Uncle Paulie Feels the Artistic Spirit in Santa Fe

I'm a little behind on my blogging because I'm still getting settled in. My flip camera broke, but I managed to upload this video of our overnight trip to Santa Fe and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. It was a very emotional experience learning about O'Keeffe and how she finally she felt she had found her "country" in New Mexico. I feel the same way. Last week, I met a lovely woman from Santa Fe, who works one day a week in an antique mall in Albuquerque. She knew O'Keeffe and raved about her sense of humor. Georgia O'Keeffe was a witness at her wedding and signed her marriage certificate. What a cool story!

Looks Like We Made It!

Well, we finally made it to Albuquerque, and the move was pretty seamless. Mom and Dad brought me my car and some things from their garage in Washington State, so it has been nice to spend some time with them as well. It was definitely strange moving into an apartment without seeing it first, but it's pretty good and the neighborhood is full of retail stores and local eating establishments. Here is a video documenting my first day. Cheers!

Spring Has Sprung in NYC...Well, Sort Of.

Well, this past Sunday was an amazing spring day in New York, so I took to the streets, and headed over to Tudor City on the East Side and then up to Columbus Circle and Central Park to meet my pal Naomi Watts and her ever-loving sidekick, Chester, a shiba inu with the best personality on the planet. I really do love him, but it is difficult hanging out with him because he totally upstages me…and he’s cuter!

It’s a rainy Monday now, and really gross outside, as I sit and count the hours until I fly out to Albuquerque. So, as a pick me up from the winter blahs that just won’t end, here is my video tribute to a beautiful April day in the “Big Apple.” This is Uncle Paulie signing off from New York...

Hair on Broadway Unlocks the Sunshine and Spreads it to the World

“I believe in love...
Do you believe in love?
I do believe in love
You better believe in love”

--Sheila and Trio from Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical











The question is…what do YOU believe in? Aren’t we all on a soul-searching journey? It’s a fact of human life, whether we like it or not. True peace comes from how willing and able we are to look at reality and accept what our lives have set before us. For many, society’s pressures pushes them to journey down the path of collective thinking—the one of least resistance. For others, it’s simply impossible to so such a thing.

I had the opportunity to check-out the Wednesday, March 12 preview of the current Broadway revival of McDermot/Ragni/Rado's Hair The American Tribal Love Rock Musical. On a personal level, this production inspired me and reminded me of the importance of individuality and taking that road less traveled—the harder one, that oft is filled with pain. The best part of journeying off the highway onto those dirt roads is that with each turn and narrowing of the road, you learn something new. When you find your way back to the highway, you’re glad you did it, and without a map no less!

This production of Hair makes its journey from last year's Public Theater Shakespeare Festival in Central Park to a Broadway opening on March 31. This move almost exactly mirrors the show's original progression back in 1967, when Hair moved from Joe Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival to Broadway via a short run at the Cheetah discotheque. It was a hit back then, and this thoughtful and beautifully staged new revival will undoubtedly become the Hair that new generations will come to rave about for years to come.

Most of us are taught, from a very early age that everything that we do in life requires a certain amount of personal responsibility. It's nice when it seems like it isn't there (we have definitely seen a lot of that prior to this new presidential administration), but it's natural law. The challenge is finding a balance that lets us be ourselves as long as, in the immortal words of Hair's endearing "Margaret Mead," we don't hurt anyone else in the process. Hair the American Tribal Love Rock Musical, through all of its stylized depictions of sex, drugs and radicalness towards mainstream America of the 1960s, even today, begs us to ask ourselves the question "Where are we going?" and helps us understand the price of straying from the path.

A product of the late 60s, I've had the opportunity to see Hair twice—once in 1978 and again in 1989. Both productions were well-staged, uplifting, and filled with glorious Technicolor musical numbers people have come to expect from Hair. Of course the current Broadway revival is all of these things and more, but it really left me with something different this time around. Throughout the performance, and afterwards as I made my way down 45th Street, I found myself overwhelmed by emotion. That night, I discovered a Hair that really resonates with me, where I am now in my life now, and the way the world is around me. What struck me most is the irony that in 1967, one could never have imagined an African-American President in in the White House. And now, all of that has changed, proving that we can move forward with hope, in spite of all the seeming discord in the world. The song “Colored Spade,” skillfully performed by Darius Nichols, takes on a whole new, almost prideful mimickry “ha, we showed you!” tone.

As I watched the cast interact onstage—outfitted in peasant shirts, Afros and skinny jeans—I mentally noted to myself that these kids, who I was being asked to accept as late 1960s archetypes, were, in fact no different than the kids you see today traipsing through Washington Square Park or the East Village (minus the iPods, laptops and designer duds!) It's funny how, though we have advanced technically as a culture, we're still figuring out how to connect with one another. The only difference between the hippie-esque kids today and their retro counterparts is that real hippies knew true human connection (With the advent of texting, email and cellphones, people today are kept remarkably isolated.). Except for all the people in the Obama camp last year, isn't it obvious we've lost our way from the tribe? That's the beauty of Hair--We can forget our troubles and make love not war for a couple of hours. The good news is there are no STDs involved and you won't find a stranger in your bed the next morning!

The tribal love of the 60s meant that two men could have a love for one another that transcends sexuality. In Hair, we see this kind of relationship established between "Berger" (Will Swenson) and "Claude" (Gavin Creel). While I really enjoyed the overall arc of the show, I preferred to focus on the small things and the relationship-building onstage. One of the most poignant and beautiful theatrical conventions in the show took place when Berger and Claude caresss one another’s hair in a subtle manner while hanging out with the tribe. It was as brave and inspiring as it was erotic.

It would be hard to imagine an actor better than Swenson to play Berger. He brings a solid understanding of the character and a natural physicality to the role that makes him even more sexy when he’s dancing as when he is swaggering around the stage in more dramatic scenes. His Berger is everything to everyone and that is what makes him incredibly attractive onstage. He is the guy who gets to do and say everything that everyone else would like to but doesn't out of fear. Swenson’s Berger is fully fearless, and is reminiscent of Billy Crudup, but taller, sexier, and beefier. Swenson gives his Berger the strongest of backbones and shows the audience enough vulnerability that it is easy to both love and judge his inability to be responsible. We see, however, that he is equally good at being Peter Pan as he is at being a friend. That said, he’s clearly incapable of following through with love for any one person for very long.

Contrastingly, Creel’s less sexy portrayal of Claude adds an interesting element to the show. Creel’s all-American babyface outlined by what are clearly, unreal locks of long hair, hint that he is not what he appears to be. Creel, though an unlikely Claude, possesses the perfect amount of rebelliousness and sweetness to make the role believable--the kind that would make Sheila drawn to him on many levels. He is skillful at making the audience believe that the show might possibly have an alternate ending. Ultimately, though, the burning turmoil within him causes him to be the sacrificial lamb that makes Hair the true tragedy that it was intended to be.

Delightful doesn’t amply describe the cast as a whole. Of course, director, Diane Paulus has assembled, not just an armful of candy, but a full-bodied cast of gorgeous proportions, making “Aquarius,” the show’s opener more like a cruising line at a gay bar than a musical number. That’s not so bothersome, mind you, since it helps guide the audience harmlessly and willingly into the show’s sensual, free loving tribal den from the get go.

Only by assembling a cast of truly likeable and sympathetic characters could the audience willingly suspend disbelief to accept and fall in love with a pregnant, pot-smoking and drug tripping "Jeanie," brilliantly played by Kacie Sheik. All the while adoring her, though, in the back of my mind, I kept flashing forward to speculate how her child might have turned out!

Caissie Levy is a very interesting choice for Sheila. While she possesses the clean-cut look of a typical privileged suburban Long Island/New Jersey teenager with no substance, from the moment she opens her mouth to sing “I Believe in Love” you understand that there is so much more depth to her character than meets the eye. With a lovely voice and a clear understanding of what she is singing, Levy is delightful to watch. It’s easy to feel for her as she is both smothered and pushed away by Berger, the man she knows is bad for her, but whose magneticism is too irresistible.

While Sasha Allen "Dionne") has a gorgeous voice and a physical beauty in the vein of singer/actress Brandi, Allen lacks an obvious connection to the material. Even when the staging required her to interact amidst the audience, there was a hesitancy to make eye contact with anyone (I was in the 15th row). While clearly an accomplished singer, having sung with the likes of Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Babyface and more, Allen’s acting chops lack in comparison to those of her co-stars.

Acting kudos go to standout performer Allison Case, who is well cast as “Crissy.” Her rendition of “Frank Mills” is simple, flawless and totally memorable. Bryce Ryness, one of the biggest hotties of the show, is very enjoyable as “Woof,” a sexually confused young man who is obsessed with making love to Mick Jagger. Megan Lawrence and Andrew Kober play various characters, including those well beyond their years, with believability and strong comic timing.

Perhaps the best thing about seeing Hair as an adult, was having the emotional maturity to see beyond the surface and ask questions about contemporary society and myself: “Am I being the best citizen I can be?” “Am I fully present in my life? "What’s my legacy?” Hair has left an indelible legacy on this world. This production of Hair finds its way back to the highway that is Broadway with glorious sunshine reminding us that what goes around, really does come around..and sometimes it's even better! Visit http://www.hairbroadway.com/ for more information.

Hair on Broadway Unlocks the Sunshine and Spreads it to the World

“I believe in love...
Do you believe in love?
I do believe in love
You better believe in love”

--Sheila and Trio from Hair The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical











The question is…what do YOU believe in? Aren’t we all on a soul-searching journey? It’s a fact of human life, whether we like it or not. True peace comes from how willing and able we are to look at reality and accept what our lives have set before us. For many, society’s pressures pushes them to journey down the path of collective thinking—the one of least resistance. For others, it’s simply impossible to so such a thing.

I had the opportunity to check-out the Wednesday, March 12 preview of the current Broadway revival of McDermot/Ragni/Rado's Hair The American Tribal Love Rock Musical. On a personal level, this production inspired me and reminded me of the importance of individuality and taking that road less traveled—the harder one, that oft is filled with pain. The best part of journeying off the highway onto those dirt roads is that with each turn and narrowing of the road, you learn something new. When you find your way back to the highway, you’re glad you did it, and without a map no less!

This production of Hair makes its journey from last year's Public Theater Shakespeare Festival in Central Park to a Broadway opening on March 31. This move almost exactly mirrors the show's original progression back in 1967, when Hair moved from Joe Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival to Broadway via a short run at the Cheetah discotheque. It was a hit back then, and this thoughtful and beautifully staged new revival will undoubtedly become the Hair that new generations will come to rave about for years to come.

Most of us are taught, from a very early age that everything that we do in life requires a certain amount of personal responsibility. It's nice when it seems like it isn't there (we have definitely seen a lot of that prior to this new presidential administration), but it's natural law. The challenge is finding a balance that lets us be ourselves as long as, in the immortal words of Hair's endearing "Margaret Mead," we don't hurt anyone else in the process. Hair the American Tribal Love Rock Musical, through all of its stylized depictions of sex, drugs and radicalness towards mainstream America of the 1960s, even today, begs us to ask ourselves the question "Where are we going?" and helps us understand the price of straying from the path.

A product of the late 60s, I've had the opportunity to see Hair twice—once in 1978 and again in 1989. Both productions were well-staged, uplifting, and filled with glorious Technicolor musical numbers people have come to expect from Hair. Of course the current Broadway revival is all of these things and more, but it really left me with something different this time around. Throughout the performance, and afterwards as I made my way down 45th Street, I found myself overwhelmed by emotion. That night, I discovered a Hair that really resonates with me, where I am now in my life now, and the way the world is around me. What struck me most is the irony that in 1967, one could never have imagined an African-American President in in the White House. And now, all of that has changed, proving that we can move forward with hope, in spite of all the seeming discord in the world. The song “Colored Spade,” skillfully performed by Darius Nichols, takes on a whole new, almost prideful mimickry “ha, we showed you!” tone.

As I watched the cast interact onstage—outfitted in peasant shirts, Afros and skinny jeans—I mentally noted to myself that these kids, who I was being asked to accept as late 1960s archetypes, were, in fact no different than the kids you see today traipsing through Washington Square Park or the East Village (minus the iPods, laptops and designer duds!) It's funny how, though we have advanced technically as a culture, we're still figuring out how to connect with one another. The only difference between the hippie-esque kids today and their retro counterparts is that real hippies knew true human connection (With the advent of texting, email and cellphones, people today are kept remarkably isolated.). Except for all the people in the Obama camp last year, isn't it obvious we've lost our way from the tribe? That's the beauty of Hair--We can forget our troubles and make love not war for a couple of hours. The good news is there are no STDs involved and you won't find a stranger in your bed the next morning!

The tribal love of the 60s meant that two men could have a love for one another that transcends sexuality. In Hair, we see this kind of relationship established between "Berger" (Will Swenson) and "Claude" (Gavin Creel). While I really enjoyed the overall arc of the show, I preferred to focus on the small things and the relationship-building onstage. One of the most poignant and beautiful theatrical conventions in the show took place when Berger and Claude caresss one another’s hair in a subtle manner while hanging out with the tribe. It was as brave and inspiring as it was erotic.

It would be hard to imagine an actor better than Swenson to play Berger. He brings a solid understanding of the character and a natural physicality to the role that makes him even more sexy when he’s dancing as when he is swaggering around the stage in more dramatic scenes. His Berger is everything to everyone and that is what makes him incredibly attractive onstage. He is the guy who gets to do and say everything that everyone else would like to but doesn't out of fear. Swenson’s Berger is fully fearless, and is reminiscent of Billy Crudup, but taller, sexier, and beefier. Swenson gives his Berger the strongest of backbones and shows the audience enough vulnerability that it is easy to both love and judge his inability to be responsible. We see, however, that he is equally good at being Peter Pan as he is at being a friend. That said, he’s clearly incapable of following through with love for any one person for very long.

Contrastingly, Creel’s less sexy portrayal of Claude adds an interesting element to the show. Creel’s all-American babyface outlined by what are clearly, unreal locks of long hair, hint that he is not what he appears to be. Creel, though an unlikely Claude, possesses the perfect amount of rebelliousness and sweetness to make the role believable--the kind that would make Sheila drawn to him on many levels. He is skillful at making the audience believe that the show might possibly have an alternate ending. Ultimately, though, the burning turmoil within him causes him to be the sacrificial lamb that makes Hair the true tragedy that it was intended to be.

Delightful doesn’t amply describe the cast as a whole. Of course, director, Diane Paulus has assembled, not just an armful of candy, but a full-bodied cast of gorgeous proportions, making “Aquarius,” the show’s opener more like a cruising line at a gay bar than a musical number. That’s not so bothersome, mind you, since it helps guide the audience harmlessly and willingly into the show’s sensual, free loving tribal den from the get go.

Only by assembling a cast of truly likeable and sympathetic characters could the audience willingly suspend disbelief to accept and fall in love with a pregnant, pot-smoking and drug tripping "Jeanie," brilliantly played by Kacie Sheik. All the while adoring her, though, in the back of my mind, I kept flashing forward to speculate how her child might have turned out!

Caissie Levy is a very interesting choice for Sheila. While she possesses the clean-cut look of a typical privileged suburban Long Island/New Jersey teenager with no substance, from the moment she opens her mouth to sing “I Believe in Love” you understand that there is so much more depth to her character than meets the eye. With a lovely voice and a clear understanding of what she is singing, Levy is delightful to watch. It’s easy to feel for her as she is both smothered and pushed away by Berger, the man she knows is bad for her, but whose magneticism is too irresistible.

While Sasha Allen "Dionne") has a gorgeous voice and a physical beauty in the vein of singer/actress Brandi, Allen lacks an obvious connection to the material. Even when the staging required her to interact amidst the audience, there was a hesitancy to make eye contact with anyone (I was in the 15th row). While clearly an accomplished singer, having sung with the likes of Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Babyface and more, Allen’s acting chops lack in comparison to those of her co-stars.

Acting kudos go to standout performer Allison Case, who is well cast as “Crissy.” Her rendition of “Frank Mills” is simple, flawless and totally memorable. Bryce Ryness, one of the biggest hotties of the show, is very enjoyable as “Woof,” a sexually confused young man who is obsessed with making love to Mick Jagger. Megan Lawrence and Andrew Kober play various characters, including those well beyond their years, with believability and strong comic timing.

Perhaps the best thing about seeing Hair as an adult, was having the emotional maturity to see beyond the surface and ask questions about contemporary society and myself: “Am I being the best citizen I can be?” “Am I fully present in my life? "What’s my legacy?” Hair has left an indelible legacy on this world. This production of Hair finds its way back to the highway that is Broadway with glorious sunshine reminding us that what goes around, really does come around..and sometimes it's even better! Visit http://www.hairbroadway.com/ for more information.

2009 Art Expo NYC Part II: Giving Good Face

The 2009 Art Expo was a comprehensive journey through varied styles, and to be cliché “something for everyone.” While I appreciated a great deal of the art at the Javits Center, the pieces that seemed to captivate me the most were by artists working with portraiture.

The human face seems to be an ongoing fascination for me. It’s no wonder that one of my favorite words in Spanish is “rostro,” the formal, almost literary version of “face.” The word also indicates all that goes along with the face—its movement and emotion. My obsession, if it can be called that may be driven by my constant confusion about the nature of people and why we put on social masks. Of course, by my very nature as a human being, I put on masks....to some extent. For the most part, I’m honest to a flaw, and what you see is what you get. I can't help but be drawn to pieces that explore hidden, inner pain, emotion and subtexts that are open to interpretation.



It could be speculated that I am also drawn to portraiture because, as a former and awkward adolescent misanthrope, I am now catching up and hopelessly devoted to meeting new and inspiring people. People with interesting stories to tell intrigue me. I love it when I can meet someone and immediately discover commonalities. Characteristic of my life, whenever I am compelled by higher forces to go to a particular event, there is always one significant interaction that sums up the experience for me. That experience generally ends up revealing a series of things that I share in common with that person. This time around it was meeting Candice Johnson of Los Angeles, California. An accomplished listed artist with an impressive background in art studies in Paris, Johnson has created what I can only describe as her own version of Facebook on paper and wood block, executed with pastel and acrylics.

When you first encounter the bright visuals of Johnson's “Face Reality” series, you realize the reason that her distinct pieces have had significant showings in France, Asia and in the U.S., and that her work has found its way into personal collections around the world. At the Javits, the voices of her subjects, hung side by side by side, had very strong voices, like people from past lives reminding me of people who I have known. Thus, it would have been impossible for me to pass by her booth without striking up a conversation with her.


And it’s all about the conversation when it comes to creating her little works of wonder. In her artist statement Johnson says that she uses “the face, the visage, or Tete as the vehicle to express these known but indefinable emotions that emerge from my gut. I put the brush down and begin to observe the Tetes. The ones I choose or work on further are those Faces that begin to talk to me, or put more simply: the ones that make me feel.”

Her pieces do have singular and collective voices that continue calling from their places on the wall. This is what really propelled me into her artistic world--how she described this process of letting the pieces talk to her (assuring me that she wasn’t crazy and that the paintings didn’t literally talk to her!). I felt a comraderie in this way of working, since I handle the creation of my wire screen and papier mache masks much in the same way—letting the masks tell me what shape they want to be and when they are finished. It is at that point that I put the paintbrush aside and move on to the next creation.

To the outsider, Johnson’s pieces can only be described as whimsical. They made me happy, all the while a frenetic dialogue went on in my head begging answers to questions like “Who are these people?” “What’s his or her story?” “Why is she smiling, yet she still looks sad.” Her color choices and dynamic cast of characters with unusual names like “Edwidge,” Ainara,” and “Azzedine” cause sensory overload in a marvelous way—the kind that causes you to feel like you can’t help but want to leap into each and every portrait and ask the tough Barbara Waltersesque questions to their subjects. I look forward to becoming good pals with Candice. Her unique perspective and roster of life experiences makes her an interesting human being.

Now, while I love a happy whimsical painting, don’t think that I don’t love my fair share of bawdiness, darkness and the macabre. As a matter of fact, I love all things dark, as long as they are not too bloody or make me depressed. I love thought-provoking art that makes me say “What the hell was going on in this artist’s head when they painted that?” I’m pretty certain that my thirst for the odd and dark comes from my Beaver Cleaver Midwestern upbringing and a fortunate lack of tragedy in my life. Luckily for me, the 2009 Art Expo offered me all the bawdiness, darkness and screwed-up visuals that any good art collector needs.



Wild, Frenchie frocks meet bustieres, feathers, lusty ladies and gentleman in cravats in the stylish and sexy work of Cordell Cordaro. It’s clear to see that this young artist, born into an artistic family in Rochester, New York draws his influences from Schiele, Klimt and Lautrec, but he brings his own style and sensibility to his drawings and paintings with every ink mark and brush stroke.

It’s the faces and expressions that tell the true stories in his work. Cordaro utilizes a very subdued color palette while focusing his attention on bold design. When he does use bright color, it is limited, unexpected, and is intentionally overshadowed by the subject matter. His works are brassy and bawdy, which contrasts with his seemingly quiet and polite demeanor, which begs one to ask the question is there more to the artist than meets the eye?

It’s clear to see why Vincent Beauchemin is a rising star in the Quebec art scene. The dynamic, thirty year-old artist gives off an air of mischievousness under his seemingly calm and polite French-Canadian exterior. With a strong presence and the gift of being able to talk about his work in a way that many artists have not mastered, suggests that the artist, who goes only by the name of Vince, is very grounded and comfortable in his own skin and with his emotions. As a matter of fact, his work is all about emotions, and they are conveyed subtly through colors and shadowing. Though he insists that his work is definitely not cartoon-inspired, his paintings remind me of the artistic sensibilities of Doonesbury artist Gary Trudeau. He combines his caricature-like subjects with the angst and dourness of Edgar Allen Poe making moving theatrics on the canvas. Other collectors must find this drama intriguing as well, since he sold every one of his paintings at his latest showing!

Psychological doesn’t begin to describe the work of Wyoming-based Christopher Amend , a former art professor and printmaker. The artist seems to personify what his last name suggests--a man that has come to terms with who he is and his reality, embracing his life to the fullest and sharing it openly with the spectator. This makes his work course with electricity and vitality. Amend’s distinct hands and face make regular appearances in his work and add to the very personal nature of his art. I like his stuff because it seems to combine a lifetime of distinct and profound influences. He incorporates elements on such a subconscious level only recognizable to the spectator, which might be reason why his art resonates way beyond his own experience. His impeccable use of color complements his brilliant sense of line, and his attention to detail makes each piece a new exploration into the intricacies of humanity. Most compelling in his work is the use of themes like cause and effect or action versus consequence. If you are into drawings, you must check out his works in graphite. They are SPECTACULAR!

After attending Art Expo 2009, I continue to think on the idea of faces, and I could only bring this experience full circle by talking about the works of Zeng Jianyong. I had the opportunity to view an exhibition of his work last year at the Eli Klein Fine Art in SoHo and was profoundly affected by his depiction of children that are meant to be more of caricatures than actual portraits. The children depicted in his collections have their unique identities but share many attributes such as “ruddy marks on their skin that could be blood stains, overly large heads, tiny noses…” The one haunting element of Jianyong’s children are the “startling silver-grey eyes that look like shattered marbles.” I have had these pieces on my mind since last year, which shows the enduring impact of the stories that the artist tells. His subjects have remarkable voices that continue to speak long after the canvases which hosts them have been taken down. Limited edition prints of Zeng Jianyong child portraits can be purchased through KLS Editions, Ltd of Woodland Hills, California by emailing info@KLSEDITIONS.com.

So, to sum it up faces, voices, commonalities—isn’t that what sharing the art experience is all about?

For more information about Art Expo 2009 visit http://www.artexpos.com/.

Love, Jubilation and Jane at 2009 Art Expo in New York

This past week, Midtown Manhattan’s Jacob Javits Center played host to the annual Art Expo, and I made the trek in from Queens to see what all the hoopla was about. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I assumed that there would be a lot of heavy, traditional art and colorful modern works suited more to the sterile walls of corporate America and the schmaltziness of a Holiday Inn or an Italian restaurant. And while my suspicions were confirmed even more than I could have possibly imagined, I met and was inspired by many artists who bring their own distinct perspectives to the face of contemporary art.




At this show, there was a great variety of art to be had, ranging from ethnic, to dramatic landscapes to wonderful examples of plein air and everything in between. The urban landscapes of Providence’s Nick Paciorek, in particular, caught my eye. If I had loads of dough and a home that could accommodate large pieces of art, I would fill it with pieces like his. He captures everyday moments on city streets that make me forget that I’m looking at a painting and transport me onto an urban sidewalk as a participant rather than a voyeur. He is truly a contemporary master of the paintbrush.

Of particular interest to me were the paintings of Polish-born, Toronto-based artist Peter Barelkowski. His work, in many ways reminded me of Haitian-born Francks Francois Décéus, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the National Black Fine Art Show a couple of weeks ago. Barelkowski delves into the emotional states associated with sadness and isolation, but he juxtaposes his subtexts with what he refers to as “one-dimensional, cartoonish-style” subjects who bring out “grotesque undertones.” I look forward to further exploring his work and perhaps becoming a collector of his work.

In my opinion, one of the main highlights of the show were the photo realism masterpieces by British-born Ken Orton of the Upstate New York Ken Orton Gallery. His large, bold pieces were hard to ignore because the artist captures reality in a better way than reality could itself. His subjects, ranging from abandoned pick-up trucks and cars, to jars and glassware of varying sizes and shapes, create an architectural feast for the eyes. Orton brilliantly categorizes his subjects in unique ways, so as to create thrilling composition and medleys of color. What is most stunning, is how he takes inanimate objects and makes them characters in their own dramatic tableaus. Various subjects like olive oil bottles make cameo appearances in multiple works establishing his own stars system that keeps the spectator wondering where they might appear next and in what guise.

In 2004, I had the opportunity to work with actress, artist and mogul of all things creative, Jane Seymour, on the launch of her Grand Hotel Mackinac Island Home Collection. Having the fortunate pleasure of working on this project was serendipitous, as I had fallen in love with her persona and beauty after seeing the film Somewhere in Time (co-starring Christopher Reeve), when I was a much younger lad. Of course, that added to the thrill of being in the general vicinity of Jane. The irony was that my mother’s great grandfather was one of the founders of Mackinac Island and supposedly owned The Grand Hotel at one point (we tend to think this lore was just that…lore!). In truth, however, he did build an 8-bedroom cottage on the island, which is now a popular bed and breakfast.

Saturday, I reintroduced myself to Jane and saw her “Open Hearts” works that inspired a collaboration with Kay Jewelers in 2008 and a new book with the same name, which she was signing at Art Expo. Her paintings depict two hearts connected that are open at either end. These exclusive designs reflect unconditional love with no boundaries, suggesting that “if we keep our hearts open, love will always find its way in.” Jane was kind enough to pose for this photograph:


For more information about Art Expo 2009 visit http://www.artexpos.com/