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.
This painting is called Nighthawks, and it’s my take on the classic theme made famous by Edward Hopper—one of my biggest influences. I’ve always been into film, especially film noir, and I’ve seen a lot of overlap between Hopper’s scenes and old black-and-white movies from the '30s to '50s. This painting pulls together all those interests: movies, diner counter scenes, and layered psychological tension.
In Hopper’s Nighthawks, no one is interacting, which gives the painting that famous sense of loneliness. I wanted to flip that around a bit. In mine, the three men are clearly engaged—in conversation, in some kind of negotiation, maybe even an argument. That eye contact and body language was important to me, and it’s part of what gives the painting its weight.
I painted this in 2005 in my first really great studio in Oakland. It was a gorgeous space—wood floors, big windows, a solid setup. While I worked on this piece, a friend from Chicago was visiting. She sat on the couch reading while I painted and watched the layers build up over time. She said it reminded her of an archeological dig, the way the image emerged slowly through layers.
Technically, I started this one by toning the canvas with burnt sienna and thinner. Then I sketched in the scene with vine charcoal, wiping out the light areas before laying down my base coat. From there, I worked in layers using oils and bristle brushes to build up texture and form. I love thick brushwork and directional strokes—something I picked up from Wayne Thiebaud and Lucian Freud. You can really see that in the folds of the jackets, the woodgrain on the counter, and even the details like salt shakers and reflections in the glass.
The space is organized around the bar as a kind of stage. The viewer sits just outside the scene, like you’re about to walk in and hear the rest of the conversation. The figures are stylized but grounded—their anatomy and clothes are realistic, but the lighting, color, and texture push the whole thing into something more psychological. That’s where my influences from Freud, Velázquez, Malcolm Liepke, and Bay Area Figurative painters like Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn come in.
The painting is framed and signed in the upper right corner. It does have a few small scuffs and scratches on the frame—not major, just signs of age and handling. The painting itself is in excellent condition.
This is part of my Fresh Finds project. I’ve been digging into my archive and pulling out key pieces that I’ve lived with for years. These works are part of my personal history and artistic legacy. I think it’s time to release some of them and let collectors have access to the works that helped shape my career.
Details
Title: Nighthawks
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas
Size: 36 x 48 inches (framed: 38 x 50 inches)
Year: 2005
Frame: Included; original black wood frame with some scuffs and scratches
Condition: Painting excellent; minor wear on frame
Technique: Charcoal sketch, toned canvas, layered oil paint with bristle brushes
Influences: Edward Hopper, film noir, Wayne Thiebaud, Lucian Freud, Velázquez, Liepke, Bay Area Figurative
Subject: Three men at a counter, cinematic and psychologically charged
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.
This painting is called Nighthawks, and it’s my take on the classic theme made famous by Edward Hopper—one of my biggest influences. I’ve always been into film, especially film noir, and I’ve seen a lot of overlap between Hopper’s scenes and old black-and-white movies from the '30s to '50s. This painting pulls together all those interests: movies, diner counter scenes, and layered psychological tension.
In Hopper’s Nighthawks, no one is interacting, which gives the painting that famous sense of loneliness. I wanted to flip that around a bit. In mine, the three men are clearly engaged—in conversation, in some kind of negotiation, maybe even an argument. That eye contact and body language was important to me, and it’s part of what gives the painting its weight.
I painted this in 2005 in my first really great studio in Oakland. It was a gorgeous space—wood floors, big windows, a solid setup. While I worked on this piece, a friend from Chicago was visiting. She sat on the couch reading while I painted and watched the layers build up over time. She said it reminded her of an archeological dig, the way the image emerged slowly through layers.
Technically, I started this one by toning the canvas with burnt sienna and thinner. Then I sketched in the scene with vine charcoal, wiping out the light areas before laying down my base coat. From there, I worked in layers using oils and bristle brushes to build up texture and form. I love thick brushwork and directional strokes—something I picked up from Wayne Thiebaud and Lucian Freud. You can really see that in the folds of the jackets, the woodgrain on the counter, and even the details like salt shakers and reflections in the glass.
The space is organized around the bar as a kind of stage. The viewer sits just outside the scene, like you’re about to walk in and hear the rest of the conversation. The figures are stylized but grounded—their anatomy and clothes are realistic, but the lighting, color, and texture push the whole thing into something more psychological. That’s where my influences from Freud, Velázquez, Malcolm Liepke, and Bay Area Figurative painters like Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn come in.
The painting is framed and signed in the upper right corner. It does have a few small scuffs and scratches on the frame—not major, just signs of age and handling. The painting itself is in excellent condition.
This is part of my Fresh Finds project. I’ve been digging into my archive and pulling out key pieces that I’ve lived with for years. These works are part of my personal history and artistic legacy. I think it’s time to release some of them and let collectors have access to the works that helped shape my career.
Details
Title: Nighthawks
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas
Size: 36 x 48 inches (framed: 38 x 50 inches)
Year: 2005
Frame: Included; original black wood frame with some scuffs and scratches
Condition: Painting excellent; minor wear on frame
Technique: Charcoal sketch, toned canvas, layered oil paint with bristle brushes
Influences: Edward Hopper, film noir, Wayne Thiebaud, Lucian Freud, Velázquez, Liepke, Bay Area Figurative
Subject: Three men at a counter, cinematic and psychologically charged
Part of: “Fresh Finds” archive release
Ships from: Round Lake Beach, Illinois
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