The 20th Century Space Opera

Oil on Canvas, 2015
Dimensions: 180"x96" (457cm x 244cm)

This painting took 18 months.It depicts over 150 vintage Star Wars toys (mostly from the original trilogy). It also includes toys and icons that influenced the Star Wars Universe (a toy Gandalf, Samurai kabuto, a toy nazi, Joseph Campbell, Flash Gordon toy, and others). In the landscape background behind Boba Fett, loosely inspired by the Mona Lisa (a painting that some art historians consider to be the first fantasy painting), a tiny city resembling San Francisco juts out from the cliffs, and the cranes of Oakland line the riverbank. The patterning is inspired by Persian and Moroccan rugs, French tapestry, Gothic stained glass, illuminated manuscripts and eastern mandalas, as well as invented designs.