"Join the Party"

6 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

I was enamored with At the Moulin Rouge from the first time I saw it at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was that haunting face on the far right, as if she was looking at me through a window seemingly inviting me in to join the party.  

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted Paris' nightlife like no other.  Caricatures who he knew well, like Jane Avril in the center with the flaming-red hair or the dancer May Milton who stares at you with her painted face.  The painting is two joined canvases, said to have been severed by Lautrec's dealer after his death - hoping the separate canvases were more saleable.  The entire composition was eventually restored.

"Under Cover"

12 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

Not only do I melt when I approach Lautrec's paintings - seeing this lovely woman standing there, admiring his Moulin Rouge pieces - her hat, the navy blue coat that created this wonderful form, her bare heels lit up by the light - all of it just took my breath away.

Now's a good time to explain my obsession with this subject - people inside of museums. I'm really more obsessed with the human form - especially how we stand, how we balance and how we dress. I view all people, all shapes and sizes, as perfect models. The backdrop of a bare wall provides the definition of the body. A work of art in the background can be more dominant than the figure - or it can be more vague and unremarkable. A lot of times I include works of art that mean a lot to me personally. It's fantastic joy for me to do these paintings for all of those reasons.

Click here if you'd like a larger view.