Not Cool

"Cape Neddick"

12X9

oil

Today has been unusually busy for me, starting with my morning walk at 6-something. Now that summer is upon us, early morning is the only time of day that one can possibly bear walking. I can't say that I really enjoy walking, but I do it. I guess for my health. Walking and sweating...yechhh. I'm waiting for the day that some study concludes that walking is not healthy after all. Then I will hang up my sneakers. But I digress...

This is another Maine painting, which (I think) has already been sold. It looks so nice and cool there. Of course, most places are cooler than Texas. That can be interpreted for both temperature and trendiness. It's okay...I can say unflattering things about Texas because I'm a native.

I will admit that there are less cool places than Texas. Arizona for one. I lived in the Phoenix area for about ten years. Summers there are brutal. One doesn't go outside unless one absolutely has to. And if one must walk...one does it at a mall. Discretion has overtaken me...so I won't comment on the relative coolness of Arizona in regard to the other connotation of the word. I don't want to be YELLED AT IN CAPS from my Arizona friends/followers. As I've said before...I am a delicate flower.

 

I'm done with my walking for today. I've driven to the big city of Tyler to run errands today. I've sold a small painting today. I've had coffee with friends today. I'm going to kick back and relax for the remainder of this day in this decidedly not-cool place. I hope the same for you, my friends...there are worse things than not being cool. And I should know.

Monday Musings

"Scott"

9X12

oil

Redheads are fun to paint. And, yes, I did exaggerate the red somewhat. But that's okay...I have a license to do such things. An artistic license. Oh, it's nothing I take pride in. Anyone can have one. Really. ANYONE.

In fact, one of my pet peeves (that should probably be the name of this blog..."Pet Peeves") is that in my two particular areas of skill - music and art - there really isn't a license. No bar to pass. Anyone can buy a guitar, learn four chords, learn a couple of songs, and say with great conviction, "Yes...I'm a musician". In the same vein, anyone can buy paints, brushes, and canvases, take a few lessons - or not - and say, "I'm an artist". I think it's one of the reasons that people tend to not take artists seriously. And I'm no different, really. Every time I do an art show, there are at least a few people who say, "Oh...my mom is an artist" or words to that effect. And I usually imagine a gray-haired little lady painting bluebonnets very badly.

At the risk of offending a few people, I'll continue on my roll. Not just anyone can practice law. There's standard that must be met...a bar to pass. I'm sure some of you are thinking that the standard for being a lawyer is woefully low, but that's not the point. There are requirements that must be met.

I can't just declare myself a therapist. Nor can I prescribe medicine (if I could, I'd prescribe a few good meds for myself). And I can't arrest anyone. That one really blows. I've met quite a few people I'd like to arrest.

I usually don't know where these posts are going to go. This one went in an unexpected direction. All because of the term "artistic license". Sometimes it's hard to be me.

Without going into too much detail about the model for this study, I will say that he's related to me by marriage, and that he's a vet. I always say that, in regard to finding models, I exploit my family whenever possible. They usually work really cheap. Or cheaply. (For the grammar nazis among you)

I've noticed that while quite a few people read these posts from time to time, very few leave comments. Which is okay. But as always...feel free to make your own observations and comments. I will publish them. Unless I don't like them. Kidding. Mostly.

Shoes Dropping

"Untitled"

oil

11X14

You know the expression "waiting for the other shoe to drop"? I've had a shoe-dropping kind of day. Everything's been going along quite well as of late. Until today. I received a text from my property manager (I have a house in AZ with a renter in place) informing me that the A/C has gone out.

I will throw in here that I'm notorious for borrowing trouble. I'm already preparing for a worst-case scenario. So...hopefully it will not be such a big deal, but I'm inclined to imagine the worst. To elaborate a little bit about this house...

In 1999, in the midst of going through a divorce, I visited AZ and while there I bought a house. I know. Don't ever tell me I'm not ever spontaneous. Anyway, I lived there for 10 years before coming back - somewhat reluctantly - to Texas. Since then I have had three different renters in place. Between the three of them, they have (1) changed the locks on the doors without consulting me (2) been perpetually late paying their rent (3) used my house as a daycare - also without consulting me (4)...well, you get the general idea. 

I really don't enjoy being a landlord. It's one of the many things for which I'm not well-equipped. As I write this, I'm waiting to hear from my long-suffering property manager as to what we're dealing with. Any and all advice is welcome, FYI. 

 

About the above painting...it's actually an experiment I tried last year in which I took a photo from a movie still to use as a photo reference - just for grins (it was a slow week). So this is actually a photo from the movie "Bugsy". And now you know, if you were interested in the first place. If you weren't...oh, well.

 

Fingers crossed...when the shoe drops, it won't make too much noise.

"New Castle Lighthouse"

11X14

oil

This post will be short and sweet. Or maybe just short. I'm off in a little while to the big city of Ben Wheeler to deliver several paintings, including the one above, to be delivered to Maine. In case you're unfamiliar with Ben Wheeler...I'm not sure it even qualifies as a small town. To say that Ben Wheeler is a big city is akin to saying that Kim Kardashian is an intensely private and unassuming person.

I wish that I could be in Maine right now. It's only June and the temperature is in the upper 90s. As I've already mentioned...I do not enjoy sweating. No plein air painting for a while. Unless I do it at 2 a.m. I suppose I'll have to resort to what I think of as "pretend plein air painting", which entails standing at the easel in the air-conditioned comfort of my studio, imagining that I'm outdoors. It doesn't really work very well. I never actually lose sight of the fact that I am, in fact, standing in my studio.

Kim Kardashian...now I'm thinking about her. It's like having "the song that never ends" or "B-I-N-G-O" stuck in your head. And now I have both songs AND Kim Kardashian stuck in my head. It's hard to be me.

Three In A Row

"Untitled"

9X12

oil

This must be a record for me...three posts in three days. I just finished (or almost finished...I haven't decided yet) this one, so I haven't thought of a title yet. All suggestions are welcome.

I feel like celebrating tonight. Not that I finished two paintings in less than a week, though that is true and I'm glad of it. No. I've been trying to finished "The Bully Pulpit" by Doris Kearns Goodwin for what has felt like an eternity. Not that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed it. I just haven't have the large blocks of time needed in order to finish it in a timely manner. I finished it today and was pleased to find that I only owed a 25cent fine for turning it in late. 

I took the opportunity to get rid of 25 pennies that have been taking up way too much space in my coin purse for far too long...so all the more reason to celebrate the hard-fought battle to learn everything I ever wanted to know (and more) about Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. 

When I use the word "celebrate", it probably doesn't hold as much meaning as you might think. For me it means that I'll have real salad dressing instead of low fat. Or maybe I'll really splurge and have extra Parmesan AND full fat salad dressing. And I'm pretty sure there's a glass of Chardonnay with my name on it. So...good night. And celebrate when you can, for both real and imagined accomplishments.

Revelations...

"Little Diva 1"

9X12

oil

Before I write on the topic posted, I will say a few words about the above painting. It's of my granddaughter Madeleine from several years ago. I believe that she has abandoned ballet, though she has not abandoned being a diva. Don't get me wrong...she's a very well-behaved child. But she is a person of drama. I wonder where she gets that?

About my topic "revelations"...I've come to a few conclusions about myself. I think it's important to know oneself in order to find one's way. For example, I know that I could never have been an EMT. Or a nurse. Or a nurse's aide. I can't handle gore, grief, or bad odors. Even though I would loved to have been a dancer and bitterly resented the fact that I was saddled with piano lessons rather than ballet, I have long since realized that I could never have been a dancer. I don't have the right proportions. Also I don't enjoy pain.

I have come to the conclusion that I will never really be computer literate. My brain simply objects too much. I will never climb Mount Everest, nor will I ever run the Boston Marathon. I'm too accident-prone. And I like being comfortable. Which brings me to my latest revelation...

I actually realize now that my inspiration for this topic came about as a result of a very simple conclusion. I have been in my 80 degree+ studio trying to paint. I never realized before today just how much I hate to sweat. As previously stated, I like to be comfortable. I really, really do. 

Therefore, I gave up on painting for today, and decided to write a post instead. Please feel free to share your own revelations about yourself.

Getting Back On Track

As the title of this post implies...I'm trying to get back on track with blogging, as well as painting. Anyone who has ever been in the position of managing an elderly parent will understand the emotional and logistical complications of trying to keep up. Or maybe it's a convenient excuse. Or maybe a little of both. Enough of this topic...

I was contacted a few days ago by one of my favorite collectors (you know who you are), telling me that a gallery in Maine wants me to send them more paintings. I'm trying to think of the name of the gallery. Van something...Van Dyke? Van Winkle? Van Johnson?...no. That's not right. Oh, that's right...Van Ward. They want paintings of lighthouses, etc. from that area. Unfortunately, I only have a few photos from that area.  Anyone out there have any good photos of landscapes, seascapes, lighthouses, etc. from Maine?

As a topic of possible interest, having nothing to do with painting, blogging, or old people in nursing homes. Recently I was a temporary refugee from my home, when a fertilizer storage facility caught fire a couple of short blocks from my house/studio. We were all evacuated and couldn't return until late the next afternoon. Very exciting. Very annoying. But I won't complain, since the facility could have blown up, and I would probably not be writing this right now. I would be vapor, I suppose.

I guess this ends my vacation from painting. At least for a while. Back on track. Maybe. Definitely. Hopefully. (please feel free to comment...)

OPEN HOUSE

"Winter's Hope"

9X12

oil

(collection of Dr. Robert Stevens)

As the title of this post states, I will be having an event at my studio/house this Saturday, January 25th, from 4-7. My host will be Dr. Robert Stevens, professor at UT Tyler and avid art collector. Hopefully the weather will be much more hospitable than the painting above might suggest. 

I always say that winter is my favorite season...until it gets below 40. Then all I want to do is curl up under the covers and long for the next sunny day. But ironically - no, make that paradoxically...hmm. Which is more fitting? I'll go with this...ironically and paradoxically, I very much enjoy painting winter scenes. In complete collusion with my personality, I enjoy painting snow in the comfort of my warm, cozy studio.

I apologize for the shortness of this post, but I have lots to do...have to make my studio/house presentable for Saturday...hope to see you there! (Contact me through Facebook or email for directions)

New Year Coming

I've been absent from this blog for a while. Maybe you've noticed. Maybe not. There are quite a few reasons for my absence, the biggest of which is that my laptop has not been working for a while. Thankfully, I'm back on track. I think. I hope.

Some of you are already aware that I don't really believe in New Year's resolutions unless they are easily attainable...such as "I resolved to have more fun"...or "I resolve to sleep more"...that sort of thing. Of course, this is relative to one's own peculiarities. If you don't like to have fun and prefer being wide awake (if you're three, for example), then obviously you would need to adjust accordingly. 

That having been said, I have been giving some thought to possible changes in direction this year...both in my art and in my life. I'm participating in a show at the Panhandle-Plains Western Art Museum in Canyon, Texas. But other than that, I'm wide open.

Part of this mid-life upheaval (okay...I admit that "mid-life" may have actually passed me by, but humor me) is the result of having moved out of my downtown studio/gallery and into an actual house which is big enough for a studio space. So I'm not longer open to the public and consequently, I have more freedom and flexibility. 

I do plan to write more, assuming my laptop doesn't bail on me again. And I hope to publish a book that I wrote a few years back as an e-book, if I can ever figure out how to do that. Feel free to advise.

I'm glad to be back online. I hope that you're glad to have me back online. I would love to have your comments and feedback. By the way, the above painting is available. Contact me for info. Now go out there and have some fun...and get some sleep!

Art Show This Week-end

"Red Kimono"

9X12 oil on canvas

 

As the title implies, I'm going to be in Ben Wheeler this week-end with quite a few small, unframed paintings for sale. If you're interested in collecting, this is a good place to start. Most of the paintings I'm bringing are what I would describe as "studies".  Studies are generally small, and more times than not, unframed and less expensive as the larger framed pieces.

 

I will NOT be in park with a tent. I will be either inside or just outside the "Walking Horse" gallery. For those of you not familiar with Ben Wheeler, it's the blue building across the street from The Forge. If tomorrow's weather is similar to today's...I will probably be inside. I don't care for sweating. As you know...I am a delicate flower.

 

In other news...I'm hoping to take a little trip to New Castle, New Hampshire in July for a private showing. I hope to meet a lot of new people - whether collectors or not - and get lots and lots of photo references for future paintings. And I'll freely admit that the cooler temperature is not without significance.

 

If you've never been to Ben Wheeler (that seems an awkward sentence to say...too many "ben"s for my taste), this would be a good week-end to check it out. And for those who enjoy a nice meal and relaxation (that is to say drinking), there are two nice restaurants in town, both of which have a nice selection of beers and wines. I hope to see you there!