“There are places I remember, all my life, though some have changed…all these places have their moments…I loved them all.”, so the song goes. And so does my art.  It is all hands on deck for me these days as I prepare 7 new canvases for a show this July. In this show, I am paying tribute to the beauty that my eyes have touched and my soul has sensed in my travels. Each painting takes me back to that unique moment when my subjects caught my eye and moved me to capture both life and light. As I travel back through time, all that had once been faded memories are alive again, each one clear and crisp, as though on them the dust of time or the mist of parting had never settled. The ritual of preparing pigments and studying subject photographs just before marrying pigment to canvas with my brush makes me realize how the seemingly ordinary gains meaning when our soul is engaged and our eyes perceive consciously, even if only for a moment.  To be seen for our souls is to be valued for who we are in our hearts. Too often do we see, but we seldom see consciously.   This is why they say the essential is invisible to the eye.  As each canvas is finished, I hope to share the work and their respective backstories —- all that I saw and all that it has made me feel and understand, about life so far.  It is impossible not to have a backstory.  Backstories are the essence of my art,  and my daily reality of joys and struggles are their basic rudiments. Here is one of them. The work below entitled, “Measure In Love”,  was done in February 2013 as a memento for celebrating a decade of friendship with my closest friends.  One chair for each friend who has taught me to measure my life in love.  Indeed, there are many ways to measure our lives — too often we measure by what we have taken and acquired for ourselves.  We forget too easily that deep down, our hearts long for  the joy of giving, of giving freely and from the heart.  This painting is for all of us whose lives have been enriched by the power of friendship and measured in love.  Enjoy!