If there was anything positive about the recent enforced lockdowns, it was the opening of doors to blocks of uninterrupted time. I spent a lot of that time sitting at a big drawing table. Free to experiment, I started using gouache paints for the first time and I began painting black backgrounds. I liked the results of both and called it “Art Noir.” I named the flower paintings “Botanica Noir.” I then moved on to fruits, which I called “Fructus Noir.” From there it was “Animalium Noir,” which, so far, only includes two chicken portraits. Towards the end of 2022 I painted ten flower arrangements and called the collection “Bouquet Noir.” Believe it or not, “Numerus Noir” is coming, but it’s a surprise. Stay tuned. Any of the following pictures are available as prints, produced by Digital Grange in Petaluma; they do a beautiful job. Original sizes are noted for each image, but any proportional size, larger or smaller, is available. If you’re interested, drop me a line at [email protected].