Short Turnaround 

It has only been a couple of months since the last rehang of the gallery, but the group decided to move up the next new show in order to have fresh work for Spring Break and holiday visitors. Unfortunately, that meant I only had a couple of new pieces finished. The two pieces are very different from each other. One has some humor attached and the other is rather pastoral.

Who's in Charge
 Based on a photo of one of my daughter's newest cats, this is a light hearted study on determining who is the Alpha.

 

 

 

 

 Planting Hay

The other is  from my other daughter and son-in-law's "rural" property in Maryland. Each year a local farmer plants and harvests hay on some of the land. The bucolic country scene spoke to me of renewal and replenishment.

I have been frantically working on another large piece, but it won't be finished in time for the rehang. Look for it in the next posting.

More from the Galapagos

 The trip we took this past summer to the Galapagos Islands gave me a wealth of inspiration. I have completed three more paintings for the next gallery show. Hiking through the rocky terrain on one of the islands we came upon a number of marine iguanas. After they come out of the water, they climb on the warm rocks to rest. They seem to have no fear of us. This guy seemed to be saying hello. I decided to call this painting Welcome to My World.

On another island we took a tour to a farm where the giant tortoises congregate at that time of year. There were hundreds of them all around us. This one was resting under a tree. Hence the name Under the Lemon Tree.

 The third piece was from a different island. There are a lot of unique birds in the Galapagos, but I was especially moved by this scene of a pair of swallow tail gulls nesting in the sand. His manner of caring for her--protecting--feeding gave me a title Devotion.

Bucket List Trip and another (plus one)

This has been a busy travel year. In May we went to the Puglia region of Italy and had a great time using an "Agri-resort" as base to explore the region. Then, in August, we finally took a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands that I have had on my bucket list for years. As always, these journeys spurred on the creative process. Two of the paintings from Italy were in the last posting. A third one is this which I simply call Biking Italy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The other two were from the travels through the various islands of the Galapagos. First is of three blue footed boobies I encountered during a zodiac excursion. I named this one  Three Amigos.

                                                           

The last was on a beach on one of the islands. The dominant male sea lion can be quite vocal in giving orders to his harem and to visitors that encroach on his territory. This one is titled Just Sayin'.

 One other piece that I just finished was a rush commission job for a long time client. They wanted to present a departing neighbor with a painting of the house they were leaving. They only had a couple of weeks before departure. Due to the short tie period I had to choose watercolors for quick drying. Rushing through painting, matting and shipping, I neglected to photograph the final piece. However, here is an earlier study I did in the planning stage.

Two Antiques and Another Memorial

 A recent family vacation in southern Italy led to discovery of antiques that inspired two new paintings for the next gallery show. The first was a very old photograph that made me think about doing a value study with only one color…raw umber. I thought that would give a similar look of an antique photo. I was very pleased with the result and named it A Study in one Color.

                                                                            

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The second inspiration came while wandering around the barn area on a farm resort. There were a number of old wagons there, but the one that caught my eye was a unique bicycle delivery vehicle. I conjured up a scene where it would likely have been used. This one seemed to name itself Essential Transportation.

 

 The final piece will not go to the gallery as it is a commission. One of my fellow artists who happened to see me working on it decided that I should be known as the memorial artist as I have done a number of these for folks who have lost their furry family members. I find that I really enjoy working on them and the reactions that the final piece brings…smiles, tears and such…provide me with longer lasting value than any money received. I call this one Mutual Love.