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.

It's almost November and summer has started to fade away

Three new paintings completed during the summer heat are ready for the Fall show. The first one I call Welcome to Tranquility. I had come across a photo of an old farm that spurred several ideas. I especially liked the way the dirt road led up to the barn and at first thought I would place an antique vehicle on the road. After playing with that idea I decided that it didn't add what I was looking for, so I explored adding different animals to the scene. I think my final selection works with the peaceful environment.

Wherever I travel I shoot photos of local scenery and wildlife.
I had shot pictures of ducks in several locations and thought I might combine a couple to tell a story. As I thought about putting these two together I wondered what the plainer one might think of the other's fancy feathers. I named this painting Fancy Outfiit.

The third one is The Margaret Todd. As our cruise ship sailed out of Bar Harbor heading for Canada, we passed the Margaret Todd with her eye-catching brown sails and sleek design. The number of folks on her decks in the cool Fall weather led me to believe she was a party boat headed out for an evening cruise. I wanted to capture the joy and excitement of such an outing.

Time for another August show. This time called Summer Reigns. Three new pieces are ready for entry. The first is a revisit of one of my favorites. This is a little different from the last time I painted it a few years ago. Using a slightly different angle and introducing a new character, I painted the Queen's horse guard and named it On the Way to Buckingham. Again, this stemmed from a chance encounter on one of the side streets leading to the palace. Obviously, they were on their way for the changing of the guard. I was taken by the pageantry and discipline of both the men and their horses.
I hope I captured at least some of that.

The second, Fun in the Park is from the time I was in the Canary Islands last September. While spending a week in Santa Cruz de Tenerife , I would wander through a magnificent park near my hotel daily. Parque Garcia Sanabria is a true oasis in the middle of a city. It is a  botanical garden filled with all manner of trees and flowers along with fountains and statues. One day I sat on a bench for a long time watching this little dog truly enjoying himself with the game of chasing pigeons. His owners seemed almost oblivious to his antics as they rested in the shade. I tried to capture his exuberance.

The third is from a photo my daughter took while we were in Boston for my granddaughter's college graduation.

I find old bridges like this one interesting not only due to their solid, lasting construction, but also from the great patterns that their stone make up reveals in both the bridge and its reflection. This tranquil scene exists in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of Cambridge, Mass. I call this one Stone Reflections.

Entertainment + Fun and a Meeting

Almost time to change the art at the local gallery. I have three new pieces ready to go. Actually, I'm just about done with a fourth but I will save that one for another show. Two of the three are new subjects and the third is a revisit of a scene I painted several years ago. Those first two are based on reference photos supplied to me by one of my daughters who is always ready to send me new material. One is from  snapshot she took on a New York subway ride. An older gentleman was entertaining passengers with a drum solo. Apparently, he is a retired music professor and enjoys performing. I call this Subway Music. I painted this one on a linen covered panel to best achieve the smoothness of the skin.

 You wanna turn? is from a photo taken in a Boston park by the same daughter. I liked that on an obviously crisp day people were out enjoying the park. The posture of the young boy said to me that he was trying to share the fun. The cold, drab day wasn't going to dull his excitement.




The third piece, Lords of the Pond, is another study of the turtles that inhabit the pond behind the gallery. Every time I'm in the gallery I check out the back view to see if they are out enjoying our Florida sunshine. They always seem so serious --as if they're holding a meeting.