After seven years developing my own unique talent of space age Constructivism, I have developed my own distinct style and description of my art: Cypressionism. This term came to me after witnessing Van Gogh's "Starry Night" at MOMA in NYC. That imagined cypress tree lingering in the foreground, a symbol of grave yards, mourning, and I believe, the yearning of an artist to find his own in this world and the next.
Cypressionism is not only the tinge of the unknown of the past or future, but refers to the suffix -cy; of, or fact of being. This feeling, and the terms cyborg, cyber, cyclops, etc.; are all descriptions of my metal cypressionist paintings. As are cyclotron, cyclo- circle or wheel...; the act of creating these paintings and my sculptures by the finding and recycling of beautiful past objects. Which were inanimate, but now take flight.
As I build up my sculptures, I see how smaller parts from the whole world of thrift store, garage sales, and flea market finds can be taken apart and bolted together anew almost seamlessly. I don't do any welding in my work. My style dictates that I find just the right components to fit together and be bolted or screwed in to look like they've never been apart.
When I say paintings, I mean that I form these collages by fluidly arranging the found metal pieces from parking lots and curbs of New Orleans into the forms of robotic women, creatures, an ideas. Then paint on resin to hold them fast to their canvas, some are old enamel table tops turned upside down to form a tray. These sculptures when finished and hung give a great depth effect to the viewer.
My art is a reaction to my wonder and imagination concerning the possibilities of manufactured inanimate objects as art, much as Marcel Duchamp did in the early part of the 20th century. The pieces I use in my work are mostly from before my time, in an era where space travel would be done in something as fine and stylish as the car produced in 1957 Detroit or the Art Deco juicer on the counter. But in my form of sculpture they invoke the innocent promised possibilities of a brilliant future. Not only a future of beauty, but the height of mankind's industrious nature and the vast potential to do good instead of harm in the objects and tools that he produces. Thus my art conveys the positive human soul as well as the satisfying esthetic with a sharp edge towards constant negative sensationalism stimuli from the media and politics.
The ever accelerating planned obsolescence of general products in our society, combined with cheap marketability and wrongly described "Space Age" beauty, spurns me on to find, collect, and create H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov's imaginations and aesthetic hopes of what the future could bring, out of ornate quality crafted found objects of the past.
And with my work, I am trying to respark that imagination of the older folks. Also of that child who has never really seen in person a real 3-D Rocketship, so that it may let them possibly see their 21st century world with a historical shadow.

11/25/03

Press:
Sept. 2003 Gambit Weekly Reader's Poll, Writer's Choice, "Best Alternative Vacuum Cleaner Artist"
Aug., 2003 Art Papers, Atlanta, Ga., review
April 2003 Offbeat Magazine, New Orleans, Interview for Jazz Fest
April, 2003 Times-Picayune, New Orleans, "La. Purchase - Dis-Mantled" review
April 2003 Gambit Weelky, Barrister's Gallery, "La. Purchase - Dis-Mantled" review
Feb. 2003 New Orleans Art Review, Sylvia Schmidt gallery show
Jan., 2003 Gambit Weekly, New Orleans, Sylvia Schmidt Gallery review
Jan., 2003 Times-Picayune, New Orleans, "ArtSpeak" panel, picture and statements
Dec., 2002 Times-Picayune review , New Orleans, "Metal Paintings", Barristers Gallery
Oct. 2002 Featured article, "Juxtapose Magazine"
Sept., 2002 inclusion in "Earth Friendly Crafts" book, Lark Publishing
July, 2002 Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Commissioned thermos urn article
June, 2002 "Now It Is Dark" Magazine article, Columbus, Oh.
April, 2002 "NO Dead Artists" show, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, NO, La., Times-Picayune review
April, 2002 Lindsay Gallery show, Columbus,Oh.; Columbus Alive & The Other Paper articles
Dec., 2001 Homesmart Section, Gambit Weekly, New Orleans
Jan., 2001 "Rockets for Small Spaces", my own calendar, Avalanche Publishing
Dec., 2000 "New Orleans Magazine" article
May, 2000 inclusion in "The Metal Craft Book", Lark Publishing
Feb., 2000 Featured in Delta's Sky Magazine
Dec., 2000 The Commercial Appeal, Memphis; article and picture
April, 2000 New York Times article and picture
Dec., 1999 Memphis Flyer, "We Recommend" article and picture
Aug., 1999 Featured article in Visitor Magazine, N.O., La.
Jan., 1999 Gulf Coast Arts Review
Nov., 1998 "Wired Magazine" article and picture of VR-1
Oct., 1998 "Sears Associate" newsletter to employees; letter and picture of VR-1 published
March, 1998 Etc. Magazine article, Lafayette, La.

Awards:
Oct., 2001 Fresh Art Fest, New Orleans, La.; "Outstanding Achievement Award", (2nd overall)
March, 2001 Winterpark Arts Fest, Orlando; 1st Place in Sculpture
Nov., 1999 Space Coast Arts Festival, Cocoa Beach, Fl.; Best Space Art Award
Nov., 1999 La. Division of the Arts Grant
April, 1999 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Contemporary Arts "Most Unique" award
May, 1998 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Contemporary Arts "Most Unique" award

Commissions:
1998-2002 12 commissions by private collectors
Jan., 1999 VR-X, a 1952 Kenmore vacuum rocketship with lights and sound, commissioned by the San Diego Children's Museum. They repaired an old overhead crane so that the rocket would fly through
their building continuously
Dec., 1998 Matt Groening,"Simpsons"creator, buys VR-7, Vacuum Rocketship at the New Orleans Jazz Fest during development of his show, "Futurama"

Speaking:
Jan., 2004 Jefferson Parish Library, Art and Politics, 3 Library talks to children about recycled art
Dec., 2002 ArtSpeak panelist, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans
Jan., 2002 Talk and demonstration for 4th graders, Holy Rosary Academy, N.O., La.
April, 2000 Talk and demonstration for Career Day, 7th graders, Mereaux, La.
March, 1999 Talk and demonstration for 7th graders, Hammond, La.

Galleries-Shows:
July, 04 Cherry Creek Arts Fest, Denver, Co.
April, 04 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Contemporary Arts
Jan., 04 Jefferson Parish Library display, Metairie, La.
Oct., 03 Art For Arts Sake, "Fun Rocketships", Big Life Toys, New Orleans
Oct., 03 "Functional Art", SPACE Gallery, New Orleans
Oct., 03 "gnostic: devotions" Show, Morgan West Gallery, New Orleans
Sept., 03 "The Extraordinary From the Ordinary", City East Gallery, Atlanta
Sept., 03 International Assemblage Exhibition, Berlin, Germany
Sept., 03 "All Media Show", La. State University Gallery, Baton Rouge, La.
May, 03 "State of Grace" religious show, 3 Ring Circus Big Top, New Orleans
May, 03 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Contemporary Arts
March, 03 "La. Purchase - Dis-Mantled", Barrister's Gallery, New Orleans
Feb., 03 ArtExpo, NYC
Jan., 03 Funeria Urn art show, San Francisco
Dec., 02 Sylvia Schmidt Gallery, N.O., La.
Dec., 02 on display at La. Pizza Kitchen
Nov., 02 3 Rivers Art Fest, Covington, La.
Oct., 02 Fresh Art Fest, New Orleans
Oct., 02 Cypressionist metal paintings show, Barrister's Gallery, New Orleans
Oct., 02 PBS Art Auction
Aug., 02 Folk Fest 2002, Buford, Ga.
June, 02 Art Museum of S. Texas, Corpus Christi, Biennial Exhibition
April, 02 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Contemporary Arts
April, 02 "Lenin - Busted", Barrister's Gallery, New Orleans
April, 02 Lindsay Gallery, Columbus,Oh.
April, 02 "N.O. Dead Artists" show, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, NO, La.
March, 02 Art in the Dark, The Pickery, New Orleans
March, 02 Winterpark Arts Fest, Orlando, Fl.
Feb., 02 Coconut Grove Arts Fest, Miami, Fl.
Jan., 02 Funeria art show, San Francisco
Dec., 01 Lucky 13 Gallery, Winter Art Show, New Orleans, La., with Joe Kight & Morgana King
Dec., 01 National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis
Oct., 01 Fresh Art Festival, New Orleans, La.
Oct., 01 PBS Art Auction
Sept., 01 Plaza Art Fair, Kansas City, Mo.
May, 01 Jazz Fest, New Orleans
March, 01 Winterpark Arts Fest, Orlando; 1st Place in Sculpture
Dec., 00 National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis
Dec., 00 Forbidden Gallery, Dallas, Tx.
Oct., 00 PBS Art Auction, 1 New Orleans Galaxy Platter
Oct., 00 Kentuck Arts Fest, Northport, Al.
Sept., 00 "Deluxe Rocketships and Bowling Ball Planets" ,
Mid-City Lanes Rock 'n Bowl, New Orleans, La., my own produced solo show
July, 00 "Dog Days of Summer" show, LeMieux Gallery; N.O., La.
June, 00 "Gadgets & Gizmos" show, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery; N.O., La.
May, 00 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Contemporary Arts
Feb., 00 "Blues"; Attic Gallery, Vicksburg, Ms.
Feb., 00 Thompson & Co. gallery show, Memphis
Feb., 00 "Material Resurrection" show; Arts Alliance of Haverstraw, NY
Jan., 00 Art Deco Weekend, Miami Beach, Fl.
Nov., 99 National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis
Nov., 99 Space Coast Arts Festival, Cocoa Beach, Fl.; Best Space Art Award
Nov., 99 La. Division of the Arts Grant
Oct., 99 PBS Art Auction, 1 Vacuum Thermos Rocket
April, 99 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Contemporary Arts "Most Unique" award
April, 99 "NO Dead Artists" show, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, NO, La.
April, 99 Local cable access show
Dec., 98 Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans
Nov., 98 National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis
Oct., 98 PBS Art Auction, 1 Vacuum Thermos Rocket
Oct., 98 "Art for Art's Sake" at U.F.O. retail shop/gallery, NO, La.
May, 98 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Contemporary Arts "Most Unique Work" award
April, 98 "NO Dead Artists" show, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, NO, La.
April, 98 Local cable access show
Oct., 97 "Art for Art's Sake" at U.F.O. retail/gallery, New Orleans
Sept., 97 Oculus Gallery grand opening show, Baton Rouge
April, 97 "NO Dead Artists" show, Positive Space, New Orleans

Dec., 1996 Purchased and started work on my first Deluxe Rocketship, VR-1 (Vacuum Rocket) - 1952 Kenmore