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Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago.
I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
Nightclub is one of the larger and more layered pieces I’ve made—painted in 2002 while I was living and working in a Victorian house in Oakland, California. By that time, I had tenure at a community college in Fremont and could finally afford a proper studio and high-quality materials. My studio had these incredible six-foot windows that let in gorgeous light, even during those surprisingly chilly Bay Area winters. I set my easel up in the window seat, and I was working on this painting one day when a guy driving by pulled into the driveway just to give me a thumbs-up after seeing it through the glass. That kind of moment really sticks with you—it made me think I was onto something.
The painting itself is rooted in my love of classic film, especially film noir. It was inspired by a paused frame from the movie Gilda. I did a quick sketch and then used some reference photos—either of myself in a mirror or from a friend—to fill in things like the hands and anatomy. The composition and lighting are loosely based on the film, but I invented a lot, especially the rich red wallpaper and patterned background. I wanted to capture that tension between the two male characters, who both seemed to be obsessed with Gilda—but to me, there’s something more between them, something intimate and charged.
The background was one of the first times I really experimented with layered patterns. I started with vertical stripes and scrollwork, then painted over that with floral damask patterns in deep reds. I used a technique where I added medium to the top layer so the underpainting would ghost through as it dried. Over time, a natural craquelure (those hairline surface cracks you get in older paintings) formed, and it added this beautiful visual texture I couldn’t have planned if I tried. That kind of layering became a recurring technique in my work from 2016 through 2025.
The figures are rendered with thick, deliberate brushstrokes—especially in the faces, suits, and hands. I was still under the influence of Wayne Thiebaud, especially how he handled cloth and surface texture. You can see it in the folds of the jackets and the way the paint moves across the canvas in visible, almost sculptural strokes. The style is a mix of realism and stylization—the anatomy is carefully built up, but the lighting, color choices, and background push it into something heightened and theatrical.
This piece is part of the ongoing story of my career and my Fresh Finds project, where I’m offering works from my archive that have lived with me for years. Some have hung in my bedroom or studio, and each one holds memories and a chunk of artistic development. Nightclub is one of those legacy works—both personal and cinematic, and I think it still speaks to the themes I’ve explored for decades: desire, performance, and layered identities.
Details
Title: Nightclub
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 48 x 48 inches
Year: 2002
Surface: Gallery wrapped canvas with painted edges
Frame: Not required
Condition: Excellent; layered paint surface includes visible texture and craquelure from layered medium
Influences: Film noir, Wayne Thiebaud, Bay Area Figurative painters
Subject: Two men in tuxedos, inspired by the film Gilda
Technique: Layered patterning, reference sketching, mirror observation, direct painting
Part of: “Fresh Finds” archive release
Ships from: Round Lake Beach, Illinois
FREE SHIPPING
Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago.
I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
Nightclub is one of the larger and more layered pieces I’ve made—painted in 2002 while I was living and working in a Victorian house in Oakland, California. By that time, I had tenure at a community college in Fremont and could finally afford a proper studio and high-quality materials. My studio had these incredible six-foot windows that let in gorgeous light, even during those surprisingly chilly Bay Area winters. I set my easel up in the window seat, and I was working on this painting one day when a guy driving by pulled into the driveway just to give me a thumbs-up after seeing it through the glass. That kind of moment really sticks with you—it made me think I was onto something.
The painting itself is rooted in my love of classic film, especially film noir. It was inspired by a paused frame from the movie Gilda. I did a quick sketch and then used some reference photos—either of myself in a mirror or from a friend—to fill in things like the hands and anatomy. The composition and lighting are loosely based on the film, but I invented a lot, especially the rich red wallpaper and patterned background. I wanted to capture that tension between the two male characters, who both seemed to be obsessed with Gilda—but to me, there’s something more between them, something intimate and charged.
The background was one of the first times I really experimented with layered patterns. I started with vertical stripes and scrollwork, then painted over that with floral damask patterns in deep reds. I used a technique where I added medium to the top layer so the underpainting would ghost through as it dried. Over time, a natural craquelure (those hairline surface cracks you get in older paintings) formed, and it added this beautiful visual texture I couldn’t have planned if I tried. That kind of layering became a recurring technique in my work from 2016 through 2025.
The figures are rendered with thick, deliberate brushstrokes—especially in the faces, suits, and hands. I was still under the influence of Wayne Thiebaud, especially how he handled cloth and surface texture. You can see it in the folds of the jackets and the way the paint moves across the canvas in visible, almost sculptural strokes. The style is a mix of realism and stylization—the anatomy is carefully built up, but the lighting, color choices, and background push it into something heightened and theatrical.
This piece is part of the ongoing story of my career and my Fresh Finds project, where I’m offering works from my archive that have lived with me for years. Some have hung in my bedroom or studio, and each one holds memories and a chunk of artistic development. Nightclub is one of those legacy works—both personal and cinematic, and I think it still speaks to the themes I’ve explored for decades: desire, performance, and layered identities.
Details
Title: Nightclub
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 48 x 48 inches
Year: 2002
Surface: Gallery wrapped canvas with painted edges
Frame: Not required
Condition: Excellent; layered paint surface includes visible texture and craquelure from layered medium
Influences: Film noir, Wayne Thiebaud, Bay Area Figurative painters
Subject: Two men in tuxedos, inspired by the film Gilda
Technique: Layered patterning, reference sketching, mirror observation, direct painting
Part of: “Fresh Finds” archive release
Ships from: Round Lake Beach, Illinois
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