Realizations Are Always The Result Of An Equation
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A painter in Michigan is working on a warm Saturday afternoon. A ninja linocut on an advertisement from 1870. The painter in Michigan pauses as he does the math and then exclaims, "Holy mackeral that is 139 years old!" Extra care is then taken with the orange watercolor to not rip through the old paper. It dries on a table in the backyard under the afternoon sun... Enjoy!
It Is Ok To Sit And Be Fine With It
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It was a beautiful day yesterday and it was Sunday and we hung around the house and the ladies were reading outside on a blanket in the grass and I had taken the paper and paints out to the table and the ice cubes melted in no time and it was hard to believe it was Michigan that we were laying around in and there where big clouds in the big sky and I looked over and the way she was laying looked like there was grass sprouting out of her hair and I was trying to come up with things to paint and it seemed like a good choice and everything seemed like a good choice then and the pen hit the paper and then the paint and then it was complete...Enjoy!
Two Original Keemo Linocut Paintings
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Well, it was time for a change. I am one of those people who genuinely believes that change is good. That isn't to say there isn't value in tradition or patterns but embracing change will lead to much more than the comfort that you get from the predictability of doing the same things over and over and over. From experience, I can guess exactly what a brush will do when I cover it in orange and move it across the paper. You do something enough and you just know. This is what lead me to the new linocuts series. I just needed something new. Carving the linolium blocks for these prints was something I had not done in years (15 maybe?) and it was nice to not really know what the outcome was going to be and it was just fine to be satisfied with whatever the outcome was because during the process it IS ALWAYS about the process and never about the product and the value in that process is never translated into the value of the finished piece and like usual I guess I am starting to write about more than just painting and the creative process but also about our days and nights and the time we have to move around this place and we all have the choice to stick with what we know or try a new path. Here is to trying the new path... Enjoy!
Where You Are And Where You Have Been Are Not Always Different Places #1
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This painting has been staring at me right in the face and I didn't even see it. (Lots of things are right in front our faces all the time and we don't see them, I suppose.) Anyway, I spend alot of time painting on stuff that I find or that is on its way the recycle bin or just has special meaning or any number of other reasons and it just made sense that my own postcards would eventually be given the same treatment. So, with that, here is the first of the series... Enjoy!
Not So Old Time Sake
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Wednesday night, listening to Pandora, painting some ACEOs for (not so) old time sake. Listening to a Ratatat station with others like Dosh, The Octopus Project, Mute Math and others sliding through the playlist. This all stemmed from a discussion earlier with 16 year olds after hearing "Blue Monday" and they said, "Who is that?" and I felt old once again and this seems to be happening more and more. The good thing is it was a question of real interest and not one of disgust as in what is this old fogey crap. (I must be doing something right as a parent, right) Anyway, just good fun and good music and a little painting to go along with it all...Enjoy!
Not So Old Time Sake
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Wednesday night, listening to Pandora, painting some ACEOs for (not so) old time sake. Listening to a Ratatat station with others like Dosh, The Octopus Project, Mute Math and others sliding through the playlist. This all stemmed from a discussion earlier with 16 year olds after hearing "Blue Monday" and they said, "Who is that?" and I felt old once again and this seems to be happening more and more. The good thing is it was a question of real interest and not one of disgust as in what is this old fogey crap. (I must be doing something right as a parent, right) Anyway, just good fun and good music and a little painting to go along with it all...Enjoy!
I Was Late Again Tonight
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I was late again tonight. I was late last night too. Dinner had already been eaten and dishes were put away and mail had been opened and everyone was already caught up on their days activities and then I stroll in and everyone is winding down and I sit at the counter in the kitchen and eat leftovers and page through a magazine that came in the mail today and I notice there are only a couple lights on and I appear to be the only one making noise around the house. It's now 11:30 and it's quiet and this bright yellow paper was on my desk and it just seemed perfect in the dimly lit house. While drawing on these yellow stripes, I thought how I was not going to be late tomorrow and miss out on the life that was going on while I was away. I guess, with that...Enjoy!
When Rain Is Not The Only Reason You Stand So Close
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We were downtown caught in the rain. Standing on the sidewalk under an awning out front of a deli. It was cold. Her pink hood was pulled up over her head and we stood with shoulders pulled up like you do when you are cold. You know what I mean. We talked and stood close and the rain went on and on and talked and it was just fine and I wouldn't trade that moment for anything... Enjoy!
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I Aint What I Used To Be
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When I was looking at music selections for a painting and I read the lyrics to this old childrens song, I knew it was perfect for tonight, for this painting. To be honest I don't know how the melody to this one goes. I suppose I could google it and find out how it sounds but for some reason that doesn't seem relevant to where my mind is at right now. Maybe it's the recent birthday or another case of self-doubt that has come around like it does every few months and makes me think that I should leave the painting for those who are truly masters of thier craft or maybe it is just late and I am tired and I know I need to keep working away because somewhere in here is a dream and I don't want to end up like that group of people that has given up their dream because there was always something more pressing and I guess that I could ramble on and on and on about this but when I pause a second and reread these lyrics, I am pretty sure that at this moment, these words say it best:
The old gray mare,
She ain't what she used to be
Ain't what she used to be,
Ain't what she used to be
The old gray mare,
She ain't what she used to be
Many long years ago.
With that...Enjoy!
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To My Left On The Desk And The Paint Is Still Wet
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Every year there is a big arts festival held downtown and every year I don't participate in any capacity other than walking around sampling the food from the food booths, walking through the galleries and different art exhibits, stopping at the different stages and listening to the different music and every year I think, maybe I'll submit something to the show this year and then every year I think I am just not cut out for juried art shows and I am pretty sure that my art is not either and I know that it isn't about the show because it never has been. So, as soon as I am done writing this, we are off to downtown to do all of the above while my own artwork lays to my left on the desk and the paint is still wet and sometime next week this painting will be shipped a long way from the exibits and the food booths and the stages and the people and my desk and into a home that I will probably never see and as I write this I realize... that is exactly how it should be... Enjoy!
All These Things
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I have started this story 5 times. Really. I guess I'm not sure what is the exact point that I am trying to get across here. The first time was a story about this drawing. The second was a story about where this great guitar chord card came from that is used in this drawing. (They came from Studio 216. If you are near Dallas/Ft Worth, I highly recommend a visit to the gallery. "tell em' keemo sent ya!") The third was about wonderful people, that do wonderful things and when you see them you can tell they are surrounded by others who enjoy these wonderful people for the wonderful things that they do. The fourth story was about how friendship can span time and distance if you allow it to and how it is possible to understand some people better in a few days than some in a life time. That brings me to this story; The Fifth Story, which I guess is about all these things; friendship, time, distance, kindness, giving, music, people, texas, mail, not to mention Studio 216 and the Granbury Gang and all the other things that connect us and made it possible for this piece to happen. Wow, that sounds pretty lofty and I am not sure what is more abstract; this drawing or this story. Either way, I know there is something here for us all and if we tilt our heads just right, both the drawing and the story make just enough sense, that there really is no abstraction at all... Enjoy!
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At The Intersection of Money and Hope Series - #4 - 1966
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This is the fourth painting in the series called "At The Intersection of Money and Hope". This particular painting is on 100 shares of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company that was purchased on March 18, 1966. (Yes, this is the real certificate) For reference lets take a quick look at what happened with the Penssylvania Railroad Company:
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The PRR was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the U.S. throughout the Twentieth Century and was at one time the largest publicly traded corporation in the world. At its peak, it controlled about 10,000 miles (16,000 km) of rail line. During its history, the PRR merged with or had an interest in at least 800 other rail lines and companies. The PRR corporation still holds the record for the longest continuous dividend history: it paid out annual dividends to shareholders for more than 100 years in a row. The budget for the PRR was larger than that of the U.S. government and they employed approximately 250,000 workers. In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with its rival, the New York Central Railroad, to form Penn Central Transportation. The ICC required that the ailing New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad be added in 1969. A series of events including inflation, poor management, abnormally harsh weather and the withdrawal of a government-guaranteed 200-million-dollar operating loan forced the Penn Central to file for bankruptcy protection on June 21, 1970. The Penn Central rail lines were then divided between Conrail and Amtrak.
Normally, I would put my own comment or story on these pieces but I think this series speaks for itself and probably speaks to all us to some degree.... Enjoy!
Her Blue Fabric Moved In The Breeze That Carried Words Of Ignorance
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I had to make a quick run to the store to pick up a few items for dinner. I run in grab the things I need stand in line, make small talk with the cashier, swipe the debit card, grab my stuff and head out the door. I should say that as I do these things Im usually in some daydream land, thinking about things and looking around, its just the way I work. Anyway, as I'm walking down the row of cars, looking around in this daydream land, I see there is woman whos car is near mine, putting her groceries into the trunk of car. As I get closer a car passes by slowly and the occupants of the car start to yell racial slurs and profanity at the woman and she ignores them but they slow more and they keep yelling and she keeps ignoring them and lightly brushes the blue fabric that is wrapped around her head and then they drive off and she never looks up. By the time I am near her, she is done with putting her groceries into the trunk of her car. She looks at me and all that comes out it is, "Well, I was going to say, Nice Day, isnt it? but it isn't I suppose" Then she replies back, "No, it really is." She smiles at me and I am speechless and keep walking as she is right and it is really her call and said it perfectly. I throw my bag into the passenger seat as I slide into the drivers side, I start the car and think to myself that I really have no idea what alot of people go through every day. I put the car in reverse and uneventfully head home to dinner. Enjoy!
