Chairs

Rancho de la Luna Chairs Series, reverse collage, mixed media on plexi, 5”x5” each

Recently I got a look at the Richard Diebenkorn exhibit at the de Young.  One of the things I was reminded of is the way many of the Bay Area Figurative Painters often included and mastered chairs in their work.  I think it was probably Elmer Bischoff that taught me to love paintings of chairs.  Ironically, I eventually worked for years in the world of interior design and custom furniture – yes, it was all about chairs.  Even earlier in San Francisco, when I was trapped in an office, one of the bright spots was working for an art collector and, as boring as my day could be, I got to sit next to a big portrait of a chair by Raimonds Staprans.  That chair kept me sane.

Inevitably I would have to paint some chairs myself.  These four little chairs were painted onto the backs of plexiglas as part of a series of reverse collages.  The chairs were all done at a friend’s home known as the Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree, California.  The pieces are 15 years old now, but they remain some of my personal favorites.