Way Out West

"Way Out West"

14" x 56", oil on canvas

A road that wanders through the vast land known as Big Bend.

A Place to Lose Your Heart?

"Cafe de la Presse"

12" x 12", oil on canvas - Sold

There's much to love about that city on the Bay; for instance, its fine eateries and casual bistros. Its cool summers. July in San Francisco is downright cold. About as cold as January in Houston.

Himself

"Himself"

(Denny Crane)

36" x 36" oil on canvas

As the title suggests, this is one very important cat. His name is Denny Crane, and he belongs to my artist friend, Mary K. Forshagen. Isn't he a fine fellow? 

In my last post, I mentioned my grandkitty, Zoe, who's visiting while her mom is out of the country. I referred to her as sweet and petite. I may have to amend the sweet part; she's kind of on my list right now -- and not the sweet one. I went to a great deal of trouble and expense to install a piece of plexiglass over our wrought iron patio gate so sweet little Zoe could get outside and enjoy the sun. Since we have a seven foot  wooden fence around the patio that should cover any possibility of escape. Right?

Wrong. 

After studying the situation at length, while I was inside the house, Zoe found a way to get to the TOP of the fence. When I heard all the scrambling, I did dash out in time to drag her back down before she could make her get-away. How did she do it? I haven't a clue. Obviously, she's able to leap tall buildings. Did I mention she's now grounded?

New Beginnings

"Pictures at an Exhibition"

(a San Francisco street fair)

oil on canvas - 24" x 48"

Happy New Year! Wow. It's been a while since I've posted. While I can blame a heavy workload for my dereliction of duty, it hasn't all been work at the easel. A couple of studio shows, plus some field research for a commission, plus all that holiday busy-ness has interfered with my computer time -- and my easel time. Oh, and one more little thing: my grandkitty, Zoe, has moved in for an extended visit while her mother (my daughter Carrie) is in other parts of the world. Zoe is a sweet, petite all-black kitty who demands lots of affection, and I am putty in her paws.

Now it's time for new resolve. 2012 is going to be a good year. I'm going to make sure of it. You do the same.

Taos Falls

I'm comfortable painting big; maybe more so than working on small pieces. I find I work faster and somewhat looser with big renderings. Here's one I've almost finished -- meaning I've reached the point where I let it rest  while I try to ignore it until I can go back to critique it with a fresh eye.  Then I'll either make changes or . . . not. If I do tweak it later, I'll post the finished product. Meanwhile, here's how this one has progressed.

Taos Falls

48" x 48" oil on canvas

"Gullfriends" and Grandmas

"Gullfriends" 

(in its original form)

52" x 48" oil on canvas

I'm a sucker for grandchildren, so when a grandma who had bought this painting (it reminded her of her granddaughters) asked me to add another child -- a boy -- to it, I folded.  Of course, it's not as simple as "just stick him in there anywhere." Adding a design element after a painting is completed can destroy the integrity of both the art and the artist. (And I would never make such a change to someone else's work.) It requires rethinking the whole composition for balance and color and -- everything!  In this instance, it also required moving and/or removing some elements and repaintng others.  As with a lot of work, I have to let it sink in a while before I can judge its worth objectively.  I'm happy to report, though, that Grandma was thrilled with the result.

"Gullfriends" 

(with its updated cast of characters)

The painting was photographed at differenct times, with different cameras and lighting, which accounts for the difference in color. 

Lovin' That Luby's

9"x24" diptych, oil on canvas

This painting proves two things: 

(a) inspiration is where you find it, and

(b) cell phone cameras are great for capturing the moment.

Although, it took some effort to adjust the perspective from my photos and make these folks line up correctly in the paintings, it was a fun project. If you're not from Texas, you may not know that Luby's is a popular cafeteria. The two pieces are available as giclees from Gallery Direct.

N. C. Wyeth's studio

While I was in Pennsylvania recently, I visited the Brandywine Museum at Chadds Ford, where many Wyeth paintings are housed -- works by N.C., Andrew, and Jamie, plus a few from the other Wyeth artists. From the museum, I took a tour of N.C.'s home and his studio -- two separate buildings. 

Above is the studio.

Below, his studio windows. 

Would that we all had such a wonderful space to pursue our craft.

Same Song, Different Verse . . .

This painting was done in oil on a 22"x28" black canvas. 

The version below is 8"x10",  gouache on white paper.

A bit different, huh?

The patch of flowers is located -- along with many, many more -- in Harmony, CA.

Noon on Nassau Street

12" x 16" oil on canvas, nfs

What a rip-off! She starts a blog then leaves town. 

Well, maybe she had a good reason.

Like what? It better be good.

Maybe she went to Princeton to see her granddaughter perform Shakespeare.

Oh.

And maybe she revisited some of her favorite sidewalk cafes, like the one above.

Oh.

And now that she has that out of her system, maybe she'll settle down and PAINT.

   (Her granddaughter is definitely going places, by the way.)

Gremlin

Top image: 6" x 6", oil on canvas, sold

Lower image: 8" x 8", gouache on paper

This beautiful specimen of catdom belongs to my artist friend, Anne Laddon, in Paso Robles, CA. Anne says her husband, Jim, is completely devoted to Gremlin, and one can see why. In addition to his world class looks, Gremlin's a hard working ranch hand who takes his job at critter control very seriously.

Board Meeting

12" x 36"

oil on canvas

A blog is born . . . and for my first outing on this daunting path, I'm choosing seagulls. They're wonderful creatures and, I like to think, a bit lucky for me.  In case you're wondering, these fifteen posed tirelessly for me out in the blazing sun at Port Aransas, Texas.