The Women, 2019
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Women have always held a major place in my life; My mother, obviously, and then a lifetime of meaningful relationships with friends, colleagues, and family. My career as a jewelry designer further situated me in a predominantly female world. All as one would expect, and yet somehow enhanced, deep, and very special.
With so much female energy around me, in the art studio I needed to talk about the masculine in my life--as a gay man I craved the space to explore that dynamic. But after my 2013 show at James Oliver Gallery, The Making of a Modern Man, I looked around, I looked inside, and I realized that I could not continue to segregate the rest of my life from my art; and my life was calling out for a celebration of the women in it~
A protocol for the portraits was next; arriving at a collaborative model was the pivotal moment that allowed the series to emerge in an authentic way. At that point I quickly jotted down a list of 20 women. Additionally, over the last six years, a half dozen new, meaningful relationships have emerged. The hardest decision of all was to split the body of work in half, due to practical considerations of space and time. So this show is Part 1, comprising 17 portraits. Stay tuned for Part 2, equally meaningful to me and in the works... -
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Portrait of Gavi W., 2014
37 x 68 x 30"
Capturing my niece at the magical age of 12, aging out of Disney princesses and into Katy Perry, electric guitar, and karate. Shown holding Carla, her beloved Brown Bear's "East Coast cousin."
When I recently asked if she would like to add anything to update her portrait, Gavi thought hard and said, 'Uncle Johnny, we'd just have to start over; I've changed so much!'. Thus, this is very much a time capsule, and perhaps we'll need to create a follow-up piece for Part 2 of the show. -
Portrait of Gavi W., 2014
37 x 68 x 30"
Capturing my niece at the magical age of 12, aging out of Disney princesses and into Katy Perry, electric guitar, and karate. Shown holding Carla, her beloved Brown Bear's "East Coast cousin."
When I recently asked if she would like to add anything to update her portrait, Gavi thought hard and said, 'Uncle Johnny, we'd just have to start over; I've changed so much!'. Thus, this is very much a time capsule, and perhaps we'll need to create a follow-up piece for Part 2 of the show. -
Portrait of Laura B., 2015
66 x 60 x 8"
Laura's life story spans five cities, as suggested by a vintage map (her hometown of Baltimore even includes her high school boyfriend's varsity jacket!}
Finding an exuberant bust that captured her larger-than-life personality was a coup; the fact that the line included a dog mannequin that matched her beloved Brownie was the icing on the cake! -
Portrait of Laura B., 2015
66 x 60 x 8"
Laura's life story spans five cities, as suggested by a vintage map (her hometown of Baltimore even includes her high school boyfriend's varsity jacket!}
Finding an exuberant bust that captured her larger-than-life personality was a coup; the fact that the line included a dog mannequin that matched her beloved Brownie was the icing on the cake! -
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Portrait of Dina W., 2014
60 x 114 x 26"
My mother showed me how to be an artist; her own lifelong practice was serious and thoughtful, and she did it because she just had to. Watching her integrate art with other passions and responsibilities was equally inspiring. Her portrait, housed in the steel locker where she stored her welding gear, is an altar of sorts, from it's triptych form to the golden halo framing her head. I packed in her love of our family, of the United States and of Israel where we are from, of fashion and style, travel, history, politics, civic engagement, tennis, and of course, every kind of art.
We worked on her portrait together over the final 6 months of her life, until she died from ovarian cancer at age 76. Her final words on our project were that when the time came, I should upgrade the shoes included in the piece, picking favorites from her closet. And so I did ~ -
Portrait of Dina W., 2014
60 x 114 x 26"
My mother showed me how to be an artist; her own lifelong practice was serious and thoughtful, and she did it because she just had to. Watching her integrate art with other passions and responsibilities was equally inspiring. Her portrait, housed in the steel locker where she stored her welding gear, is an altar of sorts, from it's triptych form to the golden halo framing her head. I packed in her love of our family, of the United States and of Israel where we are from, of fashion and style, travel, history, politics, civic engagement, tennis, and of course, every kind of art.
We worked on her portrait together over the final 6 months of her life, until she died from ovarian cancer at age 76. Her final words on our project were that when the time came, I should upgrade the shoes included in the piece, picking favorites from her closet. And so I did ~ -
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Portrait of Jenni B., 2014
24 x 84 x 24"
When she came to see her portrait mid-way through the process, my fun-loving friend Jenni agreed that what was there was all true - the boa, glitz, souvenirs of our adventure together at Trinidad carnival; but what was missing was the substance. We then went through her library and added a literal symbolic foundation of authors, ideas, and stories that helped shape the confident and multi-faceted woman that she is. -
Portrait of Lynn R., 2014
24 x 93 x 24"
When I approached Lynn about her portrait, she was just confronting a painful marital separation. This raised fundamental questions for her about her identity, and while I offered to put it off, she ultimately decided to use our collaboration as a way to help figure things out. Flags representing her heritage... holiday swag inspired by her Halloween birthday... childhood books and a bud vase from college...vintage scarves and handbags that she enjoys collecting... objects referencing her 7 year old son... the portrait helped her remember who she was just when she needed it most. -
Portrait of Lynn R., 2014
24 x 93 x 24"
When I approached Lynn about her portrait, she was just confronting a painful marital separation. This raised fundamental questions for her about her identity, and while I offered to put it off, she ultimately decided to use our collaboration as a way to help figure things out. Flags representing her heritage... holiday swag inspired by her Halloween birthday... childhood books and a bud vase from college...vintage scarves and handbags that she enjoys collecting... objects referencing her 7 year old son... the portrait helped her remember who she was just when she needed it most. -
Portrait of Kim T., 2014
22x 84 x 22"
Family & friends, serious travel, and meaningful work are the cornerstones of Kim's life, and thus of her portrait as well. Her photos hint at the journeys had on all 7 continents... The boots she hiked Mount Kilimanjaro in are here, along with souvenirs of a life that echo a book also tucked in the portrait: I Married Adventure! -
Portrait of Hilary J., 2014
34 x 96 x 24"
Hilary and I share a love of collecting and of historic cabinets of curiosity. Her portrait is a 21st century interpretation, filled with souvenirs and curiosities from her own maximal life. -
Portrait of Sarah S., 2017
36 x 56 x 44"
The actress sits downstage, reflecting on the play that is her life. Backstage houses the props, costumes, and memories she has collected... -
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Portrait of Sarah S., 2017
36 x 56 x 44"
The actress sits downstage, reflecting on the play that is her life. Backstage houses the props, costumes, and memories she has collected... -
Portrait of Wendy B., 2015
24 x 48 x 24"
Wendy has a very public persona as partner in a beloved Philadelphia bakery, but is simultaneously a very private person. We worked on a portrait that offers clues, but maintains her preferred, modest profile. -
Portrait of Jennifer B., 2019
32 x 110 x 24"
Jennifer's life is a modern whirlwind of fashion, spirituality, family, career, Instagram, girly girl pink and ath-leisure luxe~ -
Portrait of Jennifer B., 2019
32 x 110 x 24"
Jennifer's life is a modern whirlwind of fashion, spirituality, family, career, Instagram, girly girl pink and ath-leisure luxe~ -
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Portrait of Alicia N., 2017
36 x 126 x 18"
Alicia easily checked off a list of objects and themes that matter to her - Ladders, symbolizing constant effort... The octopus, whose multiple tentacles represent the different roles in her life... Latin American street altars echoing her Puerto Rican heritage; Plus, bountiful family photos, fashion accessories, and even her long-time button collection! -
Portrait of Anne L., 2019
70 x 79 x 58"
Anne and I met in our high school art room, and happily reconnected several decades later. Being an artist has always been a major part of her identity, along with being a mom, a rocker, a videographer, and a professor! Her portrait is a distillation of her bohemian home studio, which I really just wanted to transport to the gallery intact... -
Portrait of Anne L., 2019
70 x 79 x 58"
Anne and I met in our high school art room, and happily reconnected several decades later. Being an artist has always been a major part of her identity, along with being a mom, a rocker, a videographer, and a professor! Her portrait is a distillation of her bohemian home studio, which I really just wanted to transport to the gallery intact... -
Portrait of Joan S., 2015
72 x 84 x 48"
"I want my outfit to be outrageous" was Joan's suggestion for her portrait. A fitting request from a woman who has devoted her career to bringing the world's most avant garde and creative (her favorite word) fashion to Philadelphia. She was the first US store to sell my jewelry back in 1984 and we have been kindred spirits ever since. The portrait is a mash up of the public and the private, in the spirit of Joan herself. -
Portrait of Joan S., 2015
72 x 84 x 48"
"I want my outfit to be outrageous" was Joan's suggestion for her portrait. A fitting request from a woman who has devoted her career to bringing the world's most avant garde and creative (her favorite word) fashion to Philadelphia. She was the first US store to sell my jewelry back in 1984 and we have been kindred spirits ever since. The portrait is a mash up of the public and the private, in the spirit of Joan herself. -
Portrait of Joan S., 2015
72 x 84 x 48"
"I want my outfit to be outrageous" was Joan's suggestion for her portrait. A fitting request from a woman who has devoted her career to bringing the world's most avant garde and creative (her favorite word) fashion to Philadelphia. She was the first US store to sell my jewelry back in 1984 and we have been kindred spirits ever since. The portrait is a mash up of the public and the private, in the spirit of Joan herself. -
Portrait of Lauren M., 2018
48 x 48 x 22"
When it came to objects, Lauren's minimalism made the project a little challenging; but when she showed me her Pinterest page for inspiration, we discovered that she already had created a digital self-portrait... She has allowed me to share it in the gallery for the month, situated in a home-office tableau mimicking her own. -
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Portrait of Barbara E., 2019
72 x 108 x 36"
Portrait of an interior designer whose work is anchored in Classicism, with a shot of Led Zeppelin and a passion for all things celestial. Dance video by Pina Bausch. -
Portrait of Barbara E., 2019
72 x 108 x 36"
Portrait of an interior designer whose work is anchored in Classicism, with a shot of Led Zeppelin and a passion for all things celestial. Dance video by Pina Bausch. -
Portrait of Mette L., 2018
24 x 92 x 33"
"I want a portrait that shows me balancing my kids, my work, and my weight," Mette said. The rest was easy... -
Portrait of Jill B., 2015
41 x 96 x 12"
A 'Dear John' letter from Jill captured her personality so well that it became the foundation of her portrait. A fellow artist, she suggested writing the letter with her opposite hand, a warm-up technique she uses to tap into a more free, unconscious state... -
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