"Troubadour"

8 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

I aimed for a very loose painting today - taking a figure from a photo and transporting him into another setting.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Spring Break"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

Sometimes I have to really wonder what's wrong with me when I have no desire to paint, I whine that I need inspiration - yadayada.   The news is dismal, violent protests, absurd decisions by juries, weather catastrophes.  It gets to me.  

What worked today was a removal from the distractions - Pandora instead of news.  Iced coffee, painting in a t-shirt and shorts for a change.  A nice afternoon.

From Washington Square Park in New York City, a couple of women spending the afternoon removed from distractions.  The original photo is from my friend, Karen Hollingsworth.

"How Bourgeois"

9 x 10"

oil on panel
sold

I painted this new piece during our snowstorm this past week - what a treat it was.  I know some of you are moaning and can't imagine snow being a treat at this point, but it's so rare here in the south.

I love this painting because of my favorite combo of colors - golds, blacks, greys and browns.  And I love the shadows.

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, William Merritt Chase's portrait of the artists 'James Abbott McNeill Whistler' (left) and John Singer Sargent's portrait of the artist 'William M. Chase' (right) are seemingly looking down at the couple before them.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Dog Show No. 8"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

Carrying on with my ode to dogs,  inspired by the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show starting tonight.  

My aim is to take my reference photos and invent an unexpected surrounding, playing with color as I like to do with my mugshot portraits in BUST-ED.  

These are two graceful Whippets - wonderful curves and lumps and form.

Some have asked where the previous 'Dog Show' paintings were - here's the first six and here's more creatures I've painted in the past.

"Dog Show No. 7"

4 x 4"

oil on panel
sold

I went to a Dog Show in South Georgia a while back - nothing compared to the upcoming Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show but surely an event that just makes me so happy.  I've painted a few in the past and this is a new addition to what could be a series.  

And don't miss the Westminster on TV - it starts Monday night.   Love the dogs.  Love painting the dogs.

"Warm Spot"

7 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

Another reminder of a simple pleasure in the warmth of the sun.

.... and to one of my favorite actors of all times - Philip Seymour Hoffman

Rest in Peace