"Harlequin's Homecoming:" A Journey Through Memory, Theater, and the Language of Painting"

Harlequin's Homecoming:Homage to Colleen Browning and Dame Laura Knight, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, 2026. from the studio to the finished, framed painting.

A Personal Connection

“Harlequin's Homecoming” is a painting that grew out of two artistic relationships separated by time, yet connected in unexpected ways.

When the Harmon-Meek Gallery invited me to join their roster of artists, it was some time after the passing of the distinguished painter Colleen Browning (American, born England 1918-2003). The Meek’s shared with me that they saw a kinship between my work and Colleen's—a compliment that carried great meaning. While no artist can replace another, I was deeply honored that they believed my paintings shared a similar poetic spirit.

There is another connection that I share with Colleen. Colleen Browning taught at the National Academy School in NYC, where I also taught for nearly a decade. Although we never met, our paths crossed through the same institution, linking our artistic journeys in a quiet and unexpected way.

The Legacy of Colleen Browning

Colleen Browning was a Magic Realist.  Her paintings transformed ordinary moments into scenes of quiet mystery, inviting viewers to linger and discover something beyond the visible world. While she painted many subjects throughout her remarkable career, her figurative and narrative works resonate with me.

One painting of hers that I find particularly inspiring is: “The Great Circus Parade.” Its atmosphere, sense of wonder, and theatrical quality is captivating. Rather than simply referencing it, I chose to make it the visual centerpiece of “Harlequin's Homecoming,” allowing Browning's imagery to become part of a new narrative.

As I painted, I began to feel that my Harlequin (a self-portrait) was doing more than walking through the composition. She seemed to be carrying Colleen Browning's memory forward via the "easel wagon"—inviting viewers to rediscover an artist whose work continues to inspire my own.

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A Conversation with Dame Laura Knight

The second voice within this painting belongs to Dame Laura Knight (English, 1877–1970). Few artists depicted circus performers with as much empathy and dignity as Knight. Her figures were never merely colorful costumes or theatrical characters; they were individuals whose lives extended beyond the performance itself.

The characters in Harlequin’s Homecoming pay homage to Knight’s vision. Rather than portraying spectacle alone, I inserted my harlequin self-portrait into the scene as a bridge between generations of artists—a figure carrying artistic memory from one era into another.

Why I Paint Homages

For many years, my work has explored the lives and achievements of women artists whose contributions deserve continued recognition. These paintings are not intended as recreations of earlier works, but as conversations across time.

Each homage begins with admiration, but it ultimately becomes something more personal. As I paint, I find myself asking how these remarkable artists continue to shape my own vision and what their work still has to say to contemporary audiences.

“Harlequin's Homecoming” is my way of thanking two extraordinary painters whose artistic legacies continue to illuminate my own path. Through one symbolic figure, I hoped to create a bridge between their worlds and mine—a reminder that great artists never truly disappear.

Their ideas, their courage, and their beauty live on, finding new expression through the artists they inspire and new life in the audiences who encounter them.