There isn't much of a story for this one. Sometimes you just start working and things happen and you let them happen and that is just the way it should be.
... Enjoy!
So Long And Thanks For All The Green
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OK. I have to be honest on this one. Today is my wedding anniversary and there are other things I should be doing that sitting at these keys and screen. I am fairly certain there would be none of these paintings and writing and the hours and work if it wasn't for her and all the support through all those years of self doubt as painter. So, I am afraid that is all there is for the story. I am going to be keep it at that and save the rest of the words for a proper painting and the proper moment... Enjoy!
Some Simple Slight Of Hand
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With the line of: "NOW... for the FIRST TIME... as if by MAGIC!" you would think that you are really in for something great. With the number of illustrations, photos and the amount of text, this product must be unbelievable. Then as you start to get the big picture you see that what you are really in for is not magic at all but some simple slight of hand. (I might not even go that far. Maybe magic in 1957 was a little different than it is now) All you really end up getting is some paper with a hole cut out with hairdos on them. You hold them up to your face and you can have a hairstyle by Flavio. ("the hair stylist to the stars"). It also seems odd to me that this is the "first time" that this product was available. Wow. 1957. The year that brought you the first frisbee, Ginsberg's Howl printed in England, Lennon and McCartney first meet, the Little Rock Nine, Machinac Bridge opens, the first Boeing 707 flies and last but not least, Card Board cutouts that have hairdos on them that you can hold up to your face and see what you would look like with that hairdo... as if by MAGIC!... Enjoy!
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Isn't She?
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Those of you who follow my work, know that I occassionally (well a little more than occassionally) get emails from people who suggest subject matter for a painting. I try do do my best to accommodate. It is a good way to not get in a rut of doing the same thing over and over. That leads to this email that read, "What about doing an all pink painting?" (for some reason, I always think of the Psychedelic Furs song when I think of Pink. Who hasn't sung along with that song at one time or another?) Anyway, here is to all of you who keep sending me great ideas. As long as you keep sending, I will keep painting them. With that ... Enjoy!
50 Foot Movies For $2.00
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I was gone this weekend. When I got back there was the mail from Friday and Saturday on the counter. There was a 6"x9" yellow envelope in the stack. Just like the ones that I send alot of paintings in. (you know the ones). I skipped past all the bills, junk mail, magazines and go right for the yellow envelope. In the space where the return address should have been it just said "A Collector." I opened it up a bit cautiously. There was no note inside but the rest of the contents were wonderful. Clippings from old newspapers and magazines. Some even had dates written in pencil on them. So, to whoever you are, (I know you are reading) thanks for the wonderful clippings. Thanks for taking the time to package them up and send them out. (I wish you would have included a note and a name so I could return the favor). Well, until you come forward, here is the first from yours stack. 50Ft. movies for $2.00... Enjoy! (Oh yeah, and those titles are a bit adult-ish. At least for 1957 standards)
King Of The Blood. Cures All Humors. 1889
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(Yes, this one is really 119 years old. "King Of The Blood". That is a marketing slogan for the ages. I just love the phrase "Cures All Humors". Just can't beat it.)
So, lets see... this page is 119 years old, I am 35 years old, the wine I am drinking right now is only 3 years old, this painting is about 6 hours old, this story is minutes old and this moment is now. I suppose all time and history always come together at this point of now. By the time you read this, now will gone. I was going to say something like, "it's funny how things work" but that really isnt appropriate. It is just the way things work. King Of The Blood, 119 years old and it's here now. With that... Enjoy!
Gas Mask 15
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I keep this list of words near my desk where I paint. (I use the word paint loosely) The list of words ranges from peoples names to words like plumber, raygun, accident, old rotary style phone, silly things like that. This list comes in handy when I have painters block. One of my favorite words on the list are "gas mask". (Some of you may remember a while back the series of Gas Mask paintings.) Well, I've decided to revisit some of those old series and add to them. What better than to start with the old Gas Mask series. So, with that, here #15 in the Gas Mask series.... Enjoy!
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Paris #15.
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This is the 15th 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 "View of the Eiffel Tower". All the postcards are very Paris and they make me want to travel and get out of the US for a while and see the other parts of the world where things are new and even simple things are filled with wonder. With that.. Enjoy!
No Diet, Wonder Drug Proved Successful! 1957.
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You know, alot of what I like about design from past decades is how different alot of it is. Different techniques, different ideas, different angles, different fonts, different graphics, different design tools, different printing techniques and then I run across ads like this one from 1957 and realize that while alot of that has changed maybe alot still remains the same about us. I'm pretty sure that I just heard the text from this ad, "Proved Beyond Any Question of Doubt!" and "No Calorie Counting" and "Reduce Without Diets or Exercise!" and "Eat What You Like!" on TV earlier while watching a bit of the Olympics. There is a saying that is something like, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." I suppose that this may illustrate that just perfectly. With that... Enjoy!
An old flyer from a boat tour down in Florida. This has to be from the late 50's or early 60's. One of their many slogan was "Famous For Its Cleanliness" How great is that. Another was "The Best 2 Dollars You Can Spend". They even boast "Alligator Wrestling" Well, I suppose this speaks for itself...Enjoy! (Another great find from B&J. Thanks!)
Here Is The Kind Of He-Man Body You Could Have.
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I dont even know where to begin with this one, so I'll let it speak for itself. Starting with: "Here is the kind of He-Man body you could have." Or how about: "Develop A Strong He-Man Voice" or how about: "Investigate Accidents" or the ever popular: "$500.00 for your child's photo" and lastly: "Family Piano Lessons". Take your pick. It's all yours. Good fun from 1949!...Enjoy!
You'd Never Know.
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I was rummaging through my stash of old clippings and stuff and I ran across this ad from 1958 for a cream to treat Psoriasis. For some reason the phrase "you'd never know I had..." struck me as odd and made me realize how many people probably go through the day hiding something that they don't want other people to know about. Not to mention all the products that exist to help us cover things up... I remember when I was growing up my next door neighbor had psorisis really bad on her arms. I remember her saying that she always wore long sleeve shirts when she went out because she was so self conscious of it. She hated it in the summer because it was always too hot for long sleeve shirts. So, she just stayed inside most of the time. I remember thinking how sad she must have been. Well, I guess that is it. Well, here is to trying to live with everything about yourself and realizing that we all have things that are wrong with us and that is exactly what makes us all so... right... Enjoy!
Ninja Mask #2
(vintage 50's fabric and Beulah's cinnamon roll recipe)
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I knew that I wanted to use fabric on this ninja mask so I started hunting around for the right choice. I was going through a bunch of fabric that we have here and found a bunch of fabric that was given to us by Great Grandma Clute. She passed away a few years back and we still talk about her homemade cinnamon rolls. We try to make them but they never taste as good as hers did. She lived in rural Michigan and was very self reliant. Before she passed away she left different things to all of us. This red cowboy fabric was one of the things that she left us. I can just see her in the 50's sewing a cowboy shirt out of it With that, here is the second ninja mask with awesome vintage fabric from Great Grandma Clute. (In her honor, the winner of this Ninja Mask will also receive her awesome Cinnamon Roll recipe.) ... Enjoy!
The Stangers' Directory. Boston, 1930.
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It was the name that got me. "Strangers' Directory" This is actually from a 1930 travel guide of Boston. I can't help but think of the Boston tourist council sitting around a table trying to come up with this marketing campaign. "Well, what do we want to call these strangers coming in from out of town?" "How about strangers?" "That is a great idea!" "Strangers it is!" I could go on and on for all the other fun things surrounding the "Strangers Directory" but I think its best left up to your imagination. Have fun!...Enjoy!
Fred The Chicken
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When she was growing up in the Upper Pennisula she had a pet chicken named Fred. I don't know many people, wait, I don't know anyone else that has had a pet chicken. Somehow, Fred just seems like the right name for a pet chicken. I have heard many stories about Fred over the years. The last story of Fred goes like this: Her mother gave Fred to the neighbor so her father wouldn't kill it for dinner. She went to the neighbors to see Fred and Fred wasn't there. The neighbor said the Rooster killed Fred and that is why he wasn't there. She still gets sad talking about Fred. Now that she is older she is pretty sure that Fred never went to neighbors house and got killed by the rooster. I always wanted to do a portrait of Fred because I know that we all have a Fred somewhere in our past, don't we? It doesn't have to be a pet but something that was very close to you that was taken away and you never forgot it. Well, here is to all those things and remembering them and moving on and always keeping them with you... Enjoy!
I have this stack of papers, magazines, clippings, and other stuff that I collect that I think I might use some day. The stack was getting a bit unruly. So, today I thought I would go through it and see what I could work with and much to my surprise I find this 1x4 that I swore I already painted on. I remember cutting it out on the saw in the garage. I remember bringing it in to start working on it but somehow it ended up at the bottom of my pile. Hmmmm... I don't know... I know I forget stuff, get too much going on, next thing I know I'm off in another direction. I guess the good thing is that I eventually find my way back to it. Like this piece of wood I suppose. With that here is to lost things that are found... Enjoy!
Im fascinated by marketing. As much from the designer side of it as the consumer side of it. As I have mentioned many times before Im particularly fond of older commercial design. It's funny though how the message itself really hasn't changed that much over the years. The graphics got fancier but the underlying message is the same. I really can't find a better example than this advertisement from 1958. (This could probably apply to any of the weightloss products on the shelf right now.) One last thing, this is part 2 of 2. The devil shape in this one has been cut out of the advertisement that was used in Part 1. Well, with that...Enjoy!
The Red King. Button #10
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This is #10 in the limited edition button series. This is the limited edition button of a painting from 2007 called Red King. (or Those Stripes On Charlie Brown's shirt) - (ACEO/ATC #303)
Story: I received an email this week from someone who said they really liked the King and Queen portraits. I too enjoy them. I like the crown heads because they remind me of the pattern on Charlie Brown's shirt. (I think even mentioning Charlie Brown may warrant a call from their lawyer. Well, I guess I'm living on the edge) Well, as those of you who follow my work know, I always try to take time to do portraits for people who take the time out of their lives to drop me a message. So, here is to the person who took the time to drop an email and share there thoughts with me and here is to the pattern on Charlie Browns shirt! (My phone is ringing... I bet its their lawyer...)...Enjoy!
How I Spent My Christmas Eve.
or The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. 1938.
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"Have you thought about doing a religious painting?" her email asked. To which I replied, "Hell no!" Of course, I was kidding around. (The keywork being "hell". I thought it was funny at the time.) It really isn't very funny now that I write it again. Oh well... so, I set out to do a "religious painting". This could mean many things to many people but at this stage in my life I may be lacking a bit in the religious inspiration area. I guess I'm not even sure what it means anymore to do a "religious painting". Does it have to be Jesus, Buddha, John the Baptist, a dove with an olive branch flying over clouds with gates and there is a hostess table by the gates and the hostess tells you there will be about a 45 minute wait and they will call you when you when your table is ready. I'm a bit off track I suppose. Well, one sidenote about this painting, is if you look at the background of this 1938 movie advertisement, you will see the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Recently, remade and known as Sweeny Todd. (Yes, the one with Johnny "everyone-swoons-over-me" Depp) Well, on Christmas eve (one of the most religious of holidays) the three of us wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary for the Christmas holiday. So, one of the things we did is we went and saw Sweeny Todd on Christmas Eve. There was lots of blood and only two other people in the theater and throats were slit and there were meat pies and I cringed every single time someone fell head first through the floor and when we finally got out of the theater the snow was falling and it was dark and we were all laughing about how we were spending our Christmas Eve and we were smiling about all being together and in the end that is what matters. With all that said, there has to be a religious painting in here somewhere...Enjoy!
On a per ounce basis, a woman's swimsuit is the highest price of wearing apparel in the United States
or (Other Facts That Don't Seem Like Facts)
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It has been a while since I posted something from the "Book of Facts" series. This is the 11th in the "Book of Facts" series. (I was going through a bunch of books that were stored away in boxes. I ran across this old book of facts. It is just page after page of wierd facts. After about 2 pages, I thought, "this is perfect!") So, what can we all learn from this painting of facts? Well, how about this one: "On a per ounce basis, a woman's swimsuit is the highest price of wearing apparel in the United States" ...Or... "A whipping boy is a scapegoat, one punished for the comings of another" Or... "Spots and lines appearing on the fingernails indicate imperfections in the nails." Okay, that is like saying, "If there is a spot on your face then there is a spot on your face." A fact indeed but is it notable? These are great. Good fun!... Enjoy!
