mixed media collage with oils on panel
44" H x 66" W

"The King Star" - Also known as the constellation Leo, one of the zodiac constellations. In Greek Mythology, Leo was identified as the Nemean Lion which was killed by Hercules during the first of his twelve labours. The Nemean Lion would take women as hostages to its lair in a cave, luring warriors from nearby towns to save the damsel in distress, to their misfortune. The Lion was impervious to any weaponry; thus, the warriors' clubs, swords, and spears were rendered useless against it. Realizing that he must defeat the Lion with his bare hands. Hercules slipped into the Lion's cave and engaged it at close quarters. When the Lion pounced, Hercules caught it in midair, one hand grasping the Lion's forelegs and the other its hind legs, and bent it backwards, breaking its back and freeing the trapped maidens. Zeus commemorated this labor by placing the Lion in the sky. The bright start Regulus was known as "the star that stands at the Lion's breast." Regulus also had distinctly regal associations, as it was known as the King Star. 

mixed media collage with oils on panel
30" H x 40" W

In other words "cancer" it is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. In Greek mythology it is associated with one of the Twelve Labors of Hercules. In which Hercules battled the multi-headed Hydra. Hera had sent Karkinos to distract Hercules and put him at a disadvantage during the battle, but Hercules quickly dispatched the crab by kicking it with such force that it was propelled into the sky. Where Hera awarded it a place among the stars for its valiant effort. 

mixed media collage with oils on panel
44" H x 66" W

The White Tiger is one of the four symbols of the Chinese constellations. In Chinese culture, the tiger is the king of the beasts. According to legend, the tiger's tail would turn white when it reached the age of 500 years. In this way, the white tiger became a kind of mythological creature. It was said that the white tiger would only appear when the emperor ruled with absolute virtue, or if there was peace throughout the world. Because the color white also represents the west, the white tiger became a mythological guardian of the west. 

mixed media collage with oils on panel
44" H x 66" W

"Monoceros" - the Unicorn constellation, is a faint constellation on the celestial equator. Historically it has been noted in astrological logs of 1564 as "the second horse between the Twins and the Crab which has many stars, but is not very bright". 

mixed media collage with oils on panel
44" H x 66" W

Based on the Lepus "Rabbit" constellation. Also one of the 48 constellations found by Ptolemy. The constellation is also associated with some lunar mythology, including the moon rabbit. There are a fair number of bright stars, both single and double, in Lepus, representing a myriad of rabbits populating the sky. 

mixed media collage with oils on panel
diptych, each panel 40" H x 30" W

Otherwise know as "Pisces" another constellation in the zodiac. Pisces is associated with Aphrodite and Eros, who escaped from the monster Typhon by leaping into the sea and transforming themselves into fish. In order not to lose each other, they tied themselves together with rope. In the first millennium BC texts known as the Astronomical Diaries, part of this constellation was called Du.Nu.Nu, which means "the fish cord or ribbon".

mixed media collage with oils on panel
66" H x 44" W

"Ophiuchus" - The Octopus Constellation, also known as the 13th sign of the zodiac. Originating from Babylonian astronomy, which represented Nirah, a serpent-god who was sometimes depicted with his upper half human with serpents for legs, which was believed to represent an Octopus, with their intelligence and their many different individual arms. 

mixed media collage with oils on panel
66" H x 44" W

"Serpens" - Otherwise known as the Serpent. Also one of the 48 constellations found by Ptolemy. In Greek mythology, Serpens represented the snake held by the healer Asclepius. Asclepius once killed a snake, but the animal was subsequently resurrected after a second snake placed a revival herb on it before its death. As snakes shed their skin every year, they were know as the symbol of rebirth in ancient Greek society, and legend says Asclepius would revive dead humans using the same technique he witnessed. Although this is likely the logic for Serpen's presence with Asclepius, the true reason is still not full known. In many more recent constellations Serpens is depicted alone.

mixed media collage with oils on panel
66" H x 44" W

"San-en"- The year of the monkey originated from the Chinese Zodiac, for those typically born in January or February. The monkey emblem later heavily influenced Japanese lore. Particularly when it came to Buddhism and the three monkeys San-en, which represented "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil"

mixed media collage with oils on panel
40" H x 30" W

The Black Tortoise or the Black Warrior" is one of the Four symbols of the chinese Constellations. The legend goes that Xuanwu was a king of the north and he had two generals serving under him, a "Tortoise General" and a "Snake General". Xuanwu sought to study and achieve enlightenment and divine status, he was told that, in order to fully achieve divinity, he must purge all human flesh from his body. Since he had always eaten the food of the world, his stomach and intestines were still human. A god then came and changed his organs with diving ones. Once removed, the original stomach and intestines were said to have become a tortoise and a snake. The tortoise and snake became demons and terrorized people. Now divine, Zuanwu heard of this and returned to slay the monsters he had unleased on the countryside. However, as the snake and tortoise showed remorse, he did not kill them but instead let them train under him to atone for their wrongdoings. They then became the Tortoise and Snake generals and assisted Zuanwu with his quests. The ancients also believed that there were no male tortoises, and  so the female tortoise and to make with a snake. Thus the tortoise embracing a snake became the protector symbol of the north, but since the word "tortoise" was taboo in Chinese, it was referred to as the "dark warrior", one of the four protector gods of the four directions. 

mixed media collage with oils on panel
40" H x 30" W

It is the swan constellation, it is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations, lying within the plane of the milky way. It also contains Deneb, one of the brightest stars in the night. The tragic greek story is about two brothers, one Phaethon, the son of Helios the sun god, who demanded to ride his father's sun chariot for a day. Phaethon, however was unable to control the reins, forcing Zeus to destroy the chariot (and Phaethon) with a thunderbolt, causing it to plummet to the earth into the river Eridanus. According to the myth, Phaethon's brother, Cycnus, grieved bitterly and spent many days diving into the river to collect Phaethon's bones to give him a proper burial. The gods were so touched by Cycnus's devotion to his brother that they turned him to a swan and placed him among the stars. 

mixed media collage with oils on panel
40" H x 30" W

In Greek myth, in which a beautiful princess of Argos by the name of Lo, was lusted after by Zeus. Zeus changed lo into a heifer to deceive his wife (and sister) Hera and couple with her. Hera saw through Zeus's scheme and asked for the heifer as a gift. Zeus, unable to refuse such a reasonable request, reluctantly gave the heifer to Hera, who promptly banished Lo and arranged for Argus Panoptes, a creature with one hundred eyes, to guard the now pregnant Lo from Zeus. Meanwhile, Zeus entreated Hermes to save Lo; Hermes used music to lull Argus Panoptes to sleep, then slew him. Hera ended up adorning the tail of a peacock, her favorite bird, with Argus's eyes in his honer. 

mixed media on panel
44" H x 66" W

The landscapes are memories of my time visiting my bio-dad when he lived in Alaska, and how the sky in the night was lit up by the Aurora Borealis, transforming the forest.

mixed media collage with oils on panel
66" H x 44" W

The landscapes are memories of my time visiting my bio-dad when he lived in Alaska, and how the sky in the night was lit up by the Aurora Borealis, transforming the forest.

mixed media collage with oils on panel
24" H x 24" W

The landscapes are memories of my time visiting my bio-dad when he lived in Alaska, and how the sky in the night was lit up by the Aurora Borealis, transforming the forest.

mixed media collage with oils on panel
30" H x 40" W

"The Great Dog" - Canis Major is also one of Ptolemy's 48 constellations. In Greek mythology, canis major has many iterations. It is sometimes known as the dog Laelaps, a gift from Zeus to Europa, or sometimes it is referred to as the hound of Procris, Diana's nymph; or the one given by Aurora to Cephalus, so famed for its speed that Zeus elevated it to the sky. It was also considered to represent one of Orion's hunting dogs, pursuing Lepus the Hare or helping Orion fight Taurus the bull; and is referred to in this way by Aratos, Homer, and Hesiod. 

mixed media on paper (framed)
44" H x 50 " W (includes frame)

mixed media collage with oil on panel (framed)
46" Hx 68" W including frame

The Bake-kujira (literally "ghost whale") is a mythical Japanese yokai from western Japan. It is supposedly a large ghostly skeleton whale and is said to be accompanied by strange birds and fish.

mixed media collage with oils on panel (framed)
68" H x 46" W (includes frame)

Jorogumo is the spider woman yokai. She has the face of a beautiful woman, but is really a spider. The name Jorogumo, literally means "the binding bride" or "whore spider" depending on the translation. She would trick those into falling for her beauty to ultimately eat them, but I also thought it was a very interesting story, that beauty propels people to ignore one's true nature.

mixed media collage with oils on canvas (framed)
68" H x 46" W (including frame)