Hillel

Man, you've got sure a consistent outpouring of material in terms of discussions and and critiques. I really enjoy reading them.By the way, I very much enjoy these images of the grappling men.This one in particular has a very humbling, pathetic thing going on with these guys. I feel you've restrained yourself from breaking up the forms here and I really think it works, the psychology all being suggested in the pitiful moment. The light is really nice too.I really dig these images you have of the small groupings of figures within the hopper-like stages.When you break and contort the images you do so so satisfyingly in these.I hope I can see them in person sometime.

P

Thanks very much for the compliment and comments Pat. These paintings of the struggling figures were a real "struggle" for me as I had to go against all my instincts, habits and sensibilities to find some kind of resolve because the images in my mind were so very clear and and all I could do was pursue them. They were never entirely successful, nothing ever is but in some kind of way I think they're about the best things I ever did. Most of the larger ones including this one are still in my possession so if you ever get out east to Toronto I'd be honoured to show them to you.

Patrick, I recommend that you take him up on that offer, if you can. Last year we managed to persuade him to come to Sicily (for which he's been cussing me ever since) with a few of his recent smaller paintings (of the rabbi series). Only seeing them in real life do you notice the delicacy of how he applies his paint, the confidence with odd colour combinations (that work), along with the boldness of the image combine to make something really visually special. I guarantee they'll stick in your painter's mind for long afterwards.

"Managed to persuade me to come to Sicily." Hey I'm a big boy, nobody can force me to do anything I don't want to anymore. The thing is Patrick, if you stick around this site a little bit you may find that like myself you start feeling close to certain people. Given the opportunity to meet them in the flesh, even though you know it makes absolutely no sense and there's no practical validation you just can't refuse and the reason for this may sound silly but really it shouldn't, people, simply become very fond of one another on AP. That being said JP's effusive comments about my work are beyond the pale in terms of complete Irish bullshite but I thank him anyway.