from my father again until I found him in the mid-70s, when I was in the US Marines.
It goes without saying, his leaving had an enormous impact on the family. I grew up without much of a role-model, my sister felt abandoned, my older brothers were left hanging, and my mother had to struggle to keep us fed and clothed.
I am happy to announce that an art collector from Maple Grove, Minnesota has purchased the paintings "Resettlement" and "I Voted".
"Resettlement" 36 x 48 acrylic on gallery canvas
"I Voted" 20 x 16 acrylic with pumice framed
Another Saturday Night. 24 X 48 gallery canvas. Acrylic.
This is my take on the Matisse painting The Manila Shawl, a painting he did in 1911. As I am enamored with Matisse's use of bright colors, I went further and decided to add even more color, as well as a swath of very textured pumice.
24 X 24 on a gallery canvas. Acrylic and pumice.
This is across the street from my home in Northeast Mineapolis. I stood in my driveway at 9:00 pm and sketched quickly, even though the temperature was 18 degrees and quite windy. No snow, only some ice.
Acrylics and pumice.18 X 24.
