“I am only a sparrow amongst a great flock of sparrows.”
- Evita Perón , former first lady of Argentina
Ernesto Che Guevara
Before declaring any manifesto, a passport fluttered open, revealing Ernesto.
Vagabond forging a motorbike-route, he’d peel out hard, on united fruit.
Asthmatic slumping on his chopper, humanity drained, traded for copper.
Before tee-shirts exploited this face, banana republics, branded in disgrace.
Barack Obama
Here's a portrait of one of my favorite U.S. presidents, Barack Obama, created on a vintage map of Hawaii (where he was born). This is part of a series called World Tour - in which I use pages from an old atlas as canvases - painting images relating to the place on each map.
Prints are available here!
Holding my newly framed portrait of Barack Obama.
Howard Stern
From all five boroughs of a neurotic mind, seven dirty words are gleefully enshrined.
Subway tunnels connect to Freud and Jung, trains emerge, irreverence on the tongue.
A legend’s lines flow across this chart, with a juvenile sound, rhyming with heart.
Prints of this piece are available here.
Strange Brains
This recent piece for The Wall Street Journal accompanies a story called Strange stories of extraordinary brains and what we can learn from them. By studying people with unusual mental conditions, scientists are further able to unravel mysteries of the mind. This assignment had a super tight deadline, so I pulled an all-nighter to get it done. Thanks to art director Manuel Velez for a super fun assignment. You can read the article here. Below are sketches I submitted.
Leonard Cohen
Enough with trade wars and tariffs. America needs more great Canadian imports, like Leonard Cohen. This legendary singer/songwriter, poet, and novelist was born and raised just outside Montreal, Quebec. We lost him last year, but this true artistic spirit's legacy lives on.
Sinead O'Connor
Here's a portrait of Irish singer, Sinead O’Connor. While drawing this piece, I kept contemplating the tragic losses of public figures, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Like many, I kept thinking, how can these people who seemingly have it all, choose to take their lives. There’s a saying, “You don’t know if the roof is leaking unless you’re inside the house”. It’s too bad we can’t see inside the internal landscape of anyone’s psyche. They might be stuck in a dark emotional valley, and don’t have a map for climbing out of it. It’s a good reminder to be kind to others, and stay tapped into our empathy. It might make a difference in their lives.
Mother Earth
This drawing is based on an 8000 year old neolithic fertility figurine, which was unearthed two years ago in Çatalhöyük, Turkey, one of the oldest cities in the world
Martha's Vineyard
Vineyard and vine, encompassed by bluefish and brine.
A piscine emblem framed by the sea, ivy leagues wave at me.
Crosstown traffic hums below, deaf to summer’s calypso.
ink and gauche painted on a map, 35" by 22"
American Educator
This piece for American Educator accompanies a story called Community Schools - A Promising Foundation for Progress. These schools are strategically integrated with their local communities in order to support economically-challenged families. They work with local community centers, health organizations, civic and business leaders to provide families with a safety net beyond the ABC’s of education. These institutions are super valuable in communities which are confronted with poverty. Thanks to art director, Jennifer Berney, for this fantastic project! A big shout out to all my public school teacher friends. Your dedication makes this world a better place!
Needy families are the focus of community schools
Through community schools, many resources are available to needy families.
Princeton Eating Club
This piece for Princeton Alumni Weekly accompanies a story about the university’s famed eating clubs. Change is in the air as 9 of 11 of these clubs now have elected female presidents. Their goal is to make these unique meeting places more diverse, inclusive and safe. A special thanks to art director, Marianne Nelson for this tasty assignment!
American Illustration Winner
I’m honored to have this portrait recognized by the prestigious American Illustration 37. It will be included in their permanent online archive. Thanks to the Jury!
Prints of this portrait of the late great Stephen Hawking are available here!
Riverdale Country School
Here’s a new piece for my friends at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx. This artwork will appear on a greeting card designed for general use by the school. Scenes depicted around the Riverdale “R” show prominent locations on the upper and lower campuses of this idyllic institution. Special thanks to Marie Cappuso for this fun assignment
Here's an alternate version of the card.
Here are sketches I submitted for this project.
Music to Their Brains
Here’s a piece for the University of New Hampshire’s alumni magazine, Connect. It accompanies a story called Music to their Brains. The author describes a study in which people have their brains monitored while they play musical instruments. With this research, scientists are learning how different parts of our brains relate to music. Various lobes are utilized to process hearing, touch, thinking, seeing, etc. With this study, researchers hope to to understand more about how our brains work. They also see potential in using musical performance as therapy for people with brain trauma. A special thanks to Valerie Lester for this stimulating assignment.
Below are ideas I submitted for this project.
Asian Tiger
Bengal hearts beat within a Tiger economy, as moms with balms practice Tiger astrology.
These beautiful creatures play a significant role in many Asian cultures, as a physical, metaphorical and spiritual presence. Signed prints are available here!
Bob Dylan
He emerged from the land of ten thousand lakes, with poetry tapped from the deepest of waters. His name is Bob Dylan.
A Busker from Saskatoon
Joni Mitchell started out as a busker from Saskatoon, and became one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Prints of this piece are available here!
Spaghetti Western
You effortlessly traverse the topography of both tumbleweeds and Tinseltown. How ironic to give a face to the American West, when your name is Clint Eastwood.
Egyptian Mau
Here's a portrait of an Egyptian Mau. These rare and beautiful cats are as mysterious as the country which is their namesake. Prints of this piece are available here!
Vigil Honoring Victims of Gun Violence
This sketch may be rain soaked, but bad weather didn’t stop a wonderful crowd from standing in vigil to honor students and teachers killed by gun violence. If we're really a civilized society, we've got to value Public Safety over gun rights!