My Istanbul series is an attempt to synthesize the impressions of my recent trip, from Turkey's complex and diverse cultural heritage to its vibrant modern art scene -the hulking tankers of the Bosphorus exert a peculiar fascination. I'm allowing the images to suggest or reveal in order to preserve the delicate sense of awe and mystery I feel in the face of this incredibly rich civilization.

http://www.ekavart.tv/Etiket/canan-bozbag
 Take a look at my Turkish friend Canan talking about her recent sculpture show- I traveled to Istanbul to see it. I met her in"97 when she came to San Francisco to study at the California.College of Art.

LIFE IMITATES ART !
A big thank you to my friends who came to visit my Open Studio. I feel so blessed.

A decorator crab holding anemones in each of his claws.. A sea hare in amazing fluorescent coral near Molokini, Hawaii.

This painting of two slipper lobsters hiding in coral was a great exercise in precision. I learned by doing the left-hand one that too many details obscure the image- a wet tissue erases easily, leaving only areas of color. Details are then re-applied judiciously. I knew instinctively when the lobster on the right was done as soon as I got the expressive eye and the fringes in place. The blue ground anchors the piece.

The finished painting done mainly with felt tip pen- I used a wet Q tip to push the color around the red spots depicting the squid's chromatophores. It's not an octopus but a squid , one of my viewers pointed out.

A glass octopus, my latest watercolor on Yupo paper. I'm finally beginning to enjoy working in this new/old way. I haven't used felt tip pens or watercolor in a while - building layers this way is fun instead of frustrating like my last two efforts with the synthetic paper. Figuring out what will stick to it, although stuff smudges onto the side of your hand, not the worst thing in the world !