Thanks to everyone who came out to my reception at Solaire on Friday. Had a great time. Saw some old friends and made a couple of new friends.

Mapping the Dreamer Fields. Acrylic on canvas, 24"x24"

The Oswald opening was not without some drama. Shortly after I arrived at the reception the owner of the restaurant informed me that Mapping the Dreamer Fields (pictured above) had been stolen the night before. The painting had been hung in the women's restroom.

This created quite a buzz at the reception and my feelings were pretty mixed up. Was this an honor? An outrage?

After the reception, I had dinner with friends and family and as we were leaving an employee walked in with the painting. It had been tucked away, behind a curtain, near the rear door of the restaurant. Employees all had been back there, so, it appears the painting did not fit in with the thief's decor and was returned.

I had mixed feelings about the theft and mixed feelings about its return. My wife reminded me that one of the reasons the Mona Lisa became so iconic and famous was that it had been stolen and returned. So, on a minuscule level, I guess this is my Mona Lisa.

The Oswald staff was professional all the way. My show was the 104th show at the restaurant and they had never had an incident like this. Oswald is one of the best venues in Santa Cruz to show art. AND, it is a fantastic restaurant.

I questioned even writing about the theft, but everyone at the reception left with the impression that the painting had been stolen. Please spread the word that the painting was recovered. Thanks!

Thought I would share the inspiration for the pose in my latest painting. The model emulated the pose from this Jack Kirby illustration I found online. Like so much of Kirby's work, the pose is striking and powerful.