I believe that more often than not the best art comes from life experience. Perhaps the artwork has some technical flaws but if the
emotional impact grabs the viewer, well, that's what counts. That said
some paintings that I previously worked on in 2006 I am reworking as the result of my being stabbed in the neck and face during a home invasion robbery attempt. Initially the self-portraits of my head wrapped in gauze were concerned with psychological pain made manifest by a nonexistent exterior wound. I was never satisfied by the series and moved on to other work. Yet, fate intervened and in April of 2008 I was assault by a man who stabbed me about four times, twice to the left side of the neck, once to the back of the head and once or twice to the left side of my face. I have posted these paintings and an interesting comparison can be made with the previous versions of the painting prior to the assault. I have also posted the actual photographs of myself with the wounds and the sutures.
These are some of my recent works 2012-13. Also, many of the works from the Male Body series have been donated to the ONE Archives in Los Angeles where they can be seen upon request or during one of their art exhibitions. I will be relocating to Qingdao, China where I hope to continue my working, mainly portraiture.
