The Idea Box Journal

“The emphasis must be not on the right to abortion but on the right to privacy and reproductive control.”

—Ruth Bader Ginsburg

What’s in a name?

Minnow
Oil, 12×15″

Affectionate portrait of friend’s cat 😸

Well I never expected that my love for painting would lead to them appearing on stickers and shirts that would then find themselves at our local urban oasis known as brookline booksmith. Yet here they are 😊

Actually, if you know where to look, hidden among the shelves is a gallery of my pictures…

Please pass this along to anyone in the area who you think would appreciate it. Drop by soon and you’ll leave with a free limited edition bookmark!

This post is to honor the recent passing of artist & illustrator Marshall Arisman, whom I had the privilege to study with at The School of Visual Arts, in the masters of illustration program he founded. A true visionary, Marshall was a man of deep wisdom, painting images that look you in the eye from beyond the veil.

“You gotta learn to stand in the space between angels and demons.”

He was patient, tough but fair, and always encouraging of personal growth. Marshall’s influence on other artists is vast and will continue for a long time. As his work lives on, his company will be missed

New painting 🌟
At the Threshold to Elsewhere
Oil & digital
Portal Series

New painting 🌟
Access Granted at the Door to Distant Places
Oil & digital
Portal Series

New painting 🌟

Arrival at the Resonant Gateway
Oil & digital
Portal Series

Receiving this book fills me with grief, pride, sympathy, and a sense of community all at the same time.

Before the Diagnosis is a collection of stories about those we loved and lost to Alzheimer’s and dementia. Honestly, each one is heartbreaking. But that’s the gift Gincy Hines has given the world on behalf of her late husband Steve. To take these corrosive cognitive conditions and turn them into something beautiful; testaments to the human spirit.

There’s almost a Borgesian magical realism to the fog that engulfs each chapter’s parent, partner, sibling, and friend. Loss of memory, loss of identity, and ultimately loss of life all give way to radiant appreciation.

Dolores Cannon was a hypnotherapist whose pioneering work in past life regression opened a window into consciousness from beyond the mortal plane. She relayed that dementia is chosen by souls as a means to depart gradually, so that those around them can adjust to letting go.

When Gincy invited me to write about my dad I wasn’t interested. It was too soon and too hard to put his life into a few pages. I’m glad she persisted. Her mission to raise awareness, console those in need, and donate proceeds to further research are truly admirable.

As my dad had welcomed patients to his door with a smile, devoted to curing their pains, now a version of him is here, greeting readers ready to heal.

“Go out on a limb — that’s where the fruit is.”
Bob Ross

Painting in progress