Magic Book

  It's been so long since I've posted anything, people are probably wondering if I still paint. Well I do! And have done quite a few since summer has come to an end. Hopefully I will start posting some of them.

Fifteen And Change

Money and safes just seem to go together so why not paint the two. In this case the safe is made up, I only had a safe dial and handle to work with. Its good to work like this from time to time. It helps keep you loose and not such a slave to your subject matter. I like doing things like the small piece of paper that sticks out from the bottom of the door, hopefully you just want to pull at it.

Money Has Wings

 I feel as if money really does have wings. And after looking at the eagles pictured on some currency it all makes sense, money is suppose to fly off not to be seen again. I am presently doing a larger painting based on this concept which will involve much more currency. I think most people find it easy to relate to this theme.

Contemporary Still-Life Paintings at Spanierman Gallery

Opening March 24 and showing until April 16 at Spanierman Gallery in New York will be the show, Contemporary Still-Life Paintings. It will feature nine artist, my contribution will be trompe l'oeil of course. I posted a photo of the painting Taking Chances because it was featured on the cover of the brochure sent out to announce the show. I have to admit I'm quite proud of it.

Reality Check

My painting Madame X Desk Blotter is now in the exhibition title Reality Check: Contemporary American Trompe L'oeil at the Brandywine River Museum.The piece is on loan from the New Britian Museum of American Art. The exhibition presents the work of 22 contemporary artist, all of whom demonstrate a high degree of skill in the tradition of trompe l'oeil.

Judging by the crowd on opening night I would have to say realism in art is alive and well. It was a great pleasure to meet the other artist and museum staff. Anybody with an interest in trompe l'oeil should check out the exhibition on line or in person, you won't be disappointed.

William Tell's Dart Board

A fun painting to do, the title says it all. Not the best photo, but you get the idea.

A George In The Box

I really enjoy doing these small pieces. A simple composition and a clever title is all that's needed to do these. The photo is not cropped the best but you get the idea. It is framed in a float style frame, black and simple. I have a few more of these started and hope to finish the up soon.

Another Fool And His Money

I enjoy changing the shapes of some paintings. This piece hangs on the wall with no frame and is done on a 1/2" board, these two factors help maintain the illusion of a real dart board. With some trompe o'leil paintings a frame can actually hurt the artist attempt to fool the eye, but it's a fine line, most people like their art framed

Hidden Assets

This is one of my larger pieces. It's of some importance items hidden away on the back of a painting. The stock certificate of The New York Central Railroad Company was once a prized asset in the 19th century, but now is a worthless piece of paper.The title of the company is hidden by the money to spell The New Company an ironic twist to what has happened over the years.
The choice of the back side of a fifty dollar bill was chosen because I wanted a play on the word "capital". Another ironic twist, the stock is now worthless and there's Washington at the center of it. Trompe o'leil is filled with hidden mesages and ironies, they can make some pieces more successful than others.Sometimes the concept can be just as important as the execution.
The signature on this piece is on the stock itself among all the other signatures. I rarely sign my work in the typical right hand corner.

Money To Burn

Seems kind of ironic to post Money To Burn now, nobody has any and its Christmas! This piece was done some time ago and is now in a private collection. Finding these slides of paintings from years past has been alot of fun to record and now show.This is not one of the best slides but it brought back some fond memories.
 Money is such a great subject to paint, it always gets a reaction from viewers and it has a long history in American Trompe L'oiel Painting.Of all the painters of money I have always felt Otis Kaye is the best. His wit and skill combine for some terrrific paintings, I'm always surprised by how few people are know of his work. He is definately worth looking at.
John Haberle is another, there is a show opening next week of his art at the New Britian Museum Of American Art. He has only 40 known paintings, but yet his influence on American Trompe L'oiel is huge. I'm looking forward to seeing the show. I know he has been a major infuence on my work.

Ben's Box

Going through some old slides I came across some of painting I have'nt seen in years. They are mostly in private collections now. I felt like I was seeing old friends! Over the next couple of days I hope to post a few as I copy them on to the computer.
This is a good example of how I've changed over the years as a trompe l'oiel painter. Now I would not paint the box on the shelf with a background, because this kills the illusion trompe painters are after. The more effective way is to present the box and bill only, no shelf, no background. This would help add to the illusion of reality. I've become a real purist over the years when it comes to trompe l'oiel, the illusion is everything. Please check out my web site there are some good exmples of what I'm talking about.