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Sitting on my pier at night beside the lake, I experience a peacefulness of the soul. There is no pelican to keep me company, though I often speak of Alfie as if we are bosom friends. Other birds come to visit, mostly during the day, to peck at mussels that wash up on the shore or to merely sit, possibly enjoying the quiet as much as I do.
Recently, I sold my house of 23 years on the lake. I miss it at times, but I live with family now, which is a great comfort with much lively discourse. 18"x24" Acrylic on Canvas $375
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Sometimes I awake with thought already whirling in my mind, images that have no connection, or maybe they do but it's an ephemeral thing I cannot quite grasp. On these days, I must write or paint. This was a painting day.
14"x11" Acrylic on Canvas $185
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It's rather amazing to realize that what I see in my mind does not always equate to what happens in reality. One day, after painting a white-on-white piece, I decided to do the same with Black on Black. Hmmmm. How would one distinguish black from black? My first thought, of course, was texture. Yes, that would work. My second thought was shiny versus flat paint, which also should work. So I set about it, and when finished it truly was a compilation of textures and finishes which, up close, were fascinating. But once the piece was on a wall, and at any distance, say ten feet, it simply looked like a black hole. So, I added some swash and a few squares of color - and I like the final piece. 18"x24" Acrylic on Canvas $375
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When I'm away from home, visiting family, I usually find a place to set up my easel and paint. This little guy is a wooden statue that was in the bedroom I enjoyed at the Morris house. In the family for years, his name is Cheddar, and on that day I decided to paint him. Naturally, I included am abstract background and some color. At the Pop-Up Art Market, sponsored by Brazos Valley Art League in College Station, a traveler spied Cheddar in the window, bought him on the spot. Now Cheddar resides in New York, NY. 24"x18" acrylic
SOLD
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Last year I evaluated my overall favorite pieces and realized in doing so that I often paint in the style of a favorite Russian painter and art theorist, Wassily Kandinski. I appreciated his early work, but I adore his paintings from the 1920s. It makes sense that my abstract style would begin to mirror his, so I decided to create this Tryptic as a tribute to his influence. The individual pieces are 20"x16" but are not sold individually. The entire tryptic is 20"x 48" Acrylic on Canvas. $1,400
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The Brazos Valley Art League and Degallery recently held a joint holiday show that really taxed my creativity. How do you create a holiday painting without the usual images - you know, angels, reindeer, Santa? After all, few collectors would choose a painting that's only practical for about 2 months out of the year. But when I read about the Golden Ginkgo, a living fossil, unchanged for 200 years, that often is used in urban landscaping because of its beautiful golden fall foliage, I decided it would fit nicely in my abstract repertoire and on any wall any time of the year. 18"x24" Acrylic on Canvas $375 SOLD
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I often say that a nonobjective abstract painting should be graphically excellent when viewed from any direction. And that's true. The artist, however, will usually have a favorite perspective when signing the painting. This one signed, photographed, posted on my website, struck me one day as more interesting when I turned it upside down. I can't explain why. But now it seems to connote an M.C. Escher quality I hadn't noticed before.
18"x24" Acrylic on Canvas $375
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This painting day I'd decided to work in a neutral brown palette, two canvases, each with a different nonobjective style. I liked what was happening here, but again, which way was was up? Then a light went on in one corner. Then Alfie flew onto the canvas. And there it was. Life. On the edge...of...?
18" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas $375
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As much as I enjoy nonobjective abstract works, there often comes a moment when I feel compelled to add a "sense of life," as my son once suggested. That's what happened here. At first, it was a lovely medley of long rectangles with complex coloration that, by their placement, formed interesting negative shapes. It still needed a focal point - perhaps a circle or square for contrast, but I liked what was happening. Then I began to see the rectangles as tree trunks, and my entire perspective changed. I couldn't "unsee" that vision. And what could be more appropriate among those trees than a cat? I named her Snowy.
18" x 18" Acrylic mounted on canvas $225
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At the easel, my brush automatically seeks out bright colors - at least that's how it feels. On this day, however, I vowed to paint in shades of gray with only subtle touches of color, and amazingly... I fell in love. Yet, since then I continue with strong color choices. I suppose it's a character flaw.
Walk into my house and you'll see color everywhere. My kitchen-dining area has a turquoise wall, a yellow wall, a coral wall and a mural. I keep promising myself that one day soon I'll conquer that flaw again long enough to paint another canvas in gray tones.
35" x 48" x 2" Acrylic on Canvas $3,900
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My sister recently called to ask if I want to take possession of our mother's glass cabinet and all of the vintage collectibles it holds. Wow, what a decision. Lots of memories there, and my house is already filled with too many collectibles, not to mention the books, photographs, paintings... which brings to mind lyrics from a 1950's Rosemary Clooney hit. "...This Ole House... was filled with laughter, this ole house heard many shouts. Now she trembles in the darkness as the lightning walks about." Passing abandoned homes along the roads I travel, I can't help wondering about the memories they hold.
24" x 36" Acrylic on Canvas $1700
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In the week before Apollo 11 landed on the moon, Zager and Evans were lighting up the charts with their hit song, "In the Year 2525." This was 1969, and being a huge fan of science fiction, it was one of my favorites. Did the song inspire me to paint this piece so many years later? I don't know. Gosh, at the time how could I even imagine being able to look back at the "turn of the century?" But those lyrics were running through my head as I finished it... "In the year 2525, if man is still alive, if woman can survive..."
12" x12" Acrylic on Canvas $185
SALE $46
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