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What's New!
Current Work
not part of a specific exhibition
Here are my latest paintings of places that I have travelled to recently, either personally or vicariously,
and other subjects that strike me as interesting or fun to paint!
These are available as my gift to those who donate directly
to Hearts & Homes for Refugees or another (mutually agreed upon) nonprofit organization.
Just click on a painting to see the suggested donation amount.
(And check out the "Visions of Home Lands" page on this site to see a few more paintings available for HHR donations!)
For inquiries, please go to Contact
Hidden
Oil, 18x18-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2023.
Available for $500 donation
For decades, the traditional Afghan burqa was considered symbolic of Afghan women’s identity around the world. Made of heavy cloth, it covers the wearer from head to toe. Mesh fabric covers the eyes so that the woman can see but others cannot see the woman inside.
The woman is all but hidden.
Burqas were enforced strictly during the Taliban regime in the late 1990s, and failure to wear one in public could result in severe punishment and public lashings from the Taliban’s “moral police”. After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, some women continued to wear the burqa in adherence to religious and traditional beliefs. Millions of others across the country shed the burqas and began choosing clothing for themselves.
Women’s advocates and religious scholars maintain there’s nothing in the Quran decreeing a covering as restrictive as the burqa. However the Taliban’s extreme interpretation of Islamic teachings was (and is) used to justify enforcement of burqa wearing. Even before the initial Taliban regime, some women wore a burqa for protection against harassment when they went out, especially if they were alone. Sometimes they were ordered to do so — by a husband, a brother, an uncle, a son.
In 2022, the Taliban issued a decree saying all women in the country must cover themselves head to toe. It said: "For all dignified Afghan women, wearing hijab is necessary and the best hijab is chadori (the head-to-toe burqa) which is part of our tradition and is respectful.”
This mandate followed restrictions including prohibiting them from going out without a male guardian, closing schools for girls and more.
In response to this, the father of Malala Yousafzai, the Peace Nobel laureate who has been advocating for girls' education said: "Faces are windows to our souls and personalities. Our faces are our identities. It is our basic human right to show our identities. “
Available for $500 donation
For decades, the traditional Afghan burqa was considered symbolic of Afghan women’s identity around the world. Made of heavy cloth, it covers the wearer from head to toe. Mesh fabric covers the eyes so that the woman can see but others cannot see the woman inside.
The woman is all but hidden.
Burqas were enforced strictly during the Taliban regime in the late 1990s, and failure to wear one in public could result in severe punishment and public lashings from the Taliban’s “moral police”. After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, some women continued to wear the burqa in adherence to religious and traditional beliefs. Millions of others across the country shed the burqas and began choosing clothing for themselves.
Women’s advocates and religious scholars maintain there’s nothing in the Quran decreeing a covering as restrictive as the burqa. However the Taliban’s extreme interpretation of Islamic teachings was (and is) used to justify enforcement of burqa wearing. Even before the initial Taliban regime, some women wore a burqa for protection against harassment when they went out, especially if they were alone. Sometimes they were ordered to do so — by a husband, a brother, an uncle, a son.
In 2022, the Taliban issued a decree saying all women in the country must cover themselves head to toe. It said: "For all dignified Afghan women, wearing hijab is necessary and the best hijab is chadori (the head-to-toe burqa) which is part of our tradition and is respectful.”
This mandate followed restrictions including prohibiting them from going out without a male guardian, closing schools for girls and more.
In response to this, the father of Malala Yousafzai, the Peace Nobel laureate who has been advocating for girls' education said: "Faces are windows to our souls and personalities. Our faces are our identities. It is our basic human right to show our identities. “
Domes of Kyiv
Oil, 12x24-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2022.
Available for $400 donation.
Kyiv’s oldest church was built in 1037 and was named after the famous St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Constantinople. The majestic 13-cupola complex became a place of worship for Kyivites as well as a political and cultural center.
St. Sophia’s interior boasts rich frescoes and mosaics, many of which are still intact after roughly a millennium. Its bell tower, finished in 1752, is 76 m high. The upper Ukrainian Baroque part and gilded cupola were added in 1852.
Now a museum, St Sophia is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Available for $400 donation.
Kyiv’s oldest church was built in 1037 and was named after the famous St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Constantinople. The majestic 13-cupola complex became a place of worship for Kyivites as well as a political and cultural center.
St. Sophia’s interior boasts rich frescoes and mosaics, many of which are still intact after roughly a millennium. Its bell tower, finished in 1752, is 76 m high. The upper Ukrainian Baroque part and gilded cupola were added in 1852.
Now a museum, St Sophia is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Boxed Fruit
Oil/Ink Pen, 18x18-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2025.
Available for $400 donation.
Available for $400 donation.
In The Field
Acrylic, 16x20-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2023.
Available for $500 donation.
An agricultural powerhouse, India is the world’s largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices, and the second largest producer of rice, wheat, cotton, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables and tea.
Overall its agricultural sector employs 60% of the nation’s workforce and is the source of about 20% of the country’s income.
In rural India, partly due to the migration of men to urban areas, the percentage of women who depend on agriculture for their livelihood is over 80%. Women make up more than 30% of cultivators and nearly half of agricultural laborers. However only 12% of women own farmland.
This imbalance in access to property is partly due to India’s inheritance laws which in most states only gave sons the legal right to inherit their parents’ ancestral land. Since over 90% of agricultural land in India is transferred through inheritance, women have therefore remained laborers.
As a measure to improve women's land rights, in 2005 India amended the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 in its constitution, giving women a legal claim to inherit their parents' ancestral agricultural land.
Available for $500 donation.
An agricultural powerhouse, India is the world’s largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices, and the second largest producer of rice, wheat, cotton, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables and tea.
Overall its agricultural sector employs 60% of the nation’s workforce and is the source of about 20% of the country’s income.
In rural India, partly due to the migration of men to urban areas, the percentage of women who depend on agriculture for their livelihood is over 80%. Women make up more than 30% of cultivators and nearly half of agricultural laborers. However only 12% of women own farmland.
This imbalance in access to property is partly due to India’s inheritance laws which in most states only gave sons the legal right to inherit their parents’ ancestral land. Since over 90% of agricultural land in India is transferred through inheritance, women have therefore remained laborers.
As a measure to improve women's land rights, in 2005 India amended the Hindu Succession Act of 1956 in its constitution, giving women a legal claim to inherit their parents' ancestral agricultural land.
Sunning Sunflowers SOLD
Oil, 16x16-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2023.
Available for $600 donation to Hearts & Homes for Refugees.
Sunflowers — soniashnyk in Ukrainian — have been grown in Ukraine since the mid-18th century, and their ubiquitous presence there has made it an unofficial national symbol.
The flower is also important economically; Ukraine and Russia supply up to 70–80% of the world’s sunflower oil exports.
Throughout Ukraine’s history, the flower has been used as a symbol of peace and resilience. After the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in 1986, Ukrainians planted sunflowers in the devastated area to represent renewal, hope and, it was said, to help extract toxins from the soil. Then in 1996, to celebrate Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons, U.S., Russian and Ukrainian defense ministers planted sunflowers in a ceremony at southern Ukraine’s Pervomaysk missile base.
More than 25 years later, Russian and Ukrainian ministers are at war. But the meaning of sunflowers as symbols of peace has not changed, with sunflowers being used as a symbol to call on leaders to plant the seeds again in hopes of peace in the future.
Available for $600 donation to Hearts & Homes for Refugees.
Sunflowers — soniashnyk in Ukrainian — have been grown in Ukraine since the mid-18th century, and their ubiquitous presence there has made it an unofficial national symbol.
The flower is also important economically; Ukraine and Russia supply up to 70–80% of the world’s sunflower oil exports.
Throughout Ukraine’s history, the flower has been used as a symbol of peace and resilience. After the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in 1986, Ukrainians planted sunflowers in the devastated area to represent renewal, hope and, it was said, to help extract toxins from the soil. Then in 1996, to celebrate Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons, U.S., Russian and Ukrainian defense ministers planted sunflowers in a ceremony at southern Ukraine’s Pervomaysk missile base.
More than 25 years later, Russian and Ukrainian ministers are at war. But the meaning of sunflowers as symbols of peace has not changed, with sunflowers being used as a symbol to call on leaders to plant the seeds again in hopes of peace in the future.
Toppling Moroccan Tagines
Acrylic, 16x20-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2022.
Available for $500 donation.
A tagine, sometimes spelled “tajine,” is a traditional Moroccan cooking vessel made of ceramic or unglazed clay with a round base and low sides.
A cone-shaped cover sits on the base during cooking. The conical lid traps steam during cooking and returns the liquid to the clay pot, resulting in a moist dish with concentrated flavors.
Tagine is also the name for a Maghrebi, or North African, dish cooked in the tagine pot. Tagine is closely associated with Moroccan cuisine, where slow-cooked savory stews made with meat, poultry, or fish, are cooked with vegetables, aromatic spices, dried fruit, and nuts.
Originally developed as a portable oven, the tagine has become an iconic decorative piece too!
Available for $500 donation.
A tagine, sometimes spelled “tajine,” is a traditional Moroccan cooking vessel made of ceramic or unglazed clay with a round base and low sides.
A cone-shaped cover sits on the base during cooking. The conical lid traps steam during cooking and returns the liquid to the clay pot, resulting in a moist dish with concentrated flavors.
Tagine is also the name for a Maghrebi, or North African, dish cooked in the tagine pot. Tagine is closely associated with Moroccan cuisine, where slow-cooked savory stews made with meat, poultry, or fish, are cooked with vegetables, aromatic spices, dried fruit, and nuts.
Originally developed as a portable oven, the tagine has become an iconic decorative piece too!
Private Prayer SOLD
Oil, 16x20-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2022.
Available for $500 donation to Hearts & Homes for Refugees.
Millions of people visit the Western Wall (or “Kotel” in Hebrew) in Israel – one of Judaism’s holiest sites - every year. It is the remains of the retaining wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem, held to be uniquely holy by the ancient Jews.
For most of the day, the Western Wall is lined with people deep in prayer. Many lean forward and touch their foreheads to the stones. With eyes closed, they whisper prayers and and often leave written notes of wishes or prayers on pieces of paper, wedging the papers into the cracks of the ancient stones.
Available for $500 donation to Hearts & Homes for Refugees.
Millions of people visit the Western Wall (or “Kotel” in Hebrew) in Israel – one of Judaism’s holiest sites - every year. It is the remains of the retaining wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem, held to be uniquely holy by the ancient Jews.
For most of the day, the Western Wall is lined with people deep in prayer. Many lean forward and touch their foreheads to the stones. With eyes closed, they whisper prayers and and often leave written notes of wishes or prayers on pieces of paper, wedging the papers into the cracks of the ancient stones.
Rosso e Dolce
Oil, 16x16-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2022.
Available for $500 donation.
Originally from Italy, red onions have a mild flavor, making them highly versatile for a variety of dishes where a splash of color and sweet flavor is desired.
They are native to three distinctly different regions: Tropea in Italy, Turda in Romania, and the US. Available throughout the year, their popularity is partly due to their health benefits as they are high in flavonoids and fiber compared to white and yellow onions.
Also known as purple onions, their crinkly colorful skin has also been used to make dye -- no surprise given their beautiful, intense color!
Available for $500 donation.
Originally from Italy, red onions have a mild flavor, making them highly versatile for a variety of dishes where a splash of color and sweet flavor is desired.
They are native to three distinctly different regions: Tropea in Italy, Turda in Romania, and the US. Available throughout the year, their popularity is partly due to their health benefits as they are high in flavonoids and fiber compared to white and yellow onions.
Also known as purple onions, their crinkly colorful skin has also been used to make dye -- no surprise given their beautiful, intense color!
Rhythms
Acrylic, 18x18-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2022.
Available for $250 donation.
Examples of ancient drums trace back millennia throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. All over the world, people found ways to fashion drum heads from animal skins.
A djembe, in particular, is a rope-tuned goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. The name comes from the saying "Anke djé, anke bé" which means "everyone gather together in peace" and defines the drum's purpose.
The drum is said to have been invented in the 12th Century by the Mandinka tribe in what is now Mali. Legend has it that the drum contains three spirits: that of the tree from which it was made, of the animal whose skin is used for the drumhead, and of the carver or the one who cut the tree and assembled the drum. The blacksmiths of old custom fit each drum to its player.
Available for $250 donation.
Examples of ancient drums trace back millennia throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. All over the world, people found ways to fashion drum heads from animal skins.
A djembe, in particular, is a rope-tuned goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. The name comes from the saying "Anke djé, anke bé" which means "everyone gather together in peace" and defines the drum's purpose.
The drum is said to have been invented in the 12th Century by the Mandinka tribe in what is now Mali. Legend has it that the drum contains three spirits: that of the tree from which it was made, of the animal whose skin is used for the drumhead, and of the carver or the one who cut the tree and assembled the drum. The blacksmiths of old custom fit each drum to its player.
Blooming Calla Lilies SOLD
Acrylic, 11x14-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2022.
Available for $250 donation to Hearts & Homes for Refugees.
How interesting that calla lilies are fraught with contradictions.
First, they are not lilies! Native to the modern-day region around South Africa and Malawi, they somehow made their way to Europe and were first cataloged in the 18th century by a Swedish botanist who mistaken called them lilies; by the time the mistake was clarified, the calla lily name was already widely known and was not to be changed.
A second contradiction is in the flower’s meaning. Calla lilies grow from rhizomes that reproduce of their own accord, making them a symbol of fertility used in bridal bouquets. But they are also considered a symbol of rebirth and thus are often included in funeral arrangements.
Whatever their name and significance, and however they are used, calla lilies are appreciated the world over.
Available for $250 donation to Hearts & Homes for Refugees.
How interesting that calla lilies are fraught with contradictions.
First, they are not lilies! Native to the modern-day region around South Africa and Malawi, they somehow made their way to Europe and were first cataloged in the 18th century by a Swedish botanist who mistaken called them lilies; by the time the mistake was clarified, the calla lily name was already widely known and was not to be changed.
A second contradiction is in the flower’s meaning. Calla lilies grow from rhizomes that reproduce of their own accord, making them a symbol of fertility used in bridal bouquets. But they are also considered a symbol of rebirth and thus are often included in funeral arrangements.
Whatever their name and significance, and however they are used, calla lilies are appreciated the world over.
Malawian Mom SOLD
Oil, 11x14-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep. 2025.
Commissioned piece for donation to HHR.
How fitting that this was painted in the Fall, around the time of Malawi’s Mother's Day (October 15)! The theme for 2025 was "Celebrating Motherhood: A Timeless Bond”.
It is said that a common gift from children to their mothers is chitenje, a traditional African fabric sold in markets. Women use it to make clothes or to strap a baby to their bodies in a sling.
The strength of Malawian Moms is to be admired, just like this mother helping to build a new school for her children while literally toting her baby around.
Commissioned piece for donation to HHR.
How fitting that this was painted in the Fall, around the time of Malawi’s Mother's Day (October 15)! The theme for 2025 was "Celebrating Motherhood: A Timeless Bond”.
It is said that a common gift from children to their mothers is chitenje, a traditional African fabric sold in markets. Women use it to make clothes or to strap a baby to their bodies in a sling.
The strength of Malawian Moms is to be admired, just like this mother helping to build a new school for her children while literally toting her baby around.
Jarred Spices II SOLD
Oil, 16x20-inch gallery canvas, 1.5 inches deep
Available for $500 donation to Hearts & Homes for Refugees
Like other countries in the region, Turkey is known for its spices and herbs which include cinnamon, mint, yenibahar (made from pimento berries), cardamom, cloves, ginger, cumin, oregano, saffron, bay leaves and red pepper.
The popular marash variety of red pepper is a staple in Turkish homes. Sometimes referred to as Turkish paprika, it comes from the same peppers used to make an often-used hot pepper paste.
Spices are also part of the country's heritage. For example, the black nigella seed is one of the oldest known spices with traces of it having been found in Tutankhamen's tomb as well as in Hittite sites that date back to the second century B.C.
The deep and varied colors of the red peppers, of which there are at least five types that differ in flavor and heat, are complemented by the bright tones of other colorful herbs and spices.
Available for $500 donation to Hearts & Homes for Refugees
Like other countries in the region, Turkey is known for its spices and herbs which include cinnamon, mint, yenibahar (made from pimento berries), cardamom, cloves, ginger, cumin, oregano, saffron, bay leaves and red pepper.
The popular marash variety of red pepper is a staple in Turkish homes. Sometimes referred to as Turkish paprika, it comes from the same peppers used to make an often-used hot pepper paste.
Spices are also part of the country's heritage. For example, the black nigella seed is one of the oldest known spices with traces of it having been found in Tutankhamen's tomb as well as in Hittite sites that date back to the second century B.C.
The deep and varied colors of the red peppers, of which there are at least five types that differ in flavor and heat, are complemented by the bright tones of other colorful herbs and spices.
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