"Georgia"

"Georgia"  6" x 8"  oil on panel  2013

Friday Flashback - "Manon" (in progress)

"Manon"  oil on canvas  40" x 60"  2002

As some of you may know, I have been painting theatrical images off and on for many years.  I came by it honestly.  My uncles on my mother's side, John and F. Robert Lehmeyer, were instrumental (no pun intended) in seeing that I was brought up with an appreciation of fine art and classical music.  John was a nationally known operatic director and Rob, aside from his scholarly work as a German Professor, was an accomplished musician, orchestral conductor and operatic translator with more than a dozen published translations.  I, too, contemplated a career in the theater, as a scenic artist.  I never followed that path, as far as joining the union, etc., but I did a lot of local community theatre work as well as work for the Peabody Opera.  I was a supernumerary, back in 1985, during the Baltimore Opera Company's production of La Bohème where I was able to sketch and photograph during rehearsals.  One learned how to paint fast and free backstage, as the carpenters usually didn't finish building the flats and set pieces until three or four days before the curtain went up. You really had to toss the paint!  It's ironic that my work has gotten smaller and smaller as the years go by. Both my uncles are gone and I, alas, am no longer very involved in the theatre.  I sometimes miss the excitement.  I do still have a penchant for the theatrical, at least in my personal life.

"Blue Dog"

 Oil on museum quality Ampersand Gessobord panel
   8" x 8"
  2013
Available

The SPCA is packed with pit bull terriers. Not because they are bad dogs, but because the breed has been deemed "dangerous" by the Maryland State legislators.  Oh, wait...I think I was recently on this soapbox. 

I had a hard time thinking of a name for this painting.  Sadly, I hadn't noted this pup's name when I was there but his soulful eyes speak volumes.  I'm sure he is wondering, "Where am I?  What's happening?  Where are mom and dad?"  Poor boy.  I call it "Blue Dog" because he is sad and blue.  He brought to mind a brown version of George Rodrigue's Blue Dog paintings:

 In the end, his expressive eyes named the piece for me.  If you're not familiar with the story of the Blue Dog, he's on a quest to get back to his owner.  This pit was on a quest to find his perfect family -- one I hope he's achieved.

"La Chien-Fleur"

"La Chien Fleur"   8" x 8"   Oil on Panel    2013

 While painting this pooch wearing an Elizabethan collar, I was reminded of two iconic images.  One was of Marilyn Monroe with her skirt blowing up from the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch.

The other was Picasso's painting of his lover, Françoise Gilot portrayed as a flower in La Femme-Fleur.

Friday flashback - "Connoisseur"

"Connoisseur"  40" x 60"  Oil on canvas  1985

Today's flashback is an early painting from my late eighties "Confetti" series.   I was fascinated by fashion in my formative years and had aspirations of becoming a fashion illustrator.  This collection of collage-like images, all 40" x 60",  flirted with neo-pop and appropriationism.  I learned a lot about the portrayal of luscious fabrics, exotic animal skins, rhinestones and beautiful women from this experience.  I also learned that I hate lettering!  If there is a hell, I'm sure it has a spot in its calligraphy department waiting for me.

"Scared Puppy"

"Scared Puppy"  6" x 8"  Oil on panel  2013

Last week I started a series of paintings dealing with the sad plight of animals in need of a loving home.   There are scores of blogs and rescue group sites out here in cyberspace that could state their cases more eloquently, so I won't go into a long verbal diatribe about the thoughtless idiots who surrender their pets with lame excuses like, "My girlfriend didn't like him," or "He got too big," or "We moved and can't take her."  Don't get me started with the poor pit-bulls, which are turning up in shelters in alarming numbers because the good folks in Annapolis have deemed the breed too dangerous to own.  Landlords are forcing pit-bull owners in Maryland to give up their dogs or move because they are afraid of litigation. Not too long ago it was Dobermans, then it was German Shepherds.  My daughter had a pit-bull named Ginger and she was the sweetest dog ever.  I never lost a minute's sleep fearing for the safely of my two young granddaughters.  Indeed, I felt much safer knowing Ginger was there to protect them.  This little guy at the SPCA seemed reluctant to pose.

Today's Tuesday Tip - "Beautiful Things"

Have you noticed how cheaply things are made these days?  We had an impromptu cherry pie party last week and I bought some red glass Christmas ornaments to fill pie plates as part of the centerpieces. At least that is what I thought I bought.  When I spilled them into the plates, they made an odd sound. They just felt wrong.  On closer inspection I first noticed the seam, then the paint on some of them was sort of wrinkled. Gasp,  they were made of plastic!!   Has it come to this?!  Of course they were made in China, as so much is these days, but I paid as much as I used to pay for the hand blown ones from Germany.  Are our children and grandchildren never going to know the joy of quality craftsmanship?  Alas, I fear it may be so.  Not too long ago, I ordered a gross of faceted purple, green and gold Mardi Gras beads from a company I have dealt with for years; the Mardi Gras Annex. The difference in what was delivered this time and the beads I had ordered just 10 years ago was startling.  The paint was thin and poorly applied and the beads were badly formed.  It is this way with everything!  I challenge you to find a new quality potato peeler, can opener or spatula.  It is impossible.

All that said, I try to surround myself  with things that are not only functional but beautiful and well made.  A case in point:  I have a wonderful clip on my easel to hold my reference photos.  I could have nailed a wooden clothespin on it to serve the same purpose but this beautiful brass clip, from the Kaltenbach and Stephens Manufacturing Company, reminds me that quality and beauty will endure when the disposable crap around us is long gone.

"SPCA Kitty"

   Oil on museum quality Ampersand Gessobord panel
  6" x 8"
  2013

I recently attended a function at the Baltimore SPCA called "Wine and Wags."  I thought it might be a good opportunity to capture some new reference for the blog, as every breed imaginable would be there carousing the dog runs.  It actually was a little too much kinetic happiness, as the frenzied pups dashed back and forth and played with their new found friends.  What I did find was a much sadder tale inside the facility.  Staring back from cages and enclosures were the forlorn faces of people's abandoned pets looking for love. It broke my heart to see these sad little kitties and hear their cries pleading for affection. Don't get me wrong, they are being well cared for at the SPCA and it is a no kill facility so, with luck, they will soon find a new family to love them.  

"Oysters at the Hon Bar"

"Oysters at the Hon Bar"  Oil on panel  5" x 5"  2013

Jonathan Swift said: “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.”  True enough, and I thank him and his bravery, for he paved the way for a life time of enjoyment and fascination with these delicious creatures.  Actually, it was my father who introduced me to oysters.  Dad worked for the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company and was a Legionnaire as well.    It seemed to me growing up that, between September and April, he was always going to some sort of Bull and Oyster Roast.  I remember vividly the day he handed me a rough shell with this slimy grey glob and bade me try it.  At 10 years of age, I was up to the challenge, but with little guidance I just let it slip down without chewing and the whole culinary experience was lost on me.  "Like having a bad cold" was probably my response.  At 60, I have bushels under my belt. (Sadly, this is a literal statement.)

Today's Tuesday Tip - "Blue-Jean Scrap Paint Blotters"

When I am working on a painting, I find that having a blotter to wipe my brushes is quite handy.  Old tee shirt rags are all well and good and also near at hand, but being able to wipe off copious amounts of paint quickly and (somewhat) neatly is helpful to keeping the creative process flowing.  When I wear-out a pair of jeans, I dissect the garment into long squares of folded fabric which acts as a blotter for paint and turps. When one side is dirty I fold it over and over and over until there is no clean side left.  I have been known to use a folded paper towel on top if I am really throwing the paint around.

Today's Tuesday Tip - "The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver

For years I've been using this stuff  to clean my brushes.  I blush to admit that more than once I have let my wet brushes sit longer than I should and have had to work doubly hard to bring them back to life.  This product is a Godsend to absent-minded or just plain lazy artists.  You can also leave it on as a final shaping aid to re-point those fine sables.  According to "The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver website: "Just wet the brush and work up a lather on the hard cake. Even old, hardened oil paint brushes can be restored to their original snap and luster. Brush Cleaner and Preserver works on most acrylics and watercolors, too. It gives off no harmful fumes or odors, and it's safe for use in the classroom or studio."  

I'm not so sure about their claim that it can remove "old, hardened paint," but it certainly works on brushes that have been drying for a day or two.  The photo above is a container that I have had for over 15 years (!) so don't let the price stop you since it seems to last forever.  It also comes in smaller 2 5/8 oz cakes for about 5 bucks.

"Oysters on a black plate"

Oil on panel  8" x 8"  2013

My love affair with oysters continues unabated.  These local beauties, born and bred in the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, were presented here in all their splendor by master shucker, George Hastings, at the Hon Bar in Hampden, Maryland. They were darn tasty, too!

Friday flashback - "Mardi Gras Masks"

"Mardi Gras Masks"  Oil on panel 11" x 14" (approx)  date unknown

This is another one of those paintings that came and went very quickly.  I choose this piece for today's flashback since I had taken a photograph of the set-up for this still life, which will shed some light, pun intended, on how I staged this.  Enjoy.

Today's Tuesday Tip - the "OptiVISOR"

The device at present around my head is known as an "OptiVISOR."  It has interchangeable lenses available in focal lengths from 4" to 20" and costs about $50 depending on the lens.  I use a #5 lens which has an 8" focal length good for 2.5 times magnification.  This piece of equipment is invaluable in the studio, especially if you work on small tight paintings as I do.  It is also good for removing splinters, fixing broken jewelry, reading the fine print or whatever.  I often have a brush stuck behind each ear through the loop which gives me the odd appearance of one of Picasso's fauns.

Friday Flashback - "Cubist Dancers"

"Cubist Dancers"  Oil on canvas 1977

This cubist pas de deux surprised even me.  I recently received an e-mail from a man in Florida who attached an image of a painting that I had totally forgotten I had done.  In the old days, before the advent of digital photography, I kept a seldom-used 35mm Canon FTB camera loaded with slide film to record my paintings for posterity.  I would usually wait until I had a critical mass of 6 or 7 paintings before I would set up the studio lights to shoot them.  Occasionally a few slipped through the cracks due to someone coming to the studio and buying a wet canvas, no film in the camera, pure laziness on my part, etc.  Such was the case with this piece.  The cubist movement has always fascinated me and I was flirting with the concepts of analytic cubism a lot back in the 70's.   This kinetic work clearly had futurist inspiration with a nod to Marcel Duchamp's "Nu descendant un escalier n° 2" as evidenced by the upward movement of the dancer's leg.

Friday Flashback - "St. Sebastian"

"St. Sebastian"  oil on canvas  38" x 54"  1976

I'm fairly certain that most of you have never seen this painting.  It has lived in Birmingham, Alabama for the past 33 years.  I don't know why I refer to this piece as "St. Sebastian," as I am nowhere near sainthood in my personal life and I am not shown here martyred:  bound to a tree and pierced with arrows. It is probably just the light on the torso that makes me think of him.  Actually, this work is more of an allegorical time capsule.  Contemplate this Escheresque concept:  the canvas in the background is the canvas on which the painting was painted.  I vividly remember every little artifact on the shelves and floor, from the stale rum-soaked fruitcake in its foil wrapper to the ecology button just below it to the record albums (remember those?) used to fuel the creative furnace.  I modeled for myself a lot back then, when I was young and fair.  I am more suited to portray Sir John Falstaff or Bacchus these days.  *sigh*

"And then the [artist],
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part." 

Here is an annotated version of the painting:

Today's Tuesday Tip - "Old Brushes"

 

It has been firmly established that I am a compulsive saver. Things that most normal people would have long ago tossed in the bin I hold onto in hopes of finding new purposes for.  A case in point is old brushes.  Many non-artist types would look at these worn out nubs and think they are totally useless - au contraire mon frere!  For a painter of animals, these are instrumental (no pun intended) in creating the effects of fur and feather.  You can't buy these either.  They are created over time and are thus very precious.  Think twice before you throw that old brush out.  I am currently working on a painting of a venerable Jack Russell terrier, whose wiry, aging fur would have been very difficult to paint without the benefit of my old friends here.  You'll see it posted tomorrow.

 

Friday Flashback - "Motorcycle helmet, boots and gloves"

"Motorcycle helmet, boots and gloves"  22" x 16"  Oil on canvas  1998

Done from life back in 1998, this still life typified my other passion - riding.   

"Penny with floppy ears"

"Penny with floppy ears"  6" x 8"  Oil on Panel  2013

I had a go at painting Penny in May of 2012 but she is such an expressive model that I just had to paint her again.  Her eyes would be the envy of Cleopatra and her black headband sets those soulful peepers off with great effect.  Here's looking at you, kid.

Today's Tuesday Tip - "CATS"

Mark Adams with studio helpers JJ, Ella, and Sammy

I'm not talking about Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony award winning Broadway musical either.   I'm referring to the four footed muses that accompany me on my artistic journey.  An artist should always have at least one cat in the studio.  It would be a very lonely place without these furry little imps lounging about.  The occasional cat hair making its way into my paintings is small price to pay for their constant companionship and inspiration.  

Friday Flashback - "Four Oyster Paintings"

Four Oyster paintings   Oil on panel  each 5" x 5"

I'm still working on the format of this blog but it's finally coming together.  I have settled on Friday to feature some of my more vintage work to reflect on, mostly because I like the alliteration of "Friday Flashback."   Oysters have delighted me since I can remember, both painting them and slurping them.  These little gems were a staple during the daily painting days.  Graphik Dimensions (aka pictureframes com) offers these great 5" x 5" frames they call "magnificent minis" for a fraction of their regular per inch price, around 11 bucks a frame give or take.  They are sort of a grab bag, as you don't know what they will send you.  The frames are often very overwrought, which is fine by me. They remind me of when I worked at a frame shop years ago.  I spent my lunch hour chopping the scrap molding into small frames.  I'm sure there are hundreds of them in the catacombs of the basement. Uh oh, there's that hoarding thing again.

"Snaps"

"Snaps"  Oil on panel  8" x 8"  2013

Fresh off the easel is a painting of my neighbors' pot-bellied piglet, Snaps.   He is companion to Blanche, who is a few months older.  He is some pig - terrific, radiant and humble...no, wait, that was Wilbur.

Today's Tuesday Tip - "JARS"

Jars on my rolling work table

Anyone who knows me intimately will tell you that I hate to throw anything away.  I'm not saying I'm a candidate for the reality show about hoarders, at least I don't think I am, although my wife would beg to differ.  I just hate to dispose of things that may have a useful purpose somewhere down the line.  I am notorious about saving boxes and jars.  Once upon a time, when I was a younger man, many of my friends  had infant children who provided me with an endless stream of baby food jars to use while painting.  Turpentine, lacquer thinner, linseed oil, Maroger's medium, etc. all went into those convenient little jars.  I would pour settled turps from one jar to the other like a mad chemist.  I guess I got old, as literally no one I know has babies now.  Do they still make baby food in glass jars?  Anyway,  I found life after baby food jars in the form of other vessels - mustard jars, jelly jars, condiment jars, and old apothecary jars.  The latter are a recent addition to the table and the ones that delight me the most.  Once my turpentine was relegated to the metal gallon container in which it came - not very convenient and rather mundane.  The pharmacy jar, with its little glass stopper,  just pleases me.  Who knows, I may start grinding my own paint someday.

We now return to our regularly scheduled program...

Just when you thought I was back, I disappear again.  No, I haven't fallen back into an artist's malaise - far from it.  For the last week or so I have had house guests visiting from Alabama and Ontario.  As a good host and emissary for my state and country, I felt it my duty to act as docent to the many fine museums the Maryland/DC area has to offer.  I must admit, although I am a member of both the Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art, that it has been awhile since I have really strolled the length and breadth of these fine galleries.  When I go to a familiar museum alone I tend to visit old friends - those paintings that never fail to delight and inspire - seldom venturing into, or merely passing through without a glance, entire wings of work that just aren't compelling to me.  Byzantine, Gothic art, African and Eastern art just don't speak to me.  That said, while introducing the museum to out of town guests, one is obliged to take in the whole megillah.  It was enlightening to see some paintings with a fresh eye.  I have new found respect for artists from the early Italian Renaissance, for instance.  We had a whirlwind tour of the American Visionary Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art.  That is a lot to take in and digest in a week. The Walters and the BMA are small enough that you can see just about everything in one visit but in a really grand museum like the National Gallery you just can't see it all in one visit.  You must pick and choose carefully lest you succumb to visual overload.  I tried to see the entire Louvre in a single day and smoke was coming out of my ears and my eyes hurt.  Anyway, I am back in the studio, my house guests are gone and my creative batteries are fully charged.

Retro Thursday - "Satyr"

"Satyr" - Red and white Conté   8" x 12"

Digging through the archives I found this drawing I did back in '97.  I forget the model's name.  I was taking a photography class at the Maryland Institute College of Art at the time of this reference.  I do remember he was coated in gold paint from head to foot à la Jill Masterson in the movie Goldfinger.  I did a painting or two from this session  as well. In the coming weeks and months I will be airing out some obscure work that has been seen by relatively few eyes.  I hope you enjoy.

Poof, you're gone.

"Poof"  Oil on linen panel  6" x 8"

I was visiting friends this weekend in Hampstead, Maryland who live on a llama farm.  To say llama farm is a misnomer as they also have donkeys, sheep, goats, a pot-bellied pig and a kangaroo.  Oh, and cats - lots and lots of cats.  When I first visited them, I felt like I was on the set of a remake of the feline version of 101 Dalmatians. Not that they chose to have that many cats. They are very conscientious owners, spaying and neutering every one of them.  Sadly, people seem to think that since they live on a farm that it is OK to drop a pregnant female or a box of kittens over their fence in the dark of night. At present they are trying to round up and spay or neuter seventeen new additions that have been deposited on their doorstep. When a cat gets too sick or feeble to reside in the barn, it makes its way into the main house.  It is an interesting collection of old and blind cats, along with a few that were special enough to be brought in on the merits of their scintillating personalities.  They all have names, even the barn cats.  There's Poof and Puff, the Olies - Roly and Poly, Dot and Spot, not the mention Gucci, Channel and Spencer, to name but a few.  The painting is of Poof who sadly had to be euthanized this week.  He had been blind for some time and got around quite well, although you had to be aware of him so as not to step on him. At 18, age finally caught up with him.  Goodbye, Poof.  Tell my Sammy in kitty heaven that I miss him.

Today's Tuesday Tip: WHEELS

 When I say wheels, I'm not talking about my Harley, either.  I'm talking about the kind you put on furniture to roll things around.  Need to clean under your work space?  No problem.  Having a party and need to push things to the side?  Easy Peasy.  Obviously, this tip is for the artists out there but it could be used on anything big that you move out of the way on a regular basis (duh.)  For those of you who haven't visited the studio - this is my work space.  With casters on the key pieces I can expand or contract the essential elements as needed, on the fly.  The mat under the easel is one of those cushy kitchen mats found at Bed, Bath and Beyond - very good for standing during long painting sessions.  Hey, that's two tips today!
 

I have to admit that I sometimes feel like I've landed the lead in an off, off, off Broadway production of Starlight Express.

 Ironically, my daughter, Holly, is an artist out West in Ashland, Oregon who routinely does performance art, painting in acrylics while on roller skates.If you don't know her work, you should check out her site: www.infinitmagicdesign.com/

A Musing - "Old Age"

Actually not so amusing to we who have reached a certain age.  I won't be painting this weekend as we are hosting a celebration of no less than three birthdays here at the studio. Two of the birthdays are milestones.   My brother-in-law, Jim, is turning 50 and my niece 13.  Her father is also celebrating a birthday and I think next year he bests Jim by a decade.  Having reached that pinnacle myself last year, I think we may forgo the black balloons and gag gifts like Geritol and Depends as tasteless and too near the knuckle.  I have for years shared breakfast every Wednesday with a group of six or seven retired art professors who range in age from 75 to 84.  At 60, I am the baby of the group.  The "breakfast club" is a lively bunch of merry men who rotate around town to five or six favorite haunts.  We arrive after the breakfast rush, around 9:30 and linger over coffee, telling oft repeated jokes and stories of past triumphs and defeats.   I say "oft repeated" but I was informed of a standing rule when I was brought into the fold - you were only allowed to tell the same story three times (you got a warning on two.)  I remember the first time, after regaling the others with one of my more amusing anecdotes, Bob smiled seraphically and gently raised two fingers.  So much for being the baby of the group. We tip extremely well and the waitresses are glad to see us and keep the java flowing.  My wife asked me once what we talked about for all these years.  That is a good question.  What we don't talk about is our health, recent operations or the inevitability of the next phase of the journey, if you catch my drift.  After this year I could almost keep up with them, what with my  faux heart attack, cystoscopy and the hernia operation to name a few,  but no, we keep it light.  We are a think tank of creative intellectuals and, like Picasso's group at the Quatre Gats, discuss our latest work, what's happening at the museums or galleries around town and what is wrong in the world. It may move on to who won last night's Orioles game and the lousy bull pen. I have to say that I have learned a great deal from these men and look forward to each Wednesday.  What I have really gleaned from them is a revelation that age truly is just a number.  

"Cloche to you"

Got cats?  Miss having cut flowers on the table?  This may be the answer.  Susan pinched back the coleus yesterday and had in her hand a small nosegay of colorful leaves.  What to do?  Throw them in the compost? Put them in a vase and take a chance the kids will scatter them all over the kitchen at first chance?  Enter the large cloche - the perfect foil for curious cats.  We found these huge cloches at Home Goods for 15 bucks.  Problem solved. 

Hey - I said this is the new, improved blog, chock-a-block full of life lessons, fun ideas and who knows.  I'm making this up as I go.  Heck, I may post my favorite recipes before the dust has settled.  Stay tuned.

"Vincent on a Director's Chair"

Oil on Canvas  22" x 28" (best guess) 1978

 

I said I would try and post something everyday.   Yoda admonished - "Do or do not, there is no try," so here is a flashback from the old theatre days.  Back in the 70's, as some of you may know, I was working with members of the Towson Mime Troupe and the All American Mini Circus.  Those were fun times and many many canvases came out of the studio back then.  This was (and still is) Vincent Valenti resting on a director's chair painted back in 1978.

"Chloe" - redux

  "Chloe redux"  2013  Oil on panel  6" x 8"

Say, haven't I seen this before?  Well, yes and no.  It's true many artists return to an image now and again to explore new possibilities or variations on a theme.   As artists, we (hopefully) never stop growing and one way is to look at something that worked, or didn't work, in a new way.  So it is with little Chloe here.  I had multiple reasons for returning to this image, one was a long ago faux pas that I am trying to set right and the second is academic.  This painting was perfect for me to see the different effects between my old dutch palette with its myriad of umbers, ochres and siennas and my new limited "Zorn" palette of just white, black, cadmium red light and yellow ochre.  Is there a difference? I'll let you decide.  Personally, I find the new piece richer and more "late nineteenth century" than the older work which, while not without charm, lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.

"Chloe"   2009   Oil on panel   6" x 8"

Today's Tuesday tip: BEANBAG ASHTRAY BRUSH HOLDER

There are two kinds of painters out there - those who sit and those who stand while working.  I fall into the later category.  I suppose I kid myself into believing that this makes up for a daily exercise routine. No matter which you group fall into, you have to put your loaded brushes down sometime.  I used to keep four or five charged brushes in my hand at once, fencing with the canvas and switching tools as needed.  When I started painting on a smaller scale I found holding many tiny brushes confusing and unnecessary.  Necessity being the mother of invention, I discovered the beanbag ashtray close at hand was perfect for holding wet brushes.  For as long as I can remember I've smoked a pipe while I work, or at least while I step away and reflect on my work.  A pipe is the perfect tool for artistic contemplation - just ask Norman Rockwell.  I suppose if you don't smoke, you could put art supplies or candy or small change in the bowl.  Another use it serves is a pin cushion.  Why on earth do I need a pin cushion near my easel, you may ask?  The answer is as near as the closest cat, and there are four in the studio.  Forget analyzing the pigments to authenticate my work, the historians will be analyzing the cat hair.  Siamese hair?...this must be from the 1980's or 90's, etc.  Besides, beanbag ashtrays are back!  Very mid-century modern.

They can be found on Etsy and eBay.  Vintage ones just feel better so try and find an old one.  Here's a sample link: Beanbag ashtray

"Rally Girl"

Oil on canvas  22" x 28"

Welcome to the new and improved "Mark Adams Studio" blog!  Henceforth, I will attempt to post on a (almost) daily basis my latest work, older paintings that you may have missed, tips about my process, things I have learned along the way and general musings. What brought this revelation about?  Perhaps it was losing a very close friend last month that reminded me that life is precious and you never know how much time is left on the clock to say all you have to say.  

This painting - "Rally Girl" is something am I playing with at present- model, Amy astride Susan's old 1970 Vespa Rally 180.  I have become quite the scooteristi lately. I still love my Harley, too.