Collaboration with artist Vanessa Compton
Vanessa Compton website
Vanessa Compton on Instagram

I first saw Vanessa's art in Vermont while visiting a mutual friend, who suggested we view her exhibit at a regional art center. I was instantly mesmerized by her exciting blend of collage, mixed media, and painting. For me the images revealed a powerful emotional connection with nature, the spirit, and our human condition. I was fortunate to meet her and we began a correspondence and decided to try working together. Since then our collaboration has gradually evolved with regular studio visits.

THE PAST, ©2023, collage on archival inkjet on canvas, 30 x 24. We both love wide open vistas and were particularly inspired by the look of certain buttes in the American Southwest. Vanessa created a narrative suggesting the transition from a previous history into the beginning of a new time with new possibilities. The hands are cradling peyote, a symbol of the transformative power of sacred lands. Vanessa often incorporates the black and white images of Diane Arbus in her pieces, finding them to be powerful and moving: “I’m particularly drawn to how she would document the celebrations of folks on the fringes of society- for instance a birthday party at an asylum. After all, everyone has the right the celebrate”. 

Brothers in Arms and Big Sky Country, ©2018, diptych watercolor and printed paper collage on Rives paper, 11 x 15 each and framed separately. In this work, one of our first collaborations, I painted several watercolor backgrounds, and Vanessa then created the theme and composition with collage.

Brothers in Arms and Big Sky Country, ©2018, diptych watercolor and printed paper collage on Rives paper, 11 x 15 each and framed separately. In this work, I painted several watercolor backgrounds, and Vanessa created the theme and narrative with cut-paper collage. Big Sky Country (on the right) is available from Krinshaw Studios.

Left: Thomas Moran’s Laguna, New Mexico Looking from the East, a watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper from 1891. Right: Lost City, ©2018, watercolor and acrylic on vintage Arches cold pressed paper attached to a cradled birch panel with a hand-painted edge patina, 28 x 28. Inspired by the Thomas Moran sketch, Vanessa established the theme and composition with a watercolor underpainting, which I then embellished with acrylic. This was our first major collaboration.

Left: Thomas Moran’s Laguna, New Mexico Looking from the East, a watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper from 1891. Right: Lost City, ©2018, watercolor and acrylic on vintage Arches cold pressed paper attached to a cradled birch panel with a hand-painted edge patina, 28 x 28. Inspired by the Thomas Moran sketch, Vanessa established the theme and composition with a drawing and watercolor underpainting, which I embellished futher with acrylic paint. This was our first major collaboration. Lost City is available as a 16 x 16 fine art print.

Tie-Dye Love, ©2018 watercolor and printed paper collage on vintage Arches cold press watercolor paper, 25 x 22. With this piece, Vanessa created the theme and narrative with cut-paper collage. I followed, painting a watercolor background.