Huddled masses, indeed. Looking around hospital waiting room, I see people huddling together. I see it in newspaper and magazine photos too.

In times of trouble, anxiety and apprehension, in times of anticipation and jubilation, people huddle. They touch.  They clump. They lean towards each other. They congregate in very close quarters.

So I started to paint groups of people. Huddling. Touching.  Talking. Conferring and deciding, reacting and grieving, celebrating and consoling.

Body language is critical in these paintings. People are approachable and inviting, or people are distant and cold. Body language reveals the internal state that is hidden behind the skin. The body language in groups of people is interesting to me…the way we lean in or away from each other, the tilt of a head, the expression on a face.

These paintings are in Search for Self, at the Monterey Peninsula College Gallery. The show opens this Tuesday, November 16, with a reception on Thursday, November 18.