"Sammy"

Oil on panel  - 8" x 8"

It seems odd to sit here knowing there is no place to put my work anymore.  Well, to be fair, there is still facebook and this blog.  I was speaking more of an internet commerce site.  Five years ago I became involved with the daily painting movement - a collection of artists motivated to paint and post a painting every day of the week and some weekends as well.  Those familiar with this blog know that I failed miserably at the "daily" part. I did post 149 entries in 2008, less in 2009 and continued to fall off from there.  It's not that I couldn't have done something everyday but I didn't merely want to dash out a piece just for the sake of saying I showed up.  I think it's like Cal Ripken's continuous 2131 game streak or better yet, Lou Gehrig's.  It may be blasphemous to say but I suspect there were days when the manager put them in for one "at bat" just to keep the streak going.  I am going to miss my fellow painters at www.dailypainters.com.  Some of them were stellar and did manage to produce quality work on a more or less daily basis.  I endeavor to become more disciplined in the coming months.  Hopefully, with better time management, I can do both gallery work and some small pieces.  

It's fitting that my farewell piece is my boy Sammy looking wistfully out the studio window.

"JJ on a leather sofa"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel - 8" x 10"

Just for fun.

Sammy upside down and happy

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 6" x 8"

My boy Sammy was vying to be on the blog again so how could I resist? Although my wife disagrees, I think the background looks like a roaring volcano or the flames of Hades. Sam has a little white bib and a white tum with he is obviously proud of, as he is fastidious about keeping it snowy white.

"Williwaw"

Oil on museum quality Ampersand Gessobord™ panel - 8" x 10"

I was recently commissioned to paint this heroic and fantastically fortunate cat - Williwaw. After reading his adventures on the high seas you will agree he is the luckiest of cats

The Story of Williwaw

By Linda A. N.
December, 2008
Rotterdam, NL

Nothing short of a miracle describes the survival of Williwaw. Williwaw (Willi) is our tiger cat who has lived with us aboard our 36' sail boat for the past seven years. We (John and Linda) moved aboard our boat in 2001 and spent the first two years cruising the east coast of the States and the Bahamas. It was in 2003 when we crossed the Atlantic that our incredible incident occurred.

On the third night of the passage we were experiencing the typical fatigue from sailing shorthanded. We were on our way from West Palm Beach Florida to Bermuda. The weather was overcast but calm, there was no moon that night and we were motoring along just fine at 5.5 knots in these conditions. With three hours on and three hours off watch we were still adjusting to our off shore schedule. At 3:00 am John was on watch but had dozed off, only to be woken with a timer that we used as insurance to awake us every 10-15 minutes to check the horizon for shipping traffic. John was ready to change watches with me and noticed that Willi was not in the cockpit where he had been sleeping earlier. He called down below to wake me up for my watch and asked if Willi was keeping me company. I got up, still tired from only three hours of sleep and looked around for Willi. It was not unusual for him to find a warm and peaceful place to get a cat nap. With John on deck and me below we searched the entire boat. I was beginning to panic with each minute that went by and no cat to be found. After several more minutes, we decided that he was not on the boat and we didn't know when or how he could have gone in the water.

There is almost no chance of finding anything in the water in the best of daylight conditions when you are out to sea. We were also about 200 miles north of the Bahamas where there is always a possibility of sharks. Without speaking to each other we knew in our hearts that we would not find Willi. I was overwhelmed and on the verge of shock. It was darker than one can imagine; you could put your hand in front of your face and not see it.

In the meantime, John intuitively looked at the compass course and time as we were searching for Willi. John turned the boat around to follow the reciprocal course. We both knew we would not find him but we could at least make an attempt. We motored back about five minutes. Called out, we heard nothing. We motored another five minutes and called. John could hear something very faint in the distance. It could have been anything but most likely his imagination. We went another few minutes in the direction of the soft noise. Called again, we could hear a muffled MEOW. Now frantic to find him before he drowned or was lunch for a shark we continued to start and stop in the direction of his meow.

Earlier that evening during my watch, I had been listening to the short wave radio to try to stay awake. There was a BBC Nature minute about the reflective nature of cats eyes. Now still in my state of panic to find Willi alive I remembered this and got our strongest spotlight. Shinning it in the direction of the noise, we could just barely see one of his eyes in the distance. Now with a better route to head toward, I put the boat in gear and throttled up as fast as it could go. As we first approached our frantic cat, the boat was moving too fast and could not slow the boat down fast enough. As we passed him, I was sure our boat wake would drown him. We made a second attempt to reach him and after failing again, I threw a cushion into the water, it was one of the few things not tied down during our offshore passage. Willi was able to hold onto the cushion making it easier to both see him and eventually retrieve him from the Atlantic.

The next thirty hours exhausted Willi regained his strength and appetite. It was truly a miracle we could find him and see his eyes shining from the light through the darkness in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The remainder of the trip to Bermuda was uneventful for Willi. My mom Joyce met us in Bermuda along with several cat harnesses; we still had over a thousand ocean miles to go offshore before our destination of Portugal.

Since then we have traveled from Barcelona Spain throughout the Mediterranean to France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Malta, and Tunisia. Then in 2006 we pointed our bow to the north and headed through the canals of France to England and now (December 2008) the Netherlands.

Willi remains our devoted companion. He makes new friends wherever we go; his newest ones are the two fifty pound dogs of the harbor master. His Dutch is improving every day!

"Sammy with pumpkin"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 8" x 8"

It's raining cats and dog...well, OK, just cats, in the studio lately. Hey, can I help it if I have a ready supply of willing models at my beck and call? Alice Thompson's Calypso Moon Art Movement has challenged us to paint a Halloween themed painting this month and my Sam seemed like a good fit. He has been unhappy with J.J. getting all the attention lately and was an eager model. Well, it helped that I sprinkled the pumpkin with catnip. He implored me to paint out his little white bib and white underbelly but I couldn't do it. It just wouldn't be Sammy if I did.

"Cleo"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 6" x 6"

Like ordering a Cosmo at a bar, it takes a truly manly man to paint puppies and kittens. I really wasn't going for the cheap shot with this piece - honestly. I was grabbed by the Tissot-like back-lighting on this little imp. My friends Sherry and Joe just adopted two sweet sisters from the S.P.C.A. These gregarious girls, Cleo and her litter mate, Iris, couldn't be cuter if they tried. Cleo was clowning around on the landing stairs and her aura of light and amusing expression was something I deemed paint worthy, if just a silly bit of fun.

"Leo in the sunshine"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 6" x 8"

Here is Leo once again in happier days relaxing in the morning sun. Sadly he recently crossed over the rainbow bridge after nearly two decades as my friend Stephanie's constant companion. I have been sitting on this reference for a while, waiting for the right time to use it. I've been in an artistic funk (again) and he has helped me through it. Thanks, Leo!

"JJ with Sunflowers"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 8" x 10"

What, you were expecting a motorcycle piece? That would have been the logical choice but as you know, I am not a logical guy. I like to keep you guessing and JJ was lobbying for some face time. He was channeling his inner Van Gogh and I thought it only fitting to oblige him. The cerulean blue ribbon dissecting flora from fauna amused me.

"Bean"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 8" x 12"

Talk about stepping out of my comfort zone - first landscapes and now interiors. I have had this commission in the queue for months and finally decided to tackle it. The intense light and fauvist color allowed me to have more fun than usual. Bean was my friend Kim's longtime companion and was once given an opportunity to spend some time in the Virginia countryside. Once home, being a city girl and not free to roam, all she could do was wistfully dream of her days chasing butterflies from her SoWeBo windowsill.

"Big Yawn"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 5" x 7"

My wife isn't the only one who objects to the ghoulish nocturnal creative hours I keep. J.J. plainly feels that my time would be much better spent in bed, with the electric blanket on high and him under my arm under the covers. Clever cat that he is, I may adopt his suggestion in short order. Just when I got use to spring, winter has come back to Baltimore and there is a real chill in the air tonight. I'm sure I will miss this weather during the dog days of summer but now - not so much. It could be that J.J. is merely bored with my artistic pursuits. Hopefully he will perk up when he sees himself starring in the blog tomorrow.

"Sammy in the Sunshine"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 6" x 6"

Sammy has probably been thinking 'Hey, what am I chopped liver,?" since, hitherto, he has not been represented on this blog. J.J., Ella, and even little Shirley have all made it to stardom, but not Sam. It's not that I didn't think him worthy -far from it. Painting a black cat presents an artist with an interesting challenge. More often than not they are just a big black blob with piercing green eyes. Sitting in the sun changed that perspective and all his subtle coloration came to the fore and he positively glowed. Like Sammy says - "I gotta be me."

"JJ" - no, not my JJ

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel - 8" x 10"

Before I got swept up in the great move and before the back to back blizzards of 2010 I was loosely commissioned to paint this magnificent Ragdoll. After yesterday (sorry Tig) I thought it might be time to splash around in this feline's fantastic white mane. Besides I have a soft spot for any cat named JJ.

surprise!

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel - 6" x 8"

More to say about this painting tomorrow.

"Abbey"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel - 6" x 8"

As promised - this is Jake's friend Abbey basking in the afternoon sun. I had mixed feelings about included her intense red collar but I think I like it.

"Ella with Hydrangeas"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 8" x 10"

The cat formerly known as Dino (before we realized he was a she) is part of the rat pack of kittens we adopted last spring. She has turned into a real love and is quite smitten with JJ. She dogs his every waking (and sleeping) moment, much to his consternation. I call her Ella because she reminds me of the paintings in Robert Motherwell's Elegy series. I fear we will never be able to have flowers inside again because the rat pack seek and destroy any flora (and small fauna, i dare say) that comes into the house. Ella got a chance to check these pretty hydrangeas out before the tempting bouquet was sequestered in the powder room for the night.

JJ - "bunny pose"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 6" x 8"

It has always been hard for me to get back into the paint after a hiatus of a week or more. All those self doubts rear their ugly heads and I stand before the blank canvas wondering if I can still make the magic happen. JJ, my constant companion in the studio, has once again been my inspiration and my familiar back to the muse. I'll never understand the mystery of the creative spirit. Ours is not to reason why.

"Roscoe"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 6" x 6"

I don't always have a back story when reinterpreting someone else's reference. I just really liked this guy's Walter Matthau impression. I was surprised to discover that Roscoe was a Maine Coon, given up for adoption at 6 months of age due to the fact that he didn't have the classic long thick coat. I've been told he does however have all the other typical traits of a Maine Coon, from being a one person cat to "chirping." His "Grumpy Old Man" look has been Roscoe's look all his life. This cat was born an old man. Roscoe is also well traveled, having lived abroad for a couple of years. He is 13 now and Diabetic.

"Lochi"

Oil on museum quality ampersand gessobord panel 6" x 8"

This little guy is named Lochi or is it Lockie? It is short for "Low Key."
How he would spell it is anyone's guess:

The naming of cats is a difficult matter
It isn't just one of your holiday games
You may think at first I'm mad as a hatter
When I tell you a cat must have three different names

First of all, there's the name that the family use daily
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey
All of them are sensible, everyday names

But I tell you a cat needs a name that's particular
A name that's peculiar and more dignified
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular?
Or spread out his whiskers or cherish his pride?

Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo or Coricopat
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum
Names that never belong to more than one cat

But above and beyond there's still one name left over
And that is the name that you will never guess
The name that no human research can discover
But the cat himself knows and will never confess

When you notice a cat in profound meditation
The reason, I tell you, is always the same
His mind is engaged in rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name

His ineffable, effable, effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular name
Name, name, name, name, name, name

T.S. Elliott

"Self portrait with Vincent"

Oil on Canvas 16" x 24"

Tomorrow the theme of the daily painters is self-portraits. I was really looking forward to doing something fun with it until the robbery. Today was spent dealing with insurance people and data recovery so I didn't get into the studio to paint. To tell the truth my heart just wasn't in it. The other problem is I look kind of weird right now (er, more weird than usual). To celebrate my birthday we had a few folks over for a 50's themed dinner party. Since I was halfway there already, given my propensity for black turtlenecks, bongos and berets, I decided to go full beatnik daddy-o. I trimmed off the Santa beard and left the goatee which I dyed dark brown. To add to the authenticity I had my copy of Allen Ginsberg's Howl in my pocket in case an impromptu poetry reading was called for. I fear I may look like one of those sad men who use Clairol "just for men" a bit too long. I thought it would wash out but this stuff is good. I cut what was left of my beard really short and the grey is just starting to peek through. Before you know it I'll be getting the senior discount again.

I did this painting in 2005 after my beloved Vincent went to join his brother Theo in the morning stars.

JJ Sleeping

Oil on museum quality, archival ampersand gessobord™ panel - 6” x 8”

JJ has the ability to make me laugh even when times are tough.  He seems to know instinctively when I'm down and this position always produces a smile.  He has been striking this pose since the day we brought him in. This deferential stance is what won Anna over.  It says "Hey, I'm not here to cause any trouble, I just really want a tummy rub."  Have you ever known a cat to sleep on his back?