10 Fine Examples. The artwork of Michael Alan.

Artist website.

Happy Birthday, Norman Rockwell.

Norman Rockwell was born today in 1894. Rockwell is truly the master of capturing Americana in its purest form.
His vision of the American family, sports, and everyday life was envisioned in over 4000 works that he made over the course
of his prolific career. He is best known as the cover artist for the Saturday Evening Post.

Happy Birthday, Norman Rockwell and thank you for your contribution to the art world.

The collage artwork of Jonathan Talbot.

Years ago, when I started experimenting with collage, I purchased special paper made for collage at an art store in Portland, Oregon. After I moved away from Portland I could not find it at my local art store so I contacted the maker to buy direct. The maker of the paper is also an artist with whom I have been buying from for the last 8 years. We have become internet art friends and are always looking for ways to improve our processes by sharing our discoveries.

Jonathan Talbot's artwork has been exhibited practically everywhere in the world including the Museum of Modern Art and the National Academy. Jonathan is a multi-disciplined artist that has been focusing on collage for many years. Below is his latest pieces that are based on a Marcel Duchamp study titled "La mariée mise à nu par ses célibataires, même" (The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even), often referred to, in English, as “The Large Glass.”

In this series of collages the bachelors have been "unmolded" and can be seen as real people from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the period during which they took first form in Duchamp’s mind.

My favorite piece is definitely "The Bachelors Visit New York" with the humorous modern day police officer thrown into the composition for dramatic effect.

You can see more of Jonathan's work here.


The Duchamp Study for the "Bachelors" portion of "La mariée mise à nu par ses célibataires, même."


"The Bachelors visit New York" 11 1/4" x 13 1/2"


"The Bachelors meet the Venus de Milo" 9 1/8" x 13 1/2"


"The Stationmaster, the Priest, the Undertaker, and the Delivery Boy Visit Palmyra" 9 1/8" x 13 1/2"


"The Loneliness of the Busboy" 9 1/8" x 13 1/2"


"The Loneliness of the Busboy Resolved" 9 1/8" x 13 1/2"


"The Arrival of the Gendarme and the Undertaker" 9 1/8" x 13 1/2"

David Buckingham Studio, Los Angeles.

A few months back me and the wife took a trip up to Boston to see Jeff Schaller's show opening at Kidder Smith Gallery. We are both big fans of Jeff's work and have traded some pieces in the past. The next day we stopped by the gallery to have a second look at the work and Erika (Gallery director) was nice enough to show us the back room which houses their back stock of works. They had just received a beautiful piece by David Buckingham named "6055 Sunset Boulevard" which was constructed from cut steel taken from old, rusted cars in the Mojave Desert. This piece left a huge impact on me so I searched out his site to see his other work and I was not let down.

Buckingham's work employs the use of language. He uses famous quotes from movies, famous guns from television and infamous guns from history and statistical charts but constructs them out of old road signs, rusted car parts and industrial metal scraps. He is a welder, No paint is ever used in his work.

You can also see Buckingham's work here and here.












Failure To Communicate


Penal Code


Son Of Sam


Mark David Chapman


Officer Christine Labriola

The Artwork Of Robert Smith

While doing research on several artists I came across the work of Robert Smith. I felt an instant connection to his work because of his view of Americana and Route 66 culture. There is a calmness to his art that resonates with me. I am particularly drawn to his paintings of neon signs but not for the obvious reason that I am a fan of vintage neon. He takes them out of context by focusing only on certain parts of the sign. Smith gives the viewer just enough information to let you know what you are looking at but not all of the details. He concentrates on color. You can see the years of weathering from harsh sunlight. You can see the faded paint and the neon tubing. In "Americana" there are only a few bulbs left in the arrow of the sign indicating that it is in disrepair. One aspect that I appreciate is that he shows you neon in the daytime. I find it to be just as powerful as when it is lit in the dark night. Smiths themes bring back an Americana of yesteryear. A simpler time that we seem very nostalgic about in this current day and age. You can see more of his work here. You can buy prints of his work here and his blog.

The Artwork Of Linden Frederick

I was fortunate enough to catch Linden Frederick's latest show at Forum Gallery in Manhattan. These particular works were smaller than he has done in the past but they were just as powerful as his larger artwork. The pieces were hung equidistance from one another in a line around the entire gallery space. 50 in total. All of the works were 12" x 12" with a 4" black stained frame. Frederick's work is breathtaking. He paints the mundane objects that exist in rural America and makes them beautiful. He captures the light just right. It is reminiscent of Edward Hopper.

My favorite piece in the show was "Seagull Motel" which is the top image in the post. The lights seemed to glow perfect in the time of day. There are no humans and no signs of movement. It has an air of tranquility and a certain peaceful quality.

You can see his work here and here.