My Lavender Pole...?

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Necessary kNot, 16" x 20" oil on canvas


"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for."  -- Georgia O'Keeffe

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Inspisubliramation

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"Whatever gets you through the night..." - John Lennon

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Strip Mall Quickies

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The first one was such a mess I tried for pure gesture on the second.

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Nature's my homie ;-)

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There's something about a body of water, be it a puddle, a river, a manmade lake; we don't care. The ducks, herons, cranes, turtles, snakes, me. We don't even seem to notice the bullet-head leotard wearing bikers or whether you can drive all the way round or the 'deprivation' of not being allowed to bring alcohol; we come. No matter what "they"(the hairless two-legs) do to it, I and the other wildlife answer the call in our bellies to bathe in the benediction of this beauty, claimed back by Nature.

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A rose, by any other name...

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Godzilla Hand Puppet, 15.24cm x 20.32cm, oil on canvas board, April 04, 2013

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Wraiths in a Park

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4" x 6" 2b pencil
Another one for the March Virtual Paintout.

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RIP-Me

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3.5" x 5" ballpoint in Strathmore sketchpad

How many people get to sketch their own tombstone? I think it's a good sign that I can finally find some levity in the situation. This is a joint grave marker. My wife's name is on the other side across from mine - with my d. date ominously blank. I also poured (in line with a 'tradition' I learned - of all places, damn me for a media baby - from a tough guy movie) a bit of drink out in remembrance. It doesn't have to be right on the grave, but in this case it was. I saw her in my mind as I was walking away, smiling and saying affectionately, "Silly boy."
I didn't draw the front side because of too much detail, too little time, too heavy... Besides, the artist in me was taken with this angle, slightly downhill from it. Caught my eye from the car. It was completely overcast and about the only way to mark the difference in planes, have a little shading, was to get plenty of the side edge in there to contrast with the smoother "main plane." So I just sat on the ground and sketched the back three-quarter angle of the tombstone with my name on it.

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The Fledgling Watercolorist Strikes Again!

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On the Phone, 6"x4" watercolor on Canson wc block.

I really should practice this medium more. Terribly handy and seemingly more logical, to my mind anyways, than oil. I mean, since painting is built upon drawing, and drawing starts with lights and goes darker, I had to "learn backwards" for oil painting, putting darks first and building up to lights. I recall it through me a bit at first. But wc is more like drawing in that regard; you have to leave the lights and work in the darks. You'd think it would come more naturally to me. Maybe if, like I said, I practiced more.
This I reckon will be my second entry for the March Virtual Paintout. A screen cap of my Street View you can see in the previous post.

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Virtually Vilnius

~ I always find a lot more subjects than I have time for when I Google Street cruise for the Virtual Paintout, so I thought this time I would share those along with the one I did use.

This first one is actually the first thing I saw when I dropped the little yellow pedestrian into the map. I call it, "Gretai! Kelti Google!" ("Quick! Pose for Google!" in Lithuanian).

This one begs to be an ink wash drawing, belies my penchant for girl watching, and refutes my suspicion that Google blurs all the faces.

Through an archway off the street. Appears to be on the phone, maybe she ducked through here for a bit of privacy.

Ah, summertime in Lithuania.

A pigeon provides foil for some pretty artistic graffiti, high up on the wall.

Finally left inner city Vilnius and emerged onto what appears to be the equivalent of our interstate highway system. This is near the intersection of Olandu g and S. Batoro g., a little east of the city proper.
I've always had a love affair with blue skies but this one brought up an almost forlorn longing; required more ultramarine than I usually like in a sky blue. My mind runs amok trying to explain the emotion, so I titled it Heavy Sky. 5"x 7" three hour quicky on a canvas board, trying to assume a plein aire type of approach, which I have submitted to the Virtual Paintout.
Oh, you can see the street view HERE.

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Coo

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the traffic in the distance
the coo-ing of the turtle dove
the singing of the mockingbird

the dog in my lap

the joy in my belly

laughter in my heart

tears in my eyes

peace

so much peace
It's all so beautiful

~ 3-7-13

Coo, 5"x7" oil on canvas panel

 

 

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Midnight at the Oasis

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Apologies to Maria Muldaur. Plus it was actually about 3 pm. Oh well. At least it is an Oasis. Liquor store that is, the building behind the tree. ;-)
I posted this one just about actual size, since it looks a lot better that way, methinks.

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Chakra Therapy...? ;-)

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Muladhara Club, 24"x30" oil on canvas, Feb. 5, 2013

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