"Boy in the Landscape" 1980 Acrylic and mixed materials on a wood panel. 24 x 30 x 1.5 inches.

“Boy in the Landscape” 1980 Acrylic and mixed materials on a wood panel. 24 x 30 x 1.5 inches. Collection of the artist.

One of the first examples of my recognizable style. An amazing early work created while I was still a student at School of Visual Arts in NYC. The three dimensional inset is made of painted wood and museum board. The outer painting is a framed board covered with cut and and painted paper. An experiment with paper collage, I think I was trying to emulate Matisse, but instead created a very original vision. It is also a self portrait, one of very few I have done. The work was a breakthrough for me, and noticed and admired by my teacher and friends. This work launched my art career, when It was shown at my first public show at the SVA gallery on Wooster street in Soho.

Cubist boy among the spiky palms. Dark animals and red birds inhabit the starry landscape.