OCTOBER in the studio

This was inspired by when on a hot day we were modeling and I caught David (my son) and his son (Nathan) taking a break during a photo shot.  The piece is called LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (70" x 39").  David was our one child who could (and still can) fall asleep anywhere and any time.  Nathan is the same way.

The next piece was painted for the Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale.  I finally named it LOST HORSE (42"x 20").

SEPTEMBER IN THE STUDIO

September was a busy month in the studio.  Here are a few of the pieces completed.

This 19" x 45" watercolor is called 4th GRADE ROMANCE. I really love the was kids sit.

Albin Veselka came to town to conduct a wonderful workshop on oil painting.  He convinced me to come join in his Plein Air session.  "Come and join us and bring your watercolors" he said.  I told him that I wanted to see what this oil painting was all about and that I would to try it.  Well, it only took about ten minutes to figure out that painting with oils is like painting with toothpaste.  We all had a good time, it was a gorgeous afternoon, the company was terrific and ... the tooth past wasn't so bad after all.

 Last month I tried a piece depicting my son Michael and Nora, our granddaughter.  This is the second in the same series of the "I'm going to do one painting a month just for the fun of it."  It really was fun to do this little piece and now the two pieces are hanging in our home.  I'm sure that some day they'll mean something special to both Michael and Nora.

August 2012

It was a busy month in the studio and on our little farm.  With all the 16 grandkids gone, it's been a little quiet, but it's given me time to get back into the studio.  The first piece I did was a small commission piece called SPRING DAISIES (18"x 18")

                                                                 SPRING DAISIES

The next piece I painted was inspired by the upcoming Presidential elections here in the U.S.  I believe that a typical cowboy, when asked which political party he or she belonged to, the answer would be something like:  "I don't know, I just an American."  So this 33" x 44" painting is titled PATRIOTS.

                                                                      PATRIOTS

 I promised myself that every month I would paint a painting just for the fun of it - not for hire or money.  I did this little study of my six year old granddaughter Nora giving my son Michael a drink of cool water.  I tried to make it look like it was a scene from the early 1900.  It was a fun exercise and I'm anxious to do it again, but much larger (maybe next month).  So here's the painting.

China

In September 2011 Jeanne and I left for a great 10 month adventure in China.  Our assignment was to teach oral English to PHD Engineering/Architectural students at Tianjin University located in Northeast China.  It was wonderful to live on campus among the students and teachers. Our students were delightful – kind, respectful, bright and lots of fun.  We found the language to be “near impossible” – especially for someone like me who is tone deaf. 

Jeanne doing Karaoke with some of the students

The students respected our beliefs and served us no alcohol.

Sam, Tom, Jack, & Jim

The Bike

This is the Chinese symbol for Eternal Happiness

TRAVEL

Jeanne and I took the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the vast land mass of China.  We found China and the people to be extremely interesting and very friendly.  We were so interested with the people that we ended up take over 5000 photos – especially the elderly.  Their deep wrinkled faces reflect their survival of extremely hard times during the Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward (1950 to 1970).  In many cases their countenance also reflect an inner peace now that they live in a relatively secure and prosperous environment.

Dr. Seuss Mountains–Li River in Southern China

CHINESE PAINTINGS

I took the chance to do some quick, small studies of the Great Wall, indigenous people from Southeast China and even a charging Rhino.  I am anxious to do some full size China paintings – especially a very large one of the Great Wall of China located in a remote area of Tianjin Province in Northeast China.

STAR WARS

I had the privilege of being asked by George Lucas to create an image for the new book he was planning on publishing. He asked me to create a new bounty hunter holding a light saber. I designed a new lights saber and then asked him, "How does a bounty hunter end up with a light saber?" His response: "He kills a Jedi". Here's the piece that was included in the book "STAR WARS IMAGES". He liked it so much that he bought the painting. It's over five feet long and about three feet high.

Sand Creek Arch

Last year I was commissioned to design and build a forty foot arch over Main Street in down town Sandpoint, Idaho. Sandpoint is historically a fishing community and tourist town. My proposal consisted of using recycled materials - used highway signs for the fish and used steel I-beam pilings for the structure. There are 92 fish swimming over Main Street now. Many of them are pivoted so that they move in the breeze, giving the illusion of a swimming school of fish. It was a fun project.

Two New Pieces

This a painting Nelson just finished and sent to Morris and Whiteside. It's called FISH'N. Ask our son Michael, the model how cold the water is, Nelson didn't paint the goosebumps.

This is not a model but a true authentic cowboy thus the name AUTHENTIC COWBOY. A few years ago we were able to participate in a large roundup on the Utah/Idaho border and got some great photos. He is the real thing.

Any Opinions?

So here is the big boot that Nelson painted off the red background study from my last post. There are no shadows to ground it but the leather is remarkable. The painting is six foot long.

This is the boot with the red background. It was a real challenge for Nelson, he just couldn't get a deep enough red to satisfy him. I loved it, even serious art can have an element of fun and red is a great color. I always say it's the only "true color". The kids gave mixed reviews and Nelson was so so. He sat on it for a week and decided the red just wasn't right so he went with a dark background.

I have to admit the background really lets you focus on the leather which is some of the best he has ever painted. The ground shadows are there but the photograph doesn't show them well.

I would love your opinions.

Playing With Color

Nelson has been using color in some different and bold new ways. This is a small study he finished this week . He has started the large piece and is getting close to working the red background. He will be using the deep red on the left over the entire painting.

Beautiful

This is a piece of animation our son Michael shared wih us. We loved the simplicity and beauty of the work. http://conteanimated.com/the-animation/