oil painting

      To paint alone and to draw out all the imagined scenes in one's mind is good.  But to share yourself with others through that expression expands the importance beyond the boundaries of individual persons... if that makes any sense.  I believe that within everyone, an innate ability to dream, imagine and compose exists and, in that sense, we are created in the image of God.  Not that God is expressed through our minds, but that the function of creation is a gift from Him.  So it has to be more than just me... because it's from God.
      The senior year of high school I took an independent study course and sat in the art room (is it room 208?) painting for an hour every day.   Three of the paintings here are among the ones I made at that time.  Since then, I haven't had the opportunity to paint very often.  However, occasionally I have a day to do so.  Now I try to finish one in two days' time because, although the painting may take only two days total, those two days may be spread over a period of half a year.  Half a year's worth of imagination is condensed into two days.  
      These pictures relate to Coca-cola, the Northwest (including Montana and the other mountain states), Levi's jeans, yellowed paper, and a vague understanding of 19th century Russian literature.  

This picture is named "Suanplu," after the neighborhood where my grandma and aunts live in Bangkok.	Feels like alpine Americana.
Any of you ever read Moby Dick?  There is something fascinating about the idea of seamonsters...  This was painted around 1997 on a very rainy day.	Painted on very hot nights in Milan, Missouri.  An adventure of mine against the norm.  Who needs good composition?   1996
The Chevron gas station next to Big Daddy's drive-in in Auburn.   1996	My fascination with main streets of small towns. around 1996
Finished my senior year in high school.  I like old chevy trucks. 1996	Done the summer of my senior year before I went to Bangkok... before I drew a sketch of another cafe scene on a Starbuck's napkin.  The first of the quicker paintings. 1996