Three totally different scenes 

Once again I have challenged myself to try different and somewhat unique views. This time I have found inspiration in an old truck, a group of birds by a puddle and four puppies on a farm. I was led to the first, which I entitled Keep on Truckin', by my grandson Ben. It is a scene from the botanical gardens at the University of Tennessee. On first seeing it I knew this was quintessential Americana—folk art. I felt it should be shared with a wider audience that may never venture to the University.      

 

 

Following some unusual heavy downpours, there was standing water in places that don’t often experience it.  All of this water brings joy to the numerous water birds in the area. Their reflections add to the feeling of a flash mob.I simply called this one After the Rain.

 

During a recent stay at Masseria Montenapoleone in Puglia, Italy, I was energized walking among the grapevines, olive trees, vegetables and flowers of this gorgeous resort/farm. Sunny May in Southern Italy does heat up. As the days got warmer, even the playful puppies sought out shade to rest. The peaceful scene helps to relieve all worries. Of course I named this one Puppies and Poppies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

Birds, Dog and Boat

Mixing it up a little this time, I have produced three new pieces ranging from landscapes to portrait. Wooden Boat is another scene from Croatia. I was entranced by the workmanship of this wonderful boat made of wood. It obviously was made by a true craftsman. I hope I did it justice in this painting.

 

 

 

 The portrait is of a friend of one of my daughters. I call this one Best Friends because of the obvious connection between the two. Although I have done a number of portraits of dogs and separately people, this is my first combination. It is the only way to show the love they have for each other.

The third piece of birds at the pond across the bridge a little south of my house I named Reviewing the troops. The line up of all the birds on the shoreline with the one commander in the foreground reminded me of military reviews. I have painted several pieces at this location because the many birds that congregate here always give me another idea.

 Donated photos provide inspiration

With the freedom to travel still somewhat delayed, I am thankful for the photos that family members send me for inspiration. This time I have four new paintings based on photos from my travel agent/photographer daughter and a cousin. Three of them are from my daughter's latest trip to Croatia. The first two have a similar theme. They both feature stairs. The symbolism of rising up resonated with me when I first viewed them. I call them "Steps #1" and "Steps #2".

The third one caught my attention because of the light. I wanted to capture that impression of light from behind with the semi-darkness of the land mass. The feeling of an imminent storm adds to the overall interest. This one is named "Rovinj at dusk".

The last was from a photo that my cousin sent me from his mountain home in North Carolina. He often has visitors such as this one. I titled it "Bear left then right".

 Two new oil paintings and three new watercolors. 

For a number of months now, a new short golf course has been under construction behind the gallery. One day, during the early stages, I noticed that the barriers put in place to keep silt out of the lake were covered with birds. It seemed as though they were watching the activity. Amused by the scene I called this painting "Construction Supervisors".

The other oil painting is based on a photo from my son-in-law's trail camera. I was hoping to capture the feeling of quiet as the buck stared into the misty woods. The title was obvious by his size. I named it "9 Point Buck".

I also painted three water colors recently. One sold the first day it was on display. It was from a local festival several years ago. At that time, I had painted the scene showing the crowd on the street. This time I raised my viewpoint to concentrate on the tower above the trees. I simply named this one "Fernandina Beach Courthouse Tower".

The next one was also based on an earlier oil painting. It shows some of the shrimp boats that were docked locally about twenty years ago. This one is titled "Shrimpers Docked".

The latest one, completed in the last week, is based on a photo from my daughter's latest trip to Croatia. She captured a scene of a sailboat resting in blue water near a cliff. It had such a serene look that I wanted to paint it as "Sailor's Paradise".

Three new pieces now in the gallery

Having been very busy putting together a show for 10 artists at our local homeowners' community building, I neglected to post the latest of mine at the gallery. Now that I have a little more breathing room here goes. 

First is a painting that I have been thinking about for some time. I had an old watercolor painting in my studio that had seen better days. I thought I could redo it in oil for better and more permanent results.  I call this one Beach Hideaway.

The second one comes from a frequently seen scene from our kitchen window. We have a heavily treed lot and so we often get wildlife visitors. One morning I glanced out while sipping my coffee and saw this guy sitting on the back porch railing. Naturally, I named the painting Back Porch Visitor. 

The third piece is of our dog Toby. I felt I had to capture one of his few angelic moments--when he is sleeping with a favorite toy. He has a special love for his pink pig. This one, obviously, is entitled Sleepy Time. 

Thanks to my daughters for supplying inspiration

With the limitations on travel and restrictions on everyday movement, I have become more dependent on the photos that the girls have sent me over the years for painting ideas. Two of the new paintings I have recently completed came from my travel agent daughter. One was from Italy and another from Croatia. Another is of my other daughter's son. I don't remember if she shot the photo. I am just thankful that I have the hundreds/thousands of files to peruse when looking for the next idea.

After finishing the " Young Lovers" that I posted in progress last time, I chose a landscape that featured a stone walled arch. I titled it "Welcome to Croatia". When we visited that country on a cruise a few years ago, I was very much taken by the beauty and charm. I have painted other scenes from that trip. This one is dynamic because of the composition. I think she told me it was from the Split area.

Next, I found a shot in my files that she had sent me 15 years ago. It was from the water looking up at all the colorful buildings in the area of Portofino, Italy. So, I named the painting "Portofino from the Water".

The third painting is of my grandson when he was much younger and learning to play golf. He really seemed to enjoy himself at the driving range. As I worked at trying to show the youthful enthusiasm for the game, the title came to me--"PGA's Future?".

 More work in this unusual year...

Three (almost four) new paintings since last posting. One day while searching for an inspiration, I thought back to a weekend that we spent with friends at their lake house in central Georgia last Fall. We took their boat out and as they were showing us all the sites I snapped a few photos. I pulled the pictures up and decided to attempt a portrait that I have entitled "Captain and First Mate". I presented it to them this week and they were overwhelmed.

Looking for further inspiration, I returned to photos from a trip to Venice several years ago. I had contemplated painting this scene a number of times but for some reason kept putting it off. Now that I finally painted it I'm quite pleased with the result. I simply named it "Grand Canal".

After completing that one I moved on to a more current observation. Our new dog, Toby, spends a lot of time looking out through the glass in the front door. Sometimes he is watching whatever passes and sometimes it is merely his way of telling us he wants to go out. The latter led to the title of this painting Out...Please!?!"

The latest work is almost done. So, here is a sneak peek. I had been approached to produce a wedding gift by a potential client, but had to turn it down due to an impossible deadline. It made me think about the theme and so this will probably be titled "Young Lovers'.

Till next time...