A dog, a donkey and a couple of beachbums

Three new paintings this time. The first was inspired by a photo of my daughter and son-in-law's dog Charlie. He is always eager to participate in any activity. When they had a new bar put in their basement, they decided to take a photo of Charlie sitting at the bar. It reminded me of an old joke and that became my inspiration for "A Dog Walks into a Bar....." 
The next one is the second painting I have done of a very outgoing donkey that I met in Canada. He and his companion goat were in a walled-in courtyard of a church in Quebec City. When I walked up he rushed over to see me. His expression said that he would like to be buddies. So, I called this one Be My Friend.

The third painting is a reworking of one I did a number of years ago. It depicts me and my grandson walking to the beach.
(He is now 21 years old). Back then he was full of anticipation for his first trip to the ocean. I simply call this one Walking to the Beach.

Remembering Maddie...

The past months have been both traumatic and productive. We lost our beloved cockapoo, Maddie, to lymphoma almost two months ago. She is sorely missed. I still half expect to see her coming to sit in my lap or sleep next to me. Only in the last couple of weeks I have felt ready to do a memorial portrait. It will hang in a special place in the house.

Only a couple of weeks later, I underwent a total knee replacement and have been housebound dealing with the pain and rehab. But, I have managed at the kitchen table makeshift studio to complete three new paintings for the next show.
The first is from a scene I spotted on the aft of a cruise ship as we were sailing in the Atlantic off Spain a couple of years ago. As I wandered the deck and came upon these hitchhikers I immediately thought of a title, Stowaways. 

The second was from a park scene that I think I must have gotten from one of my daughter's photos.
I found the interactions between both the dogs and the people eye-catching. I named this one Here's looking at you.

 





The final one is from a wine tour cruise we took about five years ago.
We had made port in Malaga, Spain and were touring local villages. As we walked the quaint streets we came upon an outdoor cafe that captured my attention. Both the characters who were seated there and all the blue flower pots hanging on the wall called out for a new painting. The title was obvious,   The Blue Pots.

It's Spring Again...

The weather is getting warm again and the three new paintings are all outdoor images from here on the island. First is one that I call Dinner? I was glancing out the window of my den/workout room and spotted this fellow on a plant nearby. Although I realized that he was just enjoying the warmth, I decided that he needed an incentive for being there. So, I added in the dragonfly.

The second painting is based on a marsh scene from one of our parks here. I thought the small island out in the marsh grass would make a nice landscape and so I painted it as I saw it. After finishing, I felt there was something else needed to make it more interesting. After much thought I added in the egret flying by. I named this one simply Island Fly By.

The last of the three is also from the same park.
We have a community picnic and celebration each year with food, games, and music. I often take photos of the bands that play to see if I can find some interesting angles or characters. At the last one, there was a band with a number of members playing--at least six or seven or more. The members that grabbed my attention were these three on one end of the stage. Obviously, I call this painting The Boys in the Band.

Mostly local...

Four new paintings have been completed since my last posting. Having stayed close to home most of the past year, I looked for inspiration in the local scene. Two of the paintings are early morning scenes from a tidal pond just over the bridge from our island. I spotted them while riding my bike south to the trail on Big Talbot island. The first one I call The Gathering. So many different kinds of birds in one place without disharmony seemed almost idyllic.   

 

The second I named Morning Activities on the Pond. Lots of birds. Some exercising. Others waiting for breakfast. All enjoying a beautiful morning.

After painting those, I went back to my photo files from overseas trips to find an image of sheep that had come to mind. The title was rattling around in my head even before I found the picture. It just had to be One in Every Family. I had a lot of fun thinking about that while painting these guys.

Next, while wandering on the trails of our local park, I spotted what looked to me to be an island in the sea of marsh grass. Obviously, the title had to be Marsh Island.

I enjoyed painting all of these and am already starting on another interesting subject.