My "Sateen-Dura-Luxe" series, created in Photoshop was based on  Rabo Karabekian, a character in Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Blue Beard, about a reclusive artist who outlived most of his contemporaries. His contemporaries were the likes of Jackson Pollack, who was killed driving drunk, and Mark Rothko who committed suicide on the day I was born. Karabekian had lost all faith and hope, until he was challenged by a persistent and extroverted writer who helped him see that the meaning we find in life comes from relationships, not from our accomplishments. I think that artists can often become so wrapped up in personal vision that we lose sight of the fact that others. The images are meant to be serene and soothing. The figure who appears in them is my brother-in-law, Cory, who took his own life two years ago after long battles with both depression and alcoholism. Everyone talks about people who die from cancer as finally being free, and not having to suffer anymore. I do not condone or excuse suicide, it is always the wrong choice and injures the family and loved ones more than the victim- be that as it may, I believe that Cory is finally at peace and free from his suffering. These digital paintings were one of my ways of coping with his passing.