The Palms of L.A. Study 1, 2022, Oil on paper

I have always been drawn to the older, more dilapidated parts of Los Angeles. My partner used to live near King Boulevard and Western Avenue. For about thirteen years, I frequented the neighborhoods around there. When we would drive by the intersection of Arlington and Slauson, I would always marvel at the amazing number of palm trees I could see from there. Like so many things here, the ubiquitous palm trees are not native. Yet, take them away and it wouldn't be the same place; they add something unique and they are part of Los Angeles' special character.

RD on the Lake, 2018, Oil on canvas board

Echo Park Lake has always been a gathering place. I have been painting there for over thirty years. The setting is spectacular; a lake surrounded by a colonnade of giant palm trees flanked by the hills of old Echo Park with the modern skyline of downtown Los Angeles in the distance. Walking around Echo Park Lake, especially in the golden light of late afternoon, one witnesses the full spectrum of people who live in Los Angeles (and then some). If Los Angeles had a piazza or main plaza, this would be it.

Material Madonna, 2017, Oil on canvas board

Being raised in a close-knit Italian American family, I have always been inspired by the artistic heritage of my ancestors, specifically, the era of the Italian Renaissance. “Material Madonna” developed from a candid photo I took of my sister and her first baby sitting in my studio. When I saw the shot, I immediately I thought of the “Madonna and Child” that I had seen so many times in Renaissance paintings. This is a modern version of the theme. My sister has her sunglasses tucked into her hair and she is surrounded by studio bric-a-brac, including a pile of fabric remnants. “Material Madonna!”