LITTLE COLLECTOR

In the summer of 2009, I spent seven weeks working on abstract paintings at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire. I had a terrific and wonderfully productive period, the only negative being that I was far from my wife and kids back in New York. As a side project and a way to be in contact with them, I drew or painted an image of something I saw each day and then mailed the picture to my family. Most of the images... More

In the summer of 2009, I spent seven weeks working on abstract paintings at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire. I had a terrific and wonderfully productive period, the only negative being that I was far from my wife and kids back in New York. As a side project and a way to be in contact with them, I drew or painted an image of something I saw each day and then mailed the picture to my family. Most of the images depict flowers or insects or other animals that have personal importance because they are things I grew up with that my kids, who live in the city, don’t have a chance to experience. Eventually, I realized that although I made them for my sons, the images are also meant for posterity—a record of species that may not always exist for future generations to experience, enjoy and wonder at. The pictures for Little Collector are rooted in this theme and are meant to symbolize and foster an appreciation for the natural world by young people and thoughtful people of all ages. Short