"Dreaming Big" pays tribute to Elaine Weiner-Reed who paints Gestural Expressionistic paintings. I included my interpretation of one of her paintings as the background of this painting. She told me one time that she’d always wanted someone to do a painting of her lying on bottles of wine. She had even done a sketch of her vision, which had her lying on the bottle tops. Instead the design places her on a cushioned platform that contains bottles below.

Elaine is always dreaming, and her dreams seem big but before you know it another milestone is achieved. I really respect her willingness to continue to reach out, inspiring this painting.

"Dreaming Big" is one of my paintings included in "Portraits of Life: An Ekphrastic Anthology" with poems written by local artists. The book is the rsult of an event sponsored by the Ellicott City Poetry and Prose non-profit organization in conjunction with an exhibition I had with my friend Elaine Weiner-Reed at the Baltimore County Arts Guild (BCAG) Clubhouse Gallery. Take some time to listen to the video I have provided here to hear the poet reading her piece.