"SumSumSummatime"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

I was happy to take time out today for strawberries and getting loose. Also I was so greatly inspired by Carol Marine's strawberries - she's one of my favorite painters.

"The Blues"

12 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

I recently joined a gallery in Kirkland, Washington (state) - the Howard/Mandville Gallery. I think it'll be a great fit for me - I'm particularly proud to be amongst some of my personal favorite painters - Ken Auster, Pam Ingalls & Mark Lague. This new painting will be added to their gallery in mid-July, with others following, so if you're in the area, please stop in and see some of my work. Kirkland is about 15 minutes from Seattle and situated on Lake Washington. It sounds like a beautiful place, I can't wait to visit it one day.

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"de Old"

8 x 10"

oil on masonite

sold

I worked on a painting yesterday in which, in about the 5th hour into it, I picked up a rag and wiped it off my board. It was as if I had no say in it - my hand just did what it did. It would be like spending 5ish hours on making the best lasagna recipe, taking it out of the oven and pitching it in the garbage. Not a good day of painting.

Today was better, it always is. I remember watching this older gentleman in the de Young Museum - he scooted up to every single label of every painting and read them all. Funny thing is he hardly looked at the art. Perhaps he did that the last time he was at the museum.

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"Soft Focus"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

I talked about how I avoid primary colors in a painting - and the same goes for pastels. It's probably the years and years of framing pastel-toned artwork at my shop - I think I have an aversion to it. Perhaps because pastels mean 'cute' in so many cases. I believe the trick is to grey down the pinks and blues and greens, at least for me to accept it. This new painting is a good example of that. The wall color I chose seemed so wrong at first, and then so right in the end. It seems to add to the soft, feminine quality of the woman and the Monet.

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"Primary Colors"

12 x 12"

oil on masonite

I watched this fantastic PBS show last night called 'The Power of Art' - the first in this series featuring Van Gogh, highlighting his 'Wheatfield With Crows'. My God - what an incredible work of art. I woke up thinking about that painting and just had to paint it. 'Wheatfield With Crows' is, in a basic description, made up of primary colors - which is something I try to avoid in my own work. It's funny how I am so drawn to other artists' paintings with those blues, reds, yellows and greens - but I have hated anything I've done with those basic primary colors. I thought I'd put aside my apprehensions and give it another try - with the focus of the painting being Van Gogh's vivid pallette. I really enjoyed working on this piece.

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"Playing Hooky"

8 x 10"

oil on masonite

sold

As you may know, I've been working for a couple of months on paintings for the upcoming show - which I'm officially done as of today (yay!) and I needed to let loose for a change. It's done with a flat, wide brush and painted totally freehand - which is something I really, really enjoy.

"Sisters"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

Okay - one more for the show. Being that the title of my exhibition is "The People I See", I must include these two sisters. They were pretty fantastic, as models, I must say. They stand beside Toulouse-Lautrec's haunting painting "At the Moulin Rouge", which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago.

This new painting will be included in my July show at 16 Patton, in Asheville. If you can get to the gallery in July, please do so. Asheville's a great place to spend a couple of days and the opportunity for you to see these paintings in person would make me happy.

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"Pure Luck"

5 x 7"

oil on masonite

sold

After painting a variety of dogs for the upcoming show - it was time to paint a cat. My cat, Willy, who's usually a mass of black fur, except when he is bathed in sunshine.

"In the Company of Women"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

And here's one more new pieces to add to the show - and I included one of my favorite paintings, John Singer Sargent's "Mrs. Fiske Warren and Her Daughter Rachel".

This new painting will be included in my July show at 16 Patton, in Asheville.

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More Dogs Rule

Well good - I set out to do a set of nine dog paintings for the show and I love all of them. The top dog is a little cutie I spotted in Decatur, on Memorial Day - and the one underneath is my happy dog Jack, who, as you can see, has recovered very well from his knee surgery. He's such a doll.

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both have sold

More Dogs Rule

Two more dogs to add to the set - the top dog, and he IS a top dog, is my Petey. The one under him is a little Yorkie I spotted on Michigan Avenue, who despite his size, was in total control of the walk.

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both have sold

More Dogs Rule

Three more dogs to add to the set - what fun these are to paint. The bassett hounds at the top were spotted in a park in Manhattan - the dachsund in the middle is the late and great "Dewey" who belonged to a good friend - and the red hound (don't know the breed) was spotted in Piedmont Park in Atlanta.

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all 3 have sold

"Alone"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

I'm happy to have squeezed in a small, daily painting tonight- I've been working on pieces for a show in July and it's all-consuming, to say the least.

This woman was enjoying some "me-time" on a Saturday morning on Oak Street Beach, in Chicago. I thought of doing a larger painting of her - so I've tried it out in this smaller format to get an idea of its impact. I'd love some feedback when you've got the time.

Dogs Rule

I started this REALLY fun series of dogs - I hope to do a grouping of nine for the July show. They're 6 x 6" and they're of all different pets - some I've seen out and about and a few that belong to friends or neighbors of mine. I'm a huge sucker for dogs, I always try to say hello and introduce myself. They make me happy.

The little guy on the top is "Chip", my neighbor's dog and the two on the bottom were spotted at an arts festival in Decatur, Georgia.

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both have sold

"The Last Days of Cezanne"

14 x 11"

oil on masonite

sold

Another view of the long line of people waiting to get into a special exhibition titled "Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde", which took place at the Art Institute of Chicago. I loved painting this.

This new painting will be included in my July show at 16 Patton, in Asheville.

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"A Presence"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

I see people like this woman and I think do they know how beautiful they are? How much presence they have in a room full of strangers? I really enjoyed painting this piece - mostly the woman's fantastic face and colorful clothing. She reminded me of Georgia O'Keeffe so much so, I accompanied the painting "Black Cross, New Mexico" beside her. Here's a closer view of the woman's face.

This new painting will be included in my July show at 16 Patton, in Asheville.

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