We landed in Managua, Nicaragua for vacation. Two families loaded into a big SUV, and set off for the coast to visit my sister and her 6'8" companion, "Big Roy." Ex-european pro basketball player turned surfing adventurer. Eventually we arrived in a spectacular place called Rancho Santana. In RS we rented a home on a hidden beach called Playa Los Perros. All of it was stunning.

While hiking, surfing, laughing and enjoying ourselves I managed to sneak away one morning to paint. I know. Tough life. I set up on the beach. I found pieces of a coconut, dried sea sponges and a big log to spread the paint. Before I was done there was burned charcoal, volcanic sand, and a little of the big wonderful Pacific all on a couple canvases. Spend some time in Nicaragua, you won't forget it.

The commercial we came up with was about a couple walking in the snow. However, it was August. So, we went to where the snow was. Chile.

We spent time in the Andes for the film production. It's an extraordinary mountain range full of dormant volcanoes. I had no idea. Breathtaking. The bulk of the trip was in a vivacious city full of wonderful people. Santiago. A modern metropolis full of everything you could want. What struck me was even though it had all the prosperity and the high-end modern stuff, it felt very humane. Throughout all the hustle and bustle very few people were looking at their phones. Think about that. I believe it's called personal eye contact. Chileans are impressive. They even have tiny libraries in their subway!

Plus, art is all over the city. It's a place that celebrates creativity. Which is what inspired me. I taped together the pages of a hotel room notepad. I found a little courtyard in the hotel. With a few sticks, a leaf, and a pen I got creative. It was a beautiful morning. In a beautiful city. Really, how do you not love a place whose crosswalk symbols are kinda comical? I was struck by one other thing about Chile. It's a country where one of their great national heroes is Pedro Neruda. Not a legnedary military leader, or a famous politician. A poet. 

My cousin lives in New Jersey. Where I grew up. He has a nice life in a town called Freehold. Bruce Springsteen is from there. My cousin and his wife have actually had a conversation with him at Federici's pizza restaurant. I'm serious. My cousin owns a famous apple orchard called Battleview Orchards. They make the best cider on earth. No question.
And, he loves to snowmobile. Really loves to snowmobile. In fact if there was a black belt in snowmobiling, he'd have it.

He and I hadn't seen each other in 35 years. We reconnected at a family reunion. Life just goes by too fast. At the reunion we planned the trip. The following February I flew to Newark from Austin. We were on our way the next morning. By the end of the day we were in a different world.

We ended up outside of Quebec City. It was a world of winter beauty. With an actual snowmobile highway system. We rode everyday. We met people who had ridden up there for years. We found an ice hotel. We drank out of ice glasses. It was exhausting and fun. We talked to a group of three guys who had logged 1,300 miles after three weeks riding! On snowmobiles. In the Canadian winter! Yeah, no way. Finally, on the last morning, I did a couple of paintings. Painted with snowballs. An unforgettable adventure in the great white north.

One of my oldest and dearest friends called me and asked if I wanted to come help do a documentary in Fiji. I said no. Right. Five weeks later my son and I were on a plane.

The project was meant to shed light on the aftermath of hurricane Winston. It was the largest hurricane to ever hit the south pacific. We saw what it did. We also saw the resilience and the character of some of the most wonderful people on earth. Truly. Wonderful. They battle the effects of climate change every single day. Fijians are so gracious they gave a neighboring country an entire island. Why? Because their neighbor's country is now under water.

We stayed in an island village. We bonded with tribal chiefs. Danced in ceremonial events. Drank kava-kava. And of course, all surrounded by paradise. Filled with the reverence for the place and the people, I found a quiet morning to do some art. Among the trees of an island called Nanuya Lailai. I found a table and some sticks and went to work. It was a great privilege to be in that place, among those people. All with my son by my side. We'll have to cross our fingers that the film gets completed. It would be a great way to bring attention to the plight of many people. Regardless, it was an adventure we will never forget.

I was talking to an associate of mine one night at a dinner party. The conversation turned to art. As I told him about my series of abstracts he lit up with the idea of filming a documentary on my process. I hadn't realized he was a filmmaker. Over a nice California Cab, we vowed to do this thing.

A few months later I flew to his home north of Seattle. I was to be the subject of a film. I was honored by his enthusiasm. It also led me to explore the deeper purpose of my work.

That purpose has been sparked by a personal fear. The fear that with all the modern technology and the culture of being over worked, we may gradually be reducing our interaction with nature to nothing more than a potted plant in our company lobby. In effect removing our lives from nature, and nature from our lives. That's a terrible tragedy. I realized just in time that what got taken from me by the corporate world, got renewed by the natural world. By going outside with the intent to create, my soul was replenished on two levels. Art and nature.

Given that I do these paintings with natural debris, I am kept completely in the moment. In the sense that you have no idea what kind of mark a root ball, or a feather will make. I'm in the hands of nature. It's quite a way to paint. It connects me with what is around. With what is real. Emotionally and physically. I often fantasize that I'm a conduit for nature. Painting the self portrait nature would paint if it could. As I paint, in and with the landscape, I'm very careful. I make sure I do no harm. I make sure I leave no trace. I feel that art is a natural wonder all its own. Art and nature are two things to be revered and protected.

As for the documentary. It is still being made. Like art, it will tell us when it's done.

Film director : Gregory S. Walsh

I've visited Santa Fe off and on for more than twenty years. We always feel rejuvenated by the wonder of that place. The stunning landscape. The history. The culture. The cold-war-spy-intrigue. True story.

Above all there is the art. The amazing, world class art. I've been to every gallery on Canyon road 174.2 times. I admire the art. We've purchased the art. I've even day dreamed of seeing my art in one of those galleries. One afternoon I decided to finally do some art. 

I trekked into the hills. I found a clearing and set up my supplies. I had four pieces of paper. A few choice colors of paint, and a piece of campfire charcoal. I discovered some old cactus, and grabbed some sticks for my brushes. Mostly, I used dirt. The beautiful red dirt. It informs everything about these pieces. Some paint the landscape. I paint with the landscape.

And the spy thing? See for yourself. https://www.amazon.com/Spys-Guide-Santa-Fe-Albuquerque-ebook/dp/B0052F73MG

A wonderful friend of ours asked me one day if I had a painting I would donate for a charity auction she was organizing. I was so flattered by her request, I said I would go out and do a special painting just for it. I knew right where I needed to go to paint it.

Marfa has always been a go-to place for us. One of the great small towns in the country. What makes it so amazing is the spirit of the people, the amazing landscape and the sensational love of art. A world class minimalist's Mecca. We stayed at the trailer park/hotel, El Cosmico, and I got started. Most of the painting was done using a giant, dead Yucca leaf. We documented the painting process so I could design a small book to accompany the painting. On the last page I provided a space for the owner to attach a photo of the piece in their home. Giving them a sense of participation in the journey of their art.

The auction was a success. The painting sold for around $70,000. I'm totally kidding. I actually have no idea what it went for. But that wasn't the point was it? If art can contribute to the generosity of others, that is what matters.

There is a quaint little town at the foot of the Davis mountains. A range in far west Texas. Fort Davis. It's a town of stunning contrasts. During the day, you can tour the old fort and see what life was like in the 1800s. It's remarkably interesting. At night, you can experience a breathtaking, state of the art observatory. McDonald Observatory will astound you. It's like, in Fort Davis you can experience the past and the future. 

On one of the afternoons I found a little clearing behind the cottages we rented. It was time to see what art experience I was going to have. First I found an excellent ocotillo branch. Then charcoal from an old grill. To my amazement, I then discovered an apple tree. On the ground was the perfect half rotten green apple. 

So, with a can of Blue Norther beer from Big Bend Brewing, I began a painting in Fort Davis, Texas. Who knew an apple would be such a great paint brush.

Over the years the idea of shelter has intrigued me. The immense disparity of it around the world. It can be beautifully simple, or outrageously ornate. No matter how down trodden, or luxurious, it fulfills the same human requirement. It seems that every sheltering object can be turned into something as individual as the occupant. There is always a story. Some incredibly sad, and some unbelievably happy. All human.

Shelter is complex if you think about it. It is also very simple. I wanted to pursue both. I was drawn to that iconic, simple childlike shape. That triangle on top of a square. The house. It felt right to adhere to that. Then interpret it in as many ways as I could.  My hope was that with each painting the viewer saw, they would conjure up their own story. A story not just about how it looks on the outside, but what could be going on on the inside. It could be something sad. It could be something happy. Either way, something human.

Along with my outside paintings, there are the inside paintings too. The Studio. Defined as a place an artist experiments, pushes themselves and hones their practice. What follows are the latest to come out of my laboratory/studio.

"High School" : 35” X 49” : acrylic, charcoal, fluorescent acrylic on canvas : Painted for Austin Waldorf School auction. Proceeds going to high school improvement : Austin, Texas

"Travis Heights" : 35” X 49” : acrylic, charcoal, fluorescent acrylic on canvas : Painted as a gift for my friend Madhavi :  Austin, Texas

"Fight Fire" : 50” X 18.5” : acrylic, graphite, colored pencil, fluorescent acrylic on canvas : Austin, Texas

“Thing 1” : 24” X 18” : acrylic, charcoal, colored pencil on canvas : Austin, Texas

“Thing 2” : 24” X 18” : acrylic, charcoal, colored pencil on canvas : Austin, Texas

"'Craft study 1" : 13"X18" : acrylic, marker, colored pencil on craft paper : Austin, Texas

"'Craft study 2" : 13"X18" : acrylic, marker, colored pencil on craft paper : Austin, Texas