DECEMBER 26, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

Ultimately, the greatest
work of art we can create
is the composition of our
own life.

DECEMBER 19, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

The miracle of photography
is that a moment of sincerity
with another human being
can lead to an eternity of
vulnerability.

DECEMBER 12, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

When I was in Mandalay, I spent time
with a monk named Khamavudha.
His community invited me to share meals,
meditate, and walk with them.
He asked when I was going to
take the precepts and become a monk.
I assumed he was joking and I laughed.
After being asked a few more times,
I realized he was serious and I explained that
I was not ready to renounce being with women.
He never asked again, and he continued to
invite me to share meals, meditate, and walk.
That's what I love about Buddhism.

DECEMBER 5, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

God bless the Musicians.
Their songs enrich
the soul of humanity.

NOVEMBER 28, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

When I make a portrait, I look for the
poetry of the moment to surface.
That part of the individual that
radiates, that knows what's goin' on —
The challenge is to celebrate the part
of my sitter's spirit that is impeccably
in tune and flowing with life.
It is like going into a dark room
and turning on the lights.
Where did the damn darkness go?
Was there really any darkness to begin with?

NOVEMBER 21, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

Evelyn Ashford is a rare five-time Olympian
(1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992).
This artwork is part of a series commissioned
by the United States Olympic Committee.

NOVEMBER 14, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

The music in Cuba is of the highest quality
everywhere you go. My first night in Havana
I was exploring the vibrant streets
and I heard the most beautiful music
coming from a club called "The Palermo."
I went in and the ladies were all smiling at me.
I felt like Antonio Banderas.
Then I hung out with the band, made a
portrait of the saxophonist, drank some rum,
and smoked a cigar. I looked around and
noticed that the ladies were all over everyone.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that not
only was I in a brothel, the brothel I was in
had the best live music in the world.

NOVEMBER 7, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
recently declared that Israel is a
"disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped
off the map."

I just want to know
how so many idiots become
President?

OCTOBER 31, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

For every image that I call a success,
there are many that are not.
A successful picture is a mixture of
hope, luck, magic, persistence, skill,
and an occasional wave of desperation.
The professional simply learns how
to manipulate these six ingredients —
kind of like Taco Bell does.

OCTOBER 24, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

There was a dahlia that I fell in love with.
She was of such immense, unique beauty,
I could not take my eyes off of her.
Just looking at her made me happy.
There could never again be a flower
like this one and it saddened me to imagine
that soon she would be gone.
With this in mind —
I made her portrait, leaned it up next to
the flower, watched one die, and kept
her forever.

OCTOBER 17, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

When I am President,
my speeches will include
images celebrating citizens
throughout the world.
Magical people everywhere —
from Afghanistan to Indonesia,
North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, Israel,
Germany, America, Japan
and Sudan.........

OCTOBER 10, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

I walked by the Partagas Cigar Factory
five times a day for one month,
looking for the perfect car to compliment
this very La Habana-esque scene.
It was a Sunday morning, I had given up
and I was on my way to the airport in a taxi,
when I realized I was sitting in the car
I had been searching for all along.

OCTOBER 3, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

The collective life span of one image
has the potential to reach toward infinity.
That is why it is worth waiting days
for what I had been dreaming of
to appear.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

How long does it take to make one picture?
Since I was born in 1970 —
Thirty-five years and a few hours.
Thirty-five years to experience
the spectrum of life's emotions.
A few hours to will that emotion
onto a surface using technique and skill
acquired along the way.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

A disaster makes it obvious
that underneath it all
our true nature is to care.

[Thank you for supporting the Katrina victims through the sale of "Big Easy Cigar Bar." $14,000 has been raised so far.]

SEPTEMBER 12, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

The remarkable thing about us
is that we always pick up the pieces
and move forward.

[Thank you for supporting the Katrina victims through the sale of "Big Easy Cigar Bar." $8000 has been raised so far.]

SEPTEMBER 6, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

I have created a 'Hurricane Relief Edition' of "Big Easy Cigar Bar." 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Each 10"x10" print will be signed and personally inscribed with a note of gratitude for helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The print is being offered for $100. My studio will pay the shipping. Proceeds will be donated to the following: HurricaneHousing.org, The Humane Society Hurricane Relief for Animals, and MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund.

AUGUST 29, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

When it comes to photographing women,
my thought has always been,
if I could only create something
that feels like a Pablo Neruda poem,
then, maybe, I'd be getting somewhere.

AUGUST 22, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

If Hitler was still alive,
I'd send him this one,
free of charge,
to decorate his jail cell.
(shipping not included)

AUGUST 15, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

Picasso said it best when he stated,
"Each picture is a phial with my blood.
That is what has gone into it."
However, I do believe he underestimated
the potency of his blood,
as I have received countless transfusions
from his work over the years.

AUGUST 8, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

The work of the artist
is an exploration to see and feel life
with lucid vision and a pure heart —
so much so, that the art has no choice
but to be exciting, unique,
powerful and sensual.
Actually, the artist is simply
making detailed notes
of what already is.

AUGUST 1, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

What greater miracle
than those who make music
with their hands and their heart?

JULY 25, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

My work is about emotions
for which I have no words.

JULY 18, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

Last night I dreamed I had a daughter.
After seeing images on the news
of the London bombings, she asked,
"What happened to that bus?
Why are all those people so bloody?"
I thought about it for a long time
and I couldn't come up with an answer.

JULY 11, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

When I was a student at the art academy,
our education tended towards balance,
harmony, order, the observation of nature,
and the poetry of everyday life.
If only our leaders were required
to receive such an education.

JULY 5, 2005 PIECE OF THE WEEK (PDF)

Often, a work of art is simply
the manifestation of a dream or memory.
I had been thinking of this piece
for three years before it was born.
As an artist, there is nothing more liberating
than allowing a vision
from the depths of my soul
to fluidly emerge like a river
from the unknown to the known.