Sunday, November 2, 2008

"Wise Beyond Your Years"


"Wise Beyond Your Years" 30"X40" Acrylic on panel. September 2008.
This is from a black and white snapshot of my late stepfather, Meryl. He is the small child in front. I love the composition and the dappled light and the exciting movement of the figures. The title refers to the totally insane apparatus in the background. I believe it is a slide outfitted to accommodate snow sleds, though I could be wrong about that. What is apparent is that they slide down from the trees, over a cliff, probably into a swimming hole in a river or lake. In today's climate of safety and liability, it is hard to imagine anyone could get away with having a slide like this for long!

"Tapioca"


"Tapioca" 18"X24" Charcoal and acrylic on panel. July 2008.
This is from a black and white snapshot. My late stepfather, Meryl, was in the Navy in the 1950's. This was taken while they where on leave. The wood panel is exposed in almost the entire image.

"Reservoir"



"Reservoir" 8"X10" Acylic on panel. August 2008. This is based on a colorized black and white photograph. I love, love, love those outfits!!! My partner Jim has an aunt Francis who is now 94 years old. She is the young lady on the left. The man is her husband, George. He was Jim's father's best friend, and he died in WWII. (It is unknown who the young lady in the center is.)

"Sparingly" and "Polka Dot"


"Sparingly" 8"X10" Acrylic on panel. August 2008. This little sketch is from a black and white snapshot of some relatives of my late stepfather's family-- I don't know who. I love the polka-dots and the lines of the car.



I later did a very large version I named "Polka Dot" Though they look similar here on line, the size difference is extreme. This one is 30"X40", which is around 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 feet. It is acrylic on illustration board. November 2008.

"My Careful Shapes"


"My Careful Shapes" 20"X28" Acrylic on panel. August 2008.
My partner, Jim had an uncle, John Reese, who was a skilled amateur photographer. This is based on a black and white photograph taken by him. It depicts his wife Tillie and their son Jack.

"Let Me Take You"


"Let Me Take You" 16"X20" Acrylic on panel. August 2008.
This is based on a snapshot of my late stepfather's father. This picture is perennially intriguing to me, with the arches and triangles repeated over the image. The bare wood panel is exposed, and makes up the majority of the color in the grass.

"Won't You Let Me Take You"


"Won't You Let Me Take You" 16"X20" Charcoal and acrylic on panel. September 2008.
This is another version of a snapshot of my late stepfather's father. I felt that cropping the picture so the figure is off to one side accentuated the repeating triangle shapes.

Idaho


"Idaho" 8"X10" Charcoal and acrylic on panel. August 2008. This image comes from a photo in Reminisce Magazine in a section devoted to centurions. This woman's family bought a farm in Idaho in the early 1920's. I love the classic stability of the composition.

Cars on Cannon Beach

24"X30" Acrylic on panel. July 2008.
This is a painting based on another photograph by Ray Atkeson.