september 11th series
When I First Heard, 6’x6′, oil with newspapers and cut images on canvas, 2002
Martyr and Hero, 72″x 88,” oil and cut newspapers on linen, 2002
When Hope Rises, 6’x6′, oil on cancas, 2002
Anthrax, 34″x54,” oil and cut newspapers on canvas, 2002
Memorial, 63″x 98″, oil, paper and metal on canvas, 2002
about the paintings
about the paint
Around the time of September 11th , I had a home studio and painted with oils. I also loved adding mixed media to these works. Knowing that one cannot safely paste newspapers and such over oil , I planned out each of these paintings carefully. First I collected newspapers, posters and other paper products, glued them to the canvas, and then waited for the glue to dry. Next came the oil paints, and the mica powders.
For the painting titled “Memorial”, newspapers were placed first, then the paint. For the final layer, I added cut metal and flags. Before I stretched the canvas, I also spent days researching who died on Flight 77, the reporters in Iraq who died shortly after covering the story,and our first military losses.
about the overall series…
Before September 11th, I painted sunflowers, daffodils and portraits of my friends and family. After September 11th, flowers turned into fires, figures became fatalities, and I became a politically inspired painter. Shown here are four paintings created shortly after September 11, 2001.