Portrait of Jenny

New oil painting 8x10 is from a 1977 sketch of friend Jenny Paradies.  Above composite includes a head & enlarged heels.  Seems a perfect picture for Halloween!

Contraption

Done for Illustration Friday

Repainted Back Garden 3

It was observed, correctly, that I tend to paint inside the box.  It's true - the mathematical side of my brain loves things to be neat and tidy.  I heard the artistic side of my brain crying out to be freed from the tyranny of my organized self and repainted this 24"x18" oil on canvas which used to look like this.  I like it better now.

Chicken in San Francisco Bay

Well this chicken is doing my first ever Marin Open Studios Saturday May 7th and Sunday May 8th from 11Am to 6PM.  More info available at the Marin Arts Council website.

My Back Garden - A Transition from Detail to Abstract (in reverse order)

The Garden

Latest oil painting! 

Dragonfly Vase with Scanned Brooches

This is number 4 in my series of vases with scanned objects.  I've been collecting brooches for years - some going back to my childhood.  Now that I don't have a place to wear them and show them off (ie an office) I'm happy to be able to use them in this digital floral arrangement.

The vase is from one of the glass studios in Benicia, CA.  Here are links to some of the studios worth visiting there:
Nourot Studio
Lindsay Art Glass
Smyers Glass

What Me Worry?

2010 New Year's Resolution:  Have more fun, worry less.  Good advice from MAD Magazine's Alfred E. Newman.

This is the 3rd in a series of vases filled with scanned objects - in this case a few of my oil paint brushes. 

Red Vase with Marbles

This is the second in a series of vases filled with scanned objects.  The red glass vase was given to me on my 60th birthday.  It is now filled with scanned glass marbles I've had since the 1950s.

Toy Story

New 8x10 oil on canvas still life painting.  I've had the truck for years but recently added a menagerie of bird toys bought at Susan's Store Room.

Sister Susan

Another portrait in the style of Alice Neel, this time using her portrait of Andy Warhol as reference (view the New York Times linked slide show to see the image referenced).

My biggest critic says of this 12x16 oil painting "That doesn't look like your sister.  I think you should give up on portraiture."

I agree Susan is better looking than this painting (as can be seen from the photo below) and she was never in this hotel room in Paris (I was, in 2003) but I kind of like this painting!

Amber

As an assignment in Chester Arnold's painting class at the College of Marin, I chose to paint a portrait in the style of Alice Neel.  The original image (see below) was a B&W photo of Amber taken in 1984 before a ballet recital put on by Virginia Stapleton's ballet school.  The photo was taken by the very wonderful Art Kaye who sadly passed away this year.

Poppies in Ceramic Pots

The final version of this painting is now live with some other new oils at Redcrow Artworks.  I repainted this background three times! 

Blue Window, Paros Garden

Decision vs Indecision

Once Kathleen Price and I moved to an apartment in Aliki and no longer had a clear view down to the ocean my paintings got a little more introspective - but they still have the islands that can be seen from Paros, Greece in the background.  The question at hand was whether to follow the rolling star ball to new adventures or stay static and do nothing.  Fortunately the rolling star ball won the day!

Aliki Harbor

The center of the little fishing village of Aliki (on the island of Paros, Greece) is the harbor where numerous fishing boats ride the water near outdoor restaurants and a sandy playground for children.  Apparently Tom Hanks and friends make the occasional appearance, when he comes over to the bigger island from his vacation house on Anti Paros, but I did not see him while I was there.

Remarkable Greeks in Lefkes

One day during our Greek vacation, my friend Kathleen Price gathered up her computer and I my art supplies and we drove our rental car up towards the center of the island of Paros to the village of Lefkes.  After wandering through the picturesque narrow alleys of town we discovered a restaurant with outdoor tables sheltered from the sun in a little patio area.  Unlike most restaurants in the USA, in Greece the staff seem happy to have guests stay for hours.  After dining on a delicious meal of freshly baked bread, tzatziki, grilled Mackerel and Greek salad, Kathleen set up her computer (the restaurant had wi-fi) and set to work on her novel and I proceeded to draw and paint the view from our table.  We stayed there 4-5 hours.  With tourism down in Greece as a result of the disturbances in Athens, we were the only guests at the restaurant so had a chance to talk with the owner.  It turns out he had had a successful career working for General Electric (GE) and in his retirement had returned to his home town to open and run a restaurant.  He and his wife were delightful - good cooks, good hosts and genuinely nice people which made our brief encounter truly memorable.

Greek Clouds

There wasn't much to do when I was in Greece - as in working, shopping, partying, watching TV, etc.  But there was a lot to do that I don't normally do - like spend hours looking at the clouds in the sky.  I strongly recommend it!

Paros Bird

As Benjamin Franklin observed: "fish and guests stink after three days."  Having worn out our welcome in the hills of Paros, it was time to head to the beach.  This wild-eyed bird painting was done with a blank box waiting for just the right words for the occasion.

Speaking of fish, check out the new post at "What to Love."   Although the food and wine were great in Greece - for variety and organics there is no place like home.

Paros Potted Plant

Last painting from the hills of Paros, this potted plant had a great view from its perch on the white marble whitewashed pillar to the sea miles below.