Is American Art Cold?

Looking at Art:

Have you noticed that there are plenty of American films with action and violence, but it’s hard to find movies with sensitive characters in intimate relationships? In visual art, we have text art, minimalism, which is abstraction in the extreme, and appropriation, which showcases the images that bombard us every day in advertising, cartoons and cultural icons. It is as if in most cases, emotions in art have been removed and replaced. Can you think of a living American artist who stirs your emotions?

Work in the Studio:

The image shown here is a recent portrait. I took a series of photos to use as references and was delighted to capture the singer emoting while she performed. I love to have my work express emotion and when I paint a portrait, I try to reach below the surface to reveal something of the person and perhaps something of myself.

The Jazz Singer, Watercolor, 14” x 11”