Lost Art #45: Place Charles de Gaulle, Paris

Hello, everyone! 

During this time that we've all been locked inside, there haven't been many objects lying around in the street, begging to be painted on. But now that we're all venturing back out into the sunlight again, somebody was kind enough to leave this wooden desk drawer out on the sidewalk for me to find, and you know what that means ... the return of Lost Art! I painted this one on the Place Charles de Gaulle, looking up at the Arc de Triomphe. I hope that someone will pick it up and take it home, perhaps as a celebration of our triumph over the lockdown period, or in hopes that we will one day triumph over the injustices that people are rallying to fight around the world. If you find it, please drop me a line to let me know! I wish you all a bright and liberating summer! 

This painting, acrylic on found desk drawer,  38cm x 42cm x 16cm, was left on Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, on June 23rd, 2020, at 1:00 pm.

If you have found this piece, it is yours to keep, but please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #36: Centre Square, Easton PA

Happy New Year everybody!

I'm excited to have just finished the first Lost Art painting of 2017!  I'm in the States for the holidays, and as some of you know, I grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania, so it's fun for me when I'm back home to go around visiting some of the places I remember from my childhood and doing paintings there. This week I had the opportunity to get down to Easton, and I sat in front of the old Crayola factory, where I had a view of Centre Square, and painted on this flat screen TV I'd found abandoned on a post-Christmas curbside. I hope that somebody finds it and gives it a home. It's always special and exciting for me when I get to do something back here in PA, and I hope I get the chance to hear from somebody here who's found one of my paintings. So if you're in the area, or know someone who might be, please share!  I also hope you're all off to a great start of the year! And I look forward to doing a lot more painting when I'm back in Europe next week. Stay tuned!  

This painting, acrylic on found flat screen TV, 29" x 18", was left on the Centre Square in Easton PA, on January 4th, 2017 at 1:30pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #35: Square Thomas Jefferson, Paris

Hello everyone,

Lost Art is back!  After a long hiatus, during which I primarily worked on my portrait series at the Chateau de Courances, I'm very happy to be back to work on my Lost Art series! This new one was one of the most challenging yet, as the stove top element I found was heavy and difficult to maneuver. It broke both my easels while I was working on it :(. But I managed to get it painted, and to leave it in the park near the home of a friend of ours in the 16th. I left a sturdy Ikea bag with it, so that anyone who finds it will have a fighting chance of taking it home with them. I hope that its weight doesn't dissuade someone from taking it! I had mixed feelings about that problem. But in the end, I was inspired by the object, and it was already discarded in the street anyway, so I guess I didn't make its fate any worse. Now we'll just have to see if someone else is inspired enough by its new incarnation to pick it up and give it a good home. If you're in the neighborhood, maybe you could walk by and check on it for me? And if you know somebody nearby, please feel free to share. Next week I'm on my way back to the States, so hopefully I'll be leaving one there over the holidays. My warmest winter wishes to you all!

This painting, acrylic on found stove top, 58cm x 51cm, was left in the Square Thomas Jefferson, at Place des États-Unis in in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, on December 14th, 2016 at 4:30pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #33: Place Lucien Herr, Paris

Hey everyone! 

How did it get to be summer already? I've spent most of this spring working on a big portrait commission, so I haven't had the chance to get out and lose as much art in the streets as I would like. But it has been beautiful painting weather! So I'm excited that this week I finally found a moment to get back to work on my favorite project :). I decided to visit a favorite 'stop and think' spot of mine. I've spent many quiet moments in this small park, and had some profound thoughts here. So it's a very special place for me. I hope I have managed to impart some of my fondness for this place onto the bar stool seat that I found in the street not long ago. And hopefully it will find a good home! If you know anybody in the neighborhood, share this post and see if one of them finds it. More to come soon!

This painting, acrylic on found stool seat, 32.5cm x 32.5cm, was left on the Place Lucien Herr, in Paris, France on June 17th, 2016, at 4:30 pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #25: View of L'Hôtel des Invalides, Paris

Summer is finally in full swing in Paris! Great weather for wandering around and exploring new parts of the city. This week I was walking behind the L'Hôtel des Invalides and this view caught my eye. It was a bit hot in the sun so I found a nice spot in the shade and painted my 25th Lost Art painting. I hope you enjoy it! And as always, if you find it, please let me know in the comments! This will be the last Lost Art in Paris for several weeks, as I'm headed back to the States for some quality time with my family. I'll do my best to get out and about and Lose some more Art while I'm over there! Not sure yet where all I'll be or how much I'll be moving, but I'll keep you posted as I go. Stay tuned! 

This painting, oil on found metal (heating element cover), 54.5 cm x  27 cm, was left on the Esplanade Jacques Chaban Delmas, near the intersection of Rue d'Estrées and Avenue de Breteuil in the 7th arrondissement of Paris on June 21st, 2015 at 5:30pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #21: Rue de Charenton, Paris

It's already March?

How did that happen? It's been unseasonably cold in Paris this year, and a little bit difficult to paint outside. But recently we have finally seen signs of the winter giving way, and the sunny days have cast a lovely light back into our beautiful city. So the other day I found myself on the rue de Charenton, where the rue de Prague turns into the rue Abel. And I also had with me this old jigsaw puzzle that I had picked up in the street. So I decided to sit down and take advantage of the pleasant light, the survivable temperatures, and this view of the Coulee Verte, to paint my 21st Lost Art. Then I brought the painting home to dry for a few days, and when I noticed that today was also looking sunny and pleasant, I went back out to leave it where it was painted. I hope that somebody else on an early-spring stroll picks it up and takes it home!

This painting, oil on found jigsaw puzzle, 36.5 cm x 49.5 cm, was left on the rue de Charenton, near the intersection of rue Abel, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris on March 2, 2015 at 12:00pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #20: Place Saint-Sulpice, Paris

Hello again, everyone!

I hope you're all having a good 2015 so far. I took a little unexpected break for the past few weeks, but Lost Art is finally back in action! I'm in Paris again, and today I left #20 in the series on the Place Saint-Sulpice. Hopefully I'll get back into my rhythm so the next one won't be such a long wait. It has been unusually cold here lately and difficult to stay outside painting for long periods. But the winters in Paris are never very bad for very long, so I'm optimistic that my painting pace will pick up soon!

This painting, oil on found tinted plexiglass, 27.7 cm x 61 cm, was left on the Place Saint-Sulpice in Paris on Feb 9, 2015 at 5:00 pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #16: Midan Bab-el-Louq, Cairo

There's more Lost Art on the streets of Cairo this week! Unfortunately we've been offline for several days, so I didn't get a chance to post this until now. But I'm excited to have finally left a painting on the Midan Bab-el-Louq, which is a place where we have spent a lot of our time in Cairo. I had a very interesting time painting this one. There were lots of curious people who approached me to ask questions, but I didn't have an interpreter with me, so most of it I didn't understand. There was a nice painting teacher from a local art school who hung out with us for a while and did some translating. He was even nice enough to send a message in to the blog and say hello! I hope that maybe he, or one of the other nice people I met in this neighborhood, finds and enjoys the painting. At the very least, I hope that is not found and enjoyed by the creepy guy who works at the public toilet who tried to kiss me when I was getting up to leave. (You know who you are, creepy guy. If you found this painting, please don't enjoy it ;) ). But anyone else who finds it is more than welcome to do with it whatever they wish. And as always, please leave a comment and let me know if you found it!  Now I'm off to scout new locations for my next few Cairo paintings. Still a month to go here! If you're in Cairo and want to suggest a neighborhood for me to paint in, please feel free to let me know in the comments. See you in the streets! 

This painting, oil on found wood, roughly 32.5 cm x 70 cm, was left at Midan Bab-el-Louq, Cairo on October 29th, 2014 at 2:30pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #12: Place du Général de Gaulle, Courances, France

UPDATE: Lost Art #12 has been found!

I was so happy to get this anonymous comment (below) from someone who has found my painting in Courances! I was afraid it might have been destroyed in this afternoon's rain, but instead it has been rescued, for which I am very grateful. And I am proud to have left a piece of myself in this town :).  

[original post]

This week Lost Art makes a trip out to the French countryside. I've been lucky enough to spend the last few weeks of summer in the lovely little village of Courances, and I did this painting on the Place du Général de Gaulle just in front of their Mairie (the local town hall). Courances is pleasantly clean, so for several days I didn't find any trash or discarded material to paint on. But finally, the other day, I found this loose chunk of cobblestone on the side of the road and decided to give it a new life. If I'm lucky enough to find anything else, I'm going to try to do at least one more while I'm out here before returning to Paris the last week of August. I hope you're all having a great summer, wherever you are, and I hope you find some art in the street!

This painting, oil on dislodged cobblestone, 14.5 cm x 14.5 cm, was left at Place du Général de Gaulle in Courances, France on August 13, 2014 at 3pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #11: Place Georges Pompidou, Paris

This week's Lost Art painting was left on the slope of ground in front of the Centre Georges Pompidou. It was a fun place to paint, and it seems like a natural place for some Lost Art to become "found." It's also my first painting on found concrete, which made it a lot of fun to carry across town :). If anybody does find it, and want to keep it, they'll have to work a little to get it home! I'm heading off to the countryside for a few weeks, so this will be the last one in Paris until the end of August. As always, if you know anyone in the neighborhood, who might find this piece, please feel free to share!

This painting, oil on a fragment of exposed aggregate concrete, 34.5 cm x 20.5 cm, was left at Place Georges Pompidou on July 29, 2014 at 1pm.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #6: Crystal Street, East Stroudsburg PA (Update: Found!)

UPDATE: Lost Art #6 has been found!

When I was visiting my hometown for the holidays last week, I was happy to discover that one of my Lost Art paintings from last year had found itself a home! One of the guys who lives on Crystal Street had picked it up and carried it into East Stroudsburg Hardware (the store that figures prominently in the painting) and given it to the owner, Jim, who now has it proudly hung on the front of one of his glass display cases. When I heard he had it, I went over there to introduce myself. It turns out that Jim is a big supporter of local artists and has several other paintings and pieces of art in his store. I'd been driving past his place for years and hadn't even known! He said that he would have gladly written in to the blog, except that he doesn't use the internet very much and wasn't sure about the address. So I'm very glad that the word got back to me that the painting had found an appreciative home. And I'm glad I was able to find Jim over the holidays and thank him for looking after it! Here are some pics I took of Jim and of the painting where it now hangs. Another Lost Art is found!

Original Post:

I'm excited to announce that this week, Lost Art makes its first official appearance in the United States! This morning, the sixth painting in the series was left on Crystal Street in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. I'm looking forward to hearing from whoever finds it! And keep your eyes open over the next few days if you happen to live across the river in Stroudsburg, or down the road in Bethlehem, as these are among the locations I'm considering for Lost Art number seven. 

This painting, acrylic on found discarded wood, 22 1/2" x 11 1/2", was left on Crystal Street in East Stroudsburg, PA, across from East Stroudsburg Hardware on June 17, 2014 at 9am.

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #5: rue Charlemagne, Paris

This week, Lost Art made its first official trip across the Seine into the St Paul neighborhood in the 4th arrondissement. This is the fifth painting in the series, and still no word from those who have found the first four, but the project continues to spread! Over the next few weeks, Lost Art will make its first appearances in the United States (I'm talking to you, Pennsylvania!) so keep a lookout for them there. The series will resume in Paris at the beginning of July. I hope you're all having a great summer, and as always, let me know if you find one of the pieces!

This painting, oil on found broken wood, 31cm x 85cm, 

was left on rue Charlemagne near the intersection of rue du Fauconnier in Paris on June 8, 2014 at 5:30pm. 

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #4: Quai Saint-Bernard, Paris

The saga continues!! 

I can only hope so far that all my pieces have found happy homes. No word yet from anyone about having found any of them, but maybe I'm just not hitting the right neighborhoods yet :). There is, however, one great piece of encouraging news. The other day I heard from UK photographer David Wise who was inspired by the Lost Art project to leave his camera to be found on a mountaintop in Sri Lanka. He also wrote about that decision, and about my project, on his terrific N.U.M.A. blog, which I highly recommend. This bit of response, and the reminder of how far and fast an idea can travel, has definitely helped me find the motivation to continue. Thanks David!  Today's painting was left on the left bank of the Seine, which should be crowded on such a lovely day. And the wait begins again!

This painting, oil on found wood, 32cm x 14.5cm, 
was left on the Quai Saint-Bernard in Paris on June 1, 2014 at 12:30pm. 

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #3: Place Alphonse Laveran, Paris

It's time for Lost Art #3!

Unfortunately, I still haven't heard any news about the fates of Lost Art #s 1 and 2, but I suppose I knew it was going to be difficult when I started, and there's no going back now! So I've just left Lost Art #3 at the place where it was painted: 

This painting, oil on found wood, 21.5cm x 21.5cm, 
was left at the  Place Alphonse Laveran in Paris on May 25, 2014 at 2:20pm. 

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #2: Place de l'Émir Abd el-Kader, Paris

Hello again! It's time for Lost Art #2!

No word yet about the fate of the first piece, but the project continues...

This painting, oil on found wood, 23.5cm x 13.5cm, 
was left at the  Place de l'Émir Abd el-Kader in Paris on May 18, 2014 at 4pm. 

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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Lost Art #1: Place de l'Estrapade, Paris

Today's the day! The Lost Art project has officially begun. It was more difficult than I expected, leaving this first painting out on the streets. It started to rain as I walked away. But this is the challenge I signed up for. I look forward to seeing what happens next!

This painting, oil on found wood, 29cm x 23.5cm, 
was left at the Place de l'Estrapade in Paris on May 11, 2014 at 3:40pm. 

If you have found this piece, please let me know in the comments!

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An Introduction to Lost Art...

I've always had a hard time letting go, especially of my work. I've always been afraid that once it left my possession my work would somehow get lost, or thrown out, or forgotten, or in some way cease to exist. And I imagine that this fear is rooted in my fear that I too will someday cease to exist. And if my work is what I hope to leave behind, then I must do everything in my power to protect it, right? But this protectiveness I felt toward my work eventually became a crippling burden. I didn't want to show my art, or sell it, and at some point, I didn't even want to do it. I started getting protective of my ideas before they even left my mind. I was shrinking away from the very interaction with the outside world that I so desperately craved. I needed to do something to get back on the horse, to open the channels of creativity and exchange. I had to find a way to let go. And this is how I conceived the Lost Art project.

Being a bit of a pack rat, I have for years collected materials from the streets. Any time I saw a smooth piece of wood, a nice chunk of marble, a large strip of fabric, I would gather it up and carry it back to my little basement studio, where I would horde it in piles, imagining that someday it would be made into something even more beautiful than it already was. But that day didn't seem to be coming, and the piles just seemed to be growing. So, facing the possibility that I would simply run out of space in my cave, I decided to start releasing these acquisitions back into the wild. But not before I found a way to put my mark on them.

I decided that I would take these things I'd found in the street, these bits of wood or canvas or plastic, and paint on them. I would paint the scenes that I'd seen in the streets where I'd found them. And then, after letting the paintings dry for a few days, I would take the objects back out into the street where they were found and simply leave them at the locations where I'd painted on them. You know, because, if you love something set it free, right? I needed to experience the freedom of turning these paintings loose into the world and being forced to make peace with whatever might become of them.

I assume that some of them will be thrown out, some will be damaged or destroyed, and some will merely go unnoticed for countless cold and rainy nights. But I also have the hope that maybe a few of them will be discovered and find homes. Just as these objects appeared to me as 'found art,' they will now be lost again, and perhaps they will go on to be found once more. And perhaps their new owners will even turn them into new works of art, or give them totally different functions altogether. The important thing is that they will go on to have lives after me, and after my artistic relationship with them. Their stories will not just end in my basement, in a whirlpool of anal-retentive self-doubt.

But despite my relinquishing control over the destinies of these objects, I will remain curious about whether they are ever found, or appreciated, or hated or loved. They are, after all, things that have passed through the inside of me, and they now carry with them some trace of my vulnerability and insecurity off into the streets, wherever they go. So I have marked the back of each one with the title of the project, and the internet address for this blog, in the hopes that anybody who finds one of them might get in touch and let me know what has become of the work. 

In each blog post, I will include a photo of the painting, and a map to where I've left it, so that anybody who has found one will be able to recognize what they've found. Then hopefully, we will get some news from the future lives of these pieces. Perhaps we will see a photo or two of a painting in its new home, or one that has been damaged and salvaged, or even one that has been painted over by an artist who fancies their own vision more than mine and is happy to have discovered a new canvas on which to work. And surely, there will also be a few that are never heard from again. But I won't be able to predict or control which ones. And that's what I'm in it for. It's like art shock therapy. 

So if you're interested to see where the project goes, and what does or doesn't become of the paintings as I deposit them back into their native environments, please sign up to follow the blog. If none of the pieces are heard from again, I'll still be interested to hear whether you think the project is worth doing. And if you find one of the pieces, please do whatever you wish with it, but make sure to visit the blog and tell us all about it!