Simple Tastes

Original acrylic on board
Image: 10.5″ x 32″
Framed: 18.5″ x 40″
$24,000

Giclee Print on Mounted Canvas
Edition of 300 S/N
Image: 10.5″ x 32″
$300

Limited Edition Print
Edition of 950 S/N
Image: 10.5″ x 32″
Overall: 15.5″ x 36″
$100

75 Artist Proofs available with original watercolor remarques.
$250

In my constant search for new and interesting subject matter, I have been down many roads, both literally and figuratively. In the early days, over thirty years ago, I painted as many barns and old mills as I could find. Some of my happiest days were spent climbing around in abandoned mills, barns and old houses. Then I found in my mother’s garage an old decoy that had been given to me as a child, and for many years my paintings were all about decoys and hunting and fishing. Then I got into sports memorabilia, which was a natural thing because my grandfather had been a ball player and I am fortunate enough to have a lot of his memorabilia. My subjects were baseball, golf, tennis, fly-fishing and even billiards. All of the antiques I collected and borrowed from friends found their way into my still life paintings.

Recently I started collecting antique corkscrews. These would be the flea market variety, not the $15,000 museum pieces from the 1800’s. I did some small, simple composition paintings of one or two of the funkier corkscrews I bought. Then, I decided to add variety to the compositions by including colorful or interesting wine labels. Eventually a major painting evolved.

The title, “Simple Tastes,” is, of course tongue-in-cheek. While the corkscrews in the painting may be simple, the wines pictured are not. They are, arguably, among the finest wines in the world. All French, they represent some of the finest Chateaux and their best vintages. One obvious exception (which has been pointed out to me numerous times by wine “experts” (I already KNEW it)) is the 1973 Mouton Rothschild, which was not one of Mouton’s better vintages, and serious wine drinkers actually poured the wine into the sink, but the Picasso label makes the bottle itself something of a collector’s item.

“Simple Tastes” took just under three months to complete and was incredibly tedious at times. During those times I probably would not have poured that Mouton ’73 into the sink; I would have consumed it. The painting has gotten great response. I am pleased to share it with you here.