These are religious paintings, retablos. They are a blend of Byzantine iconography and traditional Hispanic religious art. Still, it is my own take on on those themes.

These paintings date back to when I was living in San Antonio. Artistically, I was experimenting with ideas and concepts and trying to express them on canvas. I had a series of paintings based on reggae music. I was fixated on trying to capture a moment in time, on one level up close and on the other trying to capture the interaction of large groups of people in urban space. I was lucky to meet the pastor of St. George's Maronite Catholic Church, Lebanese Catholics. His name was Fr. Jim Kouhry. The parish was building a new church and he was looking for artists.  He commissioned a number of pieces that helped me get ready for the big commission a 3 panel 24 x 8  ft mural depicting Holy Week. While I was researching the piece I discovered the paintings in the cave churches of Cappodocia in Turkey. The influence of those paintings helped define the techniques I use in my own iconography. All in all fairly primitive, and in some cases down right bad. But I was learning to be an artist and if that was the goal I think this was a good training ground.

I moved to Austin in 1985. Here I started painting from life and in situ. I did quite a few paintings of Town Lake and I started looking at the relationship between the horizon and the sky. I continued to develop themes I started in San Antonio, groups of people and extreme close-ups of ordinary activities. It was during this time that the paintings became much more personal and I was able to express ideas, thoughts and feelings through my paintings. But I stopped painting fantasy kind of paintings, Chain Driven from this album is an example.

September 1989 I moved to Albuquerque. The whole story is an adventure in itself. Lost everything I owned on the road. Landed here a stranger in a strange land. I had no job, didn't know anyone, had never been here. Those are a strange 4 years. Great fun and great tragedy. Buy me a cup of coffee sometime, at Java Joe's or Michael Thomas, I'll tell you the stories. I don't own any paintings from this period, I know where some of them are. Some where stolen, others lost, some sold, many given away.  If you see them anywhere let me know, I'd like to see them again.

In the early 90's I moved to the S. Valley in Albuquerque. The art came together, new themes and new influences. Rural themes, stronger Hispanic influences, started painting from old family photos. These were big developments in my work. In fact this album should be divided into two. Paintings after 1998-99 are post sobriety. Paintings change when you get sober. Styles change and develop, you gain control of the vision and its execution. 2000 brought more changes in my life and thus in the art. Bought a house, traveled, started Corkfest, big changes and better art, if I do say so myself.