This was one of Rafael's first "Fish Paintings". When he sent it he asked my critique and I told him I loved the Happy Mood of the Fish and that they reminded me of him; Always busy and doing interesting things and his amazing ability to be so many things as though he himself were a group so diversified he was.
This painting Rafael donated to the Parkinons' Foundation for Auction along side those of Muhammed Ali. Some of the Paintings would bring in as much as $20,000.00 for the benefit of raising funds for Research for Parkinson's Disease. Rafael died before I could find out who the lucky person was who bought this painting and how much the Bid was for. If anyone knows please email me. Thank you.
A very first "Fish Painting" created for a friend named "Sticky".
This Painting makes me laugh because it really isn't a Salmon, it's a Gold Fish that Rafael had in his Fish Tank that he named his Salmon Fish.
This Painting was done around February or March 2002 close to the time that Rafael died. It was originally emailed as a pose atop his Washing Machine. Rafael loved to Paint near his Washing Machine. Near the end every action became more difficult for Rafael and I began to Crop the pictures for him cutting out the washing machine in the background. Eventually Rafael would lie on his carpet and paint. He woud laugh about all the myraid colors of his carpet but felt it was not important that the carpet was ruined forever. It was a signature left behind.
Uncut and Uncropped you can see how Rafael worked. This Sea Anemones was his very first Sea Plant Painting but also his last. It was remarkable the subject matter Rafael would choose and nothing was off limits.
Everything in this painting was so perfectly placed and symmetrical. It was a Perfect Sea Scene.
This was a last Painting sent by Rafael. It was the dead of winter in New York. Rafael spoke of the cold hurting his neck and that the winter's were the worst. Perhaps the only way to escape the freezing cold was in beautiful Idyllic paintings like this.
You never knew how Rafael would paint his Water Scenes. This one was more calm but still overpowered the land.
