Reminiscent of a Vermeer in its composition, this beautifully rendered figurative work focuses the viewer on the two young women, sitting together yet each wrapped in her own thoughts and dreams. The open window looks out on a mysterious landscape. Sunlight from another, unseen window falls, slanting across their faces. What are they thinking about – are they happy, sad, contented…or wishing to escape into that world outside the window?

There are those who may say I just chose this because it’s a cat painting. And yes, I am a cat person, and make no apologies. However—this is an accomplished painting that reminds me of some of the finest American illustrators of the 1950s and ‘60s, who we celebrate at the Hilbert Museum – I’m thinking of Jon Whitcomb and Joe DeMers, to name just two. The woman and her cat have unique personalities, and there’s a simple yet eternal story of love between human and animal being told here.

Confident handling of the paint and an almost cloisonne-like quality captures the eye here, in this image of people coming together for a street celebration. In our pandemic-weary era, we slowly re-emerge into these types of gatherings again. The texture of the paint is as important as the subject matter here, but the colors also work to draw the eye into the scene, with a radiant, warm glow emanating from the very center where the sightlines converge. I’m going to guess this is Italy from the tricolor banner on the left and the dome in the background, but the feeling of togetherness is universal.

Seen through a car windshield in a San Francisco evening rain, drivers and their vehicles converge on the Bay Bridge heading into the city. The scene is spangled with light and reflected light, as street lights, taillights and bridge lights shimmer through a scrim of falling raindrops. The great suspension cables and towers of the bridge form an almost cathedral-like enclosure for this drizzly nocturne.