project info – portfolio

performer (~1996) gouache on paper

madness (~1995) pencil on paper

hobo (~1996) gouache on paper

performer (~1996) gouache on paper

hobo (~1996) gouache on paper

centaur (2001) pen on paper

madness (~1995) pencil on paper

I learned that Tom's older brother Jim got turned away from art colleges because his charcoal Ali fights were worked from photographs.

untitled (~2000) pen on paper

braid (1999) ballpoint pen on paper

untitled (~2000) pen on paper

braid (1999) ballpoint pen on paper

untitled (~2000) pen on paper

Understanding that schools were looking for observational work, I began diverting from my immagination and started drawing from life.

untitled (~2000) oil on canvas

Understanding that schools were looking for observational work, I began diverting from my immagination and started drawing from life.

I concentrated on observation for a long time.

I struggled to get back to immaginative work.

inside and out (2011-2012) oil on canvas

Ultimately, I resorted to a device.

the spinners 2007- present

The spinner process began in a coffeeshop alongside Maboud. He was working on a screenplay.

You were working out unresolved issues from your past with a drawing, for which you devised a tactic.

You thought of using free-association as a way to coax out ideas and themes in drawings... as one does with writing in therapy.

shame (2007) ballpoint pen on paper

The Spinner process began in a coffeeshop alongside Maboud. He was working on a screenplay.

You were working out unresolved issues from your past with a drawing, for which you devised a tactic.

shame (2007) ballpoint pen on paper

You thought of using free association as a way to coax out ideas and themes... as one does with writing in therapy.

You allow yourself one line with each new orientation of the page:
pick up the pen, change the orientation, next mark

novelty (~2008) pen on paper

atlas caw (~2008) pen on paper

machinations (~2008) pen on paper

novelty (~2008) pen on paper

atlas caw (~2008) pen on paper

machinations (~2008) pen on paper

Pareidolia guided you as a kid. You searched for images in wood grain and marble.

Via this spinner tactic you are creating these textures, then searching within them and developing what you find.

Eventually you found your way to canvas, switching lines for shapes in solid colors.

the first spinner (2012) | 76cm x 61 cm / 30in x 24in | oil on canvas

Pareidolia guided you as a kid. You searched for images in wood grain and marble.

Via this spinner tactic you are creating these textures, searching within them and developing what you find.

Eventually you found your way to canvas, switching lines for shapes in solid colors.

the first spinner (2012) | 76cm x 61 cm / 30in x 24in | oil on canvas

The first spinner was developed in a few days in your backyard.

The second was completed in a month at Tom's studio.

the second spinner (2012) | 122cm x 76cm / 48in x 30in | oil on canvas

Work has not been continuous on the third.

the third spinner (2013-present) | 213cm x 132cm / 7ft x 4.33ft | oil on canvas

the third spinner

3 countries | 5 studios | ~1500hrs of labor (1238.5 confirmed/ 271 approximated) | 213cm x 132cm (7ft x 4ft4in) | 128 colors

It has recently landed at it’s 6th studio in it's 4th country. It appears to be half way done.

working hours 2013-2022

spinner extraction 2020- present

A typical challenge with Pareidolia is conveying what you see in the clouds to someone else.

You extracted figures from the lined spinners in further drawings.

confiding (2011) pen on paper

smoker's lament (2010) ballpoint pen on paper

confiding (2011) pen on paper

smoker's lament (2010) ballpoint pen on paper

You'll extract figures from the shaped spinners with sculpture.

spinner 3 - detail (2013-present) oil on canvas

cavallo base relief (2020) clay

spinner 3 - detail (2013-present) oil on canvas

The spinner paintings establish one angle of view of the figures, which translate into a 2D base relief.

The opposite sides of figures must then be developed utilizing mirrored images from the painting as a point of departure.

icaro (2025) preliminary 3d model

spinner 3 - detail (2013-present) oil on canvas

icaro (2025) preliminary 3d model

The illusions of pareidolia fade the moment clouds shift; therefore, translation of the first side of the figure as well as this point of departure for the opposite, unknown side must be as faithful as possible to the painting.

cavallo (2020) gesso

The figures were developed in an atmosphere without a defined orientation. Their development into 3d forms should follow the same circumstances, in virtual space.

For these reasons you transitioned from traditional sculpting to software.

the soundscapes '15 - present

Along the Hudson, the train’s whistle echoes down the valley announcing it’s arrival along tracks at the water’s edge.

Cars cross on a road cleaved into the center of the mountain across the river. Helicopters cut through the air, arriving from the military base downriver.

The sounds of insects and animals ebb and flow with the arrivals and departures of us.

breakneck ridge (2015) cellular photo

At Breakneck's amphitheatre, I became fixated on the extent of our reach.

Perception of our presence and what I understood as nature's reactions to it made an impression on me. Particularly moving were the audible perceptions.

I had a sense that it was possible to find nature seemingly free of us visually, but that a microphone would always speak the truth; we may well be everywhere.

pollinello (2019) cellular photo

breakneck ridge (2015) cellular photo

At Breakneck's amphitheatre, I became fixated on the extent of our reach.

pollinello (2019) cellular photo

laurisilva_ assorted studies (2019) cellular photo

I seek out solitary trees to personify. They act as witnesses in my landscape paintings.

louro (2020) carbon on paper

l'ulivo (2018) ink on paper

la cipressa di porta maggiore (2018)

charcoal on paper

avô louro (2020) carbon on paper

laurel (2021) colored pencil on paper

l'ulivo (2018) ink on paper

la cipressa di porta maggiore (2018)

charcoal on paper

louro (2020) carbon on paper

l'ulivo (2018) ink on paper

avô louro (2020) carbon on paper

laurel (2021) colored pencil on paper

il skeletro (2019) watercolor on paper

il pino lorecato (2019) ink brush on paper

louro antigo (2020) colored pencil on paper

Through the paintings and their accompanying audio recordings, I seek to provide a testament to the state of these places in hope of deepening an awareness of our presence and impact.

il fico della gravina (2018) charcoal on paper

il fico della gravina (2018) ink on paper

echo and narcissus '19

You shared your studio with Lisa as Tom shared his with you. She understood Vincent Van Gogh's impact on you and recommended you read the letters.

You read all 1500 pages over 13 months at the British Library's reading rooms. Nearly everything resonated with you.

Changes (and a lack of changes) to your future at a certain stage caused you to question your commitment to an artistic vocation however it may compromise your societal life.

You began to question 'the choice of duty over life'.

ego (1997) pencil on paper

Your ego is as unwavering in art as it is porous outside of it.

You seek advice endlessly in life. In art you could go on without pause or interruption; without consult; without contact.

You saw this balance in yourself reflected in the story of Echo and Narcissus. You sought to reconcile the oscillations with a study.