Daily Keemo 04.30

Portrait On A Paris Postcard #10
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This is the 10th in the "Paris Postcard" series. I was looking over my bookshelf and there was a bunch of papers shoved between a couple books. Among other things there were about 15 postcards that were of different photos taken in Paris during the 1920's. This one in particular is called "Jardin Des Tuileries". All the postcards are very Paris and you can hear an accordian playing and it all makes the Michigan winter seem all that much colder. With that.. Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.29

Examination of Nirvana
(An Open Letter To All Who Ask Me Why I Only Paint People)
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I should start by clarifying that this is not talking about Kurt Cobain's Nirvana. I'm sure that much is obvious but I thought I should clarify. I should also clarify that I am no buddhist scholar either. I suppose I may be more of the "use-the-pages-in-a-painting" sort of religious scholar. I have read many religious books when I was going through my "learn-about-many-different-religions-to-try-and-figure-out-what-we-are-all-here-for-and-why-we-exist" stage of life. It is not that I have stopped asking those questions, it is just that I keep finding answers to those questions everywhere, but those books. I am asked weekly, sometimes more, why I only paint people. Why not paint a landscape, a car, a golfer, something more expressionistic? It is because the answers I find to most of my questions come from the people you see in these paintings. The strangers, the friends, the families, the memories, the thoughts. In turn, I hope that when we look at these and read the stories that somehow we see a bit of ourselves in these abstract faces and the stories show us all something more of ourselves. Now, that sounds loftier than it is intended. If something positive comes of these portraits, even a smile, then it is complete. I suppose I will title this "An Open Letter To All Who Ask Me Why I Only Paint People". It is not only people, it is the Examination of Nirvana. And how we all fit into it....Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.28

Not Feeling Like Myself Today.
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The title says it best. I'm not feeling like myself today. It could be that it was around 3:00 AM before I went to sleep last night. Or maybe it was the alarm clock that kicked on four hours after that. Maybe it is the skunk smell that has been lingering around the neighborhood for the last three days. Maybe it is the hours spent rearranging these pixels that are staring back at me. Maybe it was almost getting hit on my motorcycle today. Well, let's just leave it at that. Theres nothing wrong with not feeling like yourself. At the very least maybe it makes you stop and think what it is that you are in the first place...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.25

My Head Is In The Clouds

Those of you who have been following my work know that I have been recycling color samples into my artwork for quite some time. Well, I ran across a bunch of 8"x8" samples that work perfectly for drawings. (instead of those little ones that you can get out of the aisle at Home Depot.) These are the big sample sheets that Interior designers can get their hands on. The color of this one is called "Tangelo". Sounds exotic. Sounds like it could be a nickname for tanned oily guy down in Miami named Angelo who is trying to score with the ladies. As in, "They Call me Tangelo... What is your name?" Anyway, let's keep it at that and as always ...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.24

More Important Than Swimming Around In Your Own Head
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It has long been my thought that self doubt is the painters biggest foe. (I don't really have any clue how true that really is because I am basing that only on my own personal experience as a painter) When these bouts happen though, production slows, things end up in the trash, motivation slips. As I write this I think this could probably be applied to more people than just painters. Not too mention, maybe self-doubt is just a segway to depression. I don't know. What does this painting have to do with any of this selfish introspection? You know... probably not a whole lot other than these were the things that I was stewing on while I tried to paint a portrait of my friends son. I feel like I blew his portrait but its the little guy that reminds me there are more important things than just swimming around in your own head...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.23

Limited Edition Button #6
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This is #6 in the limited edition button series. This is the limited edition of a recent painting called The Bear That Got My Friend To High School.

Story:.I was talking with some friends tonight about what we were all like when we were kids. I mean, little kids. Somehow we got on the subject of security items. You know, blankets, thumb sucking, that kind of stuff. Well, one of my friends mentioned that he had a teddy bear and that he slept with it almost until high school. Of course, we all gave each other a hard time and had some good laughs. So, heres to the laughs and heres to the bear ...Enjoy!

Only 25 of these buttons will be made available. Once these 25 button are gone, that is it. I have worked with the printer to make sure that each button is individually numbered to reflect it's placement in the set. (If you are the 5th person, you will receive button #5 of 25.)

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Daily Keemo 04.22

Music Store in Hamburg #2

Last summer we went to visit some friends in the Netherlands and Germany. They are all professional musicians. Not the garage band kind of musicians but like real playing-music-for -a-living kind of musicians. One performs with a big "broadway" type show in Amsterdam. Anyway, we were taking the train into Hamburg and had to make a pit stop at a music shop in downtown Hamburg so she could pick up a new mouthpiece (?) for one of her trumpets. As they were talking about music in German I was grabbing all kinds of flyers and magazines and sticking them into my bag. (I was probably not representing Americans very well but at least I wasn't asking where the nearest McDonalds was.) After we left, my friend told me that the music store owner asked why I wanted all the different flyers. "I explained you were a painter," she said. The store owner replied, "what do those have to do with painting?" We laughed. Well, here is to the music store owner in Hamburg who wondered what these had to do with painting...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.20

Listen. Think. Speak.

Its funny. The initial reaction from most of the people who have seen seen this painting is "Why is the person puking?" We laugh a minute and then, after a few mintues, it is then "Oh, I see! It is not puke." (Boy, no matter how you try to dress it up "puking" is just not a pleasant word...sorry I got off track) Well, it isn't puke, it is words and out of the head comes ideas and with the ear we listen. It really can be a simple as that. Not just in this painting but possibly everything. You know now that I write that, it never ends up being as simple as that because we always end complicating things more and it all ends up being about bills and gas prices and deadlines and schedules and whats for dinner and who is going to be there and the alarm clock and gas prices again and bills again and somehow all the listening and thinking and speaking gets put aside underneath the whole mess and the alarm clock wakes up to do it all again. Well, here is to remembering that underneath the whole mess are some simple things that are much more important...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.18

With A SNORT SNORT Here And A SNORT SNORT There Here A SNORT There A SNORT Everywhere A SNORT SNORT

I have this horrible memory of singing this song in elementary school. It was maybe 2nd or 3rd grade and the whole class was gathered in the library. We were all sitting on the floor surrounding the teacher. She was reading us a book out loud. After the book was done, she thought it would be fun for us all to sing some songs. I remember singing B-I-N-G-O and this one Old McDonald Had A Farm. To spice things up a bit, my teacher picked out kids to make the animal sounds out loud when the time came. Well-I'll-be-scarred-for-life, I get elected to make the PIG noise. I was already a shy kid but now I have to make the pig noise in front of the whole class. So, the line comes around, I do my best and make the best pig snort I can. Man it was a ripper. The whole class is breaking out laughing so hard, the song actually falls apart and they have to start again. Well, this goes on like three more times with the same result. Finally, the teacher asks me to just say "Oink, Oink" instead. It was then and there that I learned the power of laughter and also that an "Oink Oink" is never a good replacement for a hearty "snort snort"... Enjoy!
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Daily Keemo 04.17

Never Record Your First Attempt At Writing A Love Song.
(Click Picture)

Play guitar in 7 days or your money back. I was 15 when I got my first guitar. Actually, it was a bass guitar. Like most 15 year olds, I am pretty sure that by day number two, I was a full fledged rockstar. I think I learned an easy bass line from the Boys Don't Cry album after 10 hours locked in my room. My finger tips blistered and throbbing. I think I even adopted a bit of a swagger. After that I couldn't watch a music video without picturing myself on stage standing in with my bass. That is, until I finally met someone who could actually play the instrument. After listening to that guy at the guitar shop the reality hit. I really was just a pimply 15 year old who couldnt drive and it took 10 hours to find those 4 notes on the neck of that bass and mom yelled through the door to keep it down and I was only going to make it onto 120 minutes in my dreams... That was one of the best realizations I have ever had...Enjoy!

(Oh by the way, the other thing I learned around this time is NEVER record your first attempt at writing a love song. It will haunt you. Cheers!)

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Daily Keemo 04.15

3 Figures While Waiting For The Paint To Dry
(Click Picture)

Im currently working on a series of six ninjas. Each one on a 4"x4"x1" canvas. As I was waiting for the paint to dry between coats I was working on many other pieces. (This room looks like a graveyard for half-finished paintings right now.) Anyway, in between the coats I worked up these 3. I know this isnt much of a story. Thats OK. Sometimes, you just need to be quiet and enjoy whats in front of you...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.14

Simple And Pink And Black On Wood
(Click Picture)

When it comes down to it, the only reason I paint is because it is the one of the few things that you can do where you can really do whatever you want. No rules. I guess, if you want to nitpick, you can actually do whatever you want with every second of every day if you wish. (However, I have others depending on me, like most of us, so unfortunately, doing whatever you want, doesn't always pay the bills very well.) Anyway, I'm on a tangent... Each time you pick up the pen or brush, there is only 'you' to tell 'you' what to do. For whatever my reasons, I ended up with this simple figure with pink and black on wood. Seemingly plain considering there really are no rules. I guess after thinking about it, maybe the real REAL reason I paint is because, even though you can do what ever you want, be as crazy as you want with no rules, you can, in the end, just be you and do what you do and it can be simple and pink and black on wood... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.11 - Button #5

Once you have given up the ghost, everything with follows with dead certainty, even in the
midst of chaos" - Henry Miller, Tropic of Capricorn. I was 15 or so when I read
that opening sentence of Tropic of Capricorn. At the time, I don't think I fully
understood what exactly he was meaning but when I applied the words to my own
life at the time it felt more like a mantra. Well, here and now, there is no
giving up the ghost. Completely the opposite if anything. So, here is a small
painting to remind us that all things move forward and if we let ourselves,
we can all move forward as well...Enjoy!

Only 25 of these buttons will be made available. Once these 25 button are gone, that is
it. I have worked with the printer to make sure that each button is individually
numbered to reflect it's placement in the set. (If you are the 5th person, you
will receive button #5 of 25.) (FYI, these buttons have been selling out in
24-36 hours.)

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Daily Keemo 04.09

Simple And Pink And Black On Wood
(Click Picture)

When it comes down to it, the only reason I paint is because it is the one of the few things that you can do where you can really do whatever you want. No rules. I guess, if you want to nitpick, you can actually do whatever you want with every second of every day if you wish. (However, I have others depending on me, like most of us, so unfortunately, doing whatever you want, doesn't always pay the bills very well.) Anyway, I'm on a tangent... Each time you pick up the pen or brush, there is only 'you' to tell 'you' what to do. For whatever my reasons, I ended up with this simple figure with pink and black on wood. Seemingly plain considering there really are no rules. I guess after thinking about it, maybe the real REAL reason I paint is because, even though you can do what ever you want, be as crazy as you want with no rules, you can, in the end, just be you and do what you do and it can be simple and pink and black on wood... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.08

Portrait On A Paris Postcard #8
(Click Picture)

This is the 7th in the "Paris Postcard" series. I was looking over my bookshelf and there was a bunch of papers shoved between a couple books. Among other things there were about 15 postcards that were of different photos taken in Paris during the 1920's. This one in particular is called "On The Platform Of The Eiffel Tower". All the postcards are very Paris and you can hear an accordian playing and it all makes the Michigan winter seem all that much colder. With that.. Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.07

Under It All Is A Race Car Driver
(Click Picture)

This is a simple story. It goes like this: Man paints a race car driver. Man does not care for race car driver painting. Man gets thick black acrylic and paints over it all. Man then wishes he did not paint over the race car driver because it was pretty funny. Man ends up with a painting that looks just like this. Man writes a really bad story about painting a race car driver while having a glass of wine at 11:24 PM. Man plans on starting another race car driver painting after typing this... enjoy! Cheers!...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.04

3 Guitars
(Click Picture)

I enjoy music. Oh yeah, it's no secret. All kinds of music. ( I have even been known to play a little guitar and drums) It's been the subject of many a painting. Well, anyway, I was working away this evening and happened to be listening to some old Django Rheinhardt (Swing From Paris) and was daydreaming about being able to play guitar like that. I figured since I can't play like that, I would pay a little tribute to old Django and the others who can make thier instruments sing. So, here is to breaking out of the usual and trying something new. Here are three guitars...Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.03

Blue
(Click Picture)

I get blue. I think most of us do at some time. Don't we? I used to think that it was important to not ever be blue. I would even get blue about feeling blue. Our culture teaches us that it is not OK to feel blue. Turn on the TV and every commercial shows us ways to stop us from being blue. Over the years, I have realized that feeling blue is OK. Embracing the blue can lead to alot more of NOT feeling blue. (There might be a Zen quote in here yet). I have also learned that this blue is an important part of who I am and none of this artwork would probably exist if it wasn't for the blue. So, with that, here is to being blue and embracing it and letting yourself be blue and knowing it is OK and when it's over all the other colors will come back to you... Enjoy!

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Daily Keemo 04.01

Once You Have Given Up The Ghost.
(Click Picture)

"Once you have given up the ghost, everything with follows with dead certainty, even in the midst of chaos" - Henry Miller, Tropic of Capricorn. I was 15 or so when I read that opening sentence of Tropic of Capricorn. At the time, I don't think I fully understood what exactly he was meaning but when I applied the words to my own life at the time it felt more like a mantra. Well, here and now, there is no giving up the ghost. Completely the opposite if anything. So, here is a small painting to remind us that all things move forward and if we let ourselves, we can all move forward as well...Enjoy!

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