California Blue Jay Map Art

I've become very fond of the blue jays in my backyard.  The other day I set up my camera and took a series of photos of them at the bird feeder.  When I heard about a new contest at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts on "The Map as Art," I used one of my bird photos as a pattern and digitally repainted it with the bay area section of the map of California.  I wanted to try some map art since buying the book by Katharine Harmon on contemporary artists who explore cartography.  One of my favorite pieces in the book is a map collage titled "Swimming" by Brazilian artist Joao Machado.

Bubble Invasion

Trying a new approach with this 12"x24" ink and acrylic painting on canvas.  The inspiration?  - Jogging on the beach in La Jolla one day years ago I was once completely surrounded by a (pack/herd/swarm) of monarch butterflies migrating north from Mexico.  These two folks at the beach are about to have a similar experience - only this time with giant bubbles. 

All American Dad

After I completed an ink sketch of 90 year old E.A. Autrey, his great grandsons (the twins were also visiting) woke up from their nap so I could never finish my picture.  I added in pastel garden foliage and some acrylic American flag stripes later.

I hope I'll be out in the garden still painting when I'm 90 years old!

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.