And here is my winning entry in Virginia Beach Arts’ “Fabulous Forgeries” contest! The task was to create art that clearly and lovingly re-creates a well-known or otherwise recognizable artwork. I riffed off Edward Hopper because, well…Edward Hopper (my hero). Called “Chesapeake City Park Train Car,” this shot was taken a year before the contest ..read more

My first work of short-form writing, THE METEOR SYMPHONY, has just been released! It’s my twelfth book. It includes: 11 short stories – 18 poems – 14 works of microfiction I started writing this about a year ago. The seeds of it came from two short stories about jazz, which made Honorable Mention and were ..read more

New acquisition, another bridge painting! I call it “High Archway Bridge.” Signed by L. or Z. Dillard, this is a small one, 12 x 15 1/2, with sweet, precise line work and a great sense of division of place: country vs. city. Do you see an apartment building beyond the bridge, a large estate, or ..read more

What drew me to this painting? There is a vibe I’m going for when I look to buy art, but not all the art I’m drawn to looks the same. The vibe is mystery, solitude, loneliness. You might also call it liminal, though the execution has far too many details for me to consider it ..read more

What started out as my fourth novel has become a compilation of short stories on music, essays on life lessons, silly poetry, and short bursts of ideas by a person who is perpetually curious about the world. My upcoming book, The Meteor Symphony: Stories, Poems, and Essays, has been in the works for over a ..read more

New nonfiction book coming next year. Can you guess what it's about ..read more

Thrifting is an occasional indulgence of mine and the newest addition to my collection has brought me a lot of enjoyment. The painting above (sold on shopgoodwill.com) was billed as “Artist Acrylic Painting of Buildings & Landscape” but I like my new title better: “American Ghost Town.” The thing is, this painting was listed for ..read more

Recently, I bought a few paintings at an online auction. I’ve spent $9.99 + shipping for each one. Let’s talk about the artwork shown above. What attracted me to this painting (we’ll get to the artist shortly) is the mid-century look, the brush strokes, the colors, the block forms, and the subject matter. It’s an eerie place to be living, that’s for sure; and check out the human interchange in miniature under the tree by the squat, school bus-yellow building. An artist is painting a woman en plein air. He doesn’t seem to be too focused on the ocean (or bay?) around him or even the clouds that ..read more

I don’t play poker, but if I did, I would use card metaphors all the time. Recently, however, it occurred to me that winning a contest or getting your work in a gallery or other venue is down to creating something beautiful and/or evocative, technically well done…and luck. Like having a king or ace high. Games on the Bed A local gallery put out a call for artists, and since this is what I’ve been focusing on, I read the fine print. Or tried to. The post was on Facebook and the owner of the gallery had her contact info with a list of the artists that would be considered. Among them, painters, s ..read more

Among the lush landscapes and seascapes that Virginia-based artist Rick Seguso paints, there are also the jazz musicians. His portraits (including Miles Davis, above; Dexter Gordon, below; and other personalities like Jerry Garcia, BB King, Bob Dylan, etc.) communicate flow and movement with an appreciation of the dignity of those who create art. Some paintings are monochrome, others full of vibrant colors. But all of them have a recognizable style in their clarity, high contrast, and sophisticated detail. What goes into your decision to paint a particular portrait, especially a musician? Usua ..read more