Old & Sort of Old

My business manager, Kathryn, encouraged me to inventory all my paintings. In so doing, I came across this acrylic from, oh, about 30 odd years ago. I was in art at the Univ. of Idaho and was told to make a still-life. This one's a bit painful to recall, since I broke the pewter candle holder not long after painting this - I comforted Julie by letting her keep the painting of it.

Among the photos and prints of my grandfather's that Uncle Dag sent me was a small print of this scene. Grandpa had obviously copied it at one time, too, since it had some watercolor paint splatters on it. So, I tried my hand at it. (I've never seen Grandpa's version, but I hope I came close!)

Summer Pieces (Some are not?)

Julie and I were returning from my nephew's wedding and driving through the Columbia Gorge when I spotted (as we often do) a tug with a barge going downriver. The day was windy (normal) and very sunny (not so normal). I love these tugs and the landscape, so I pulled over and took the shot. (The barge had a large 'happy face' sign that I left out - hope you agree!)

This work was a bit of a departure in some ways. First, the image is based on a photo that my Grandpa Garfield took (which was included in a pack of material Grandpa owned and was recently sent to me by my Uncle Dag). So it's from Toronto, not the Palouse! Next, it was black and white so I had to insert colors I thought would work. (I did a couple studies first.) Then, I painted it using a watercolor board (vs just paper) that my daughter Carolyn gave me. To be honest, I'm not crazy about the result - I think I like paper better, but I will try another board just to be fair.
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Moscow Alleys II

So here is the last of the four alleys-this one's looking south, out onto 5th street. I was drawn to the tile in the sunlight and shade on the left hand building. Also, how about the major poles and cross-bars used for utilities? Even in the age of wireless internet! Hope you enjoyed looking at the 'back stage' of Moscow.

Moscow Alleys

Not long ago I went downtown Moscow on a lovely spring evening. The light was great and I wanted to take some shots of Moscow's back streets and alleys. I've started a series of four alley paintings. The top one is behind NSA and the Chamber of Commerce. The middle one (which I did a while back) is between 3rd and 5th streets, and the bottom one is behind Bucer's. I'm working on one more... Why alleys, one might ask? I like the rich variety of colors, textures and shapes - really. Plus they say a lot about a town.

Still Life III hung

As promised, here's how the finished works look, in their old white frames, hanging in our kitchen. I'm pleased that Julie's pleased that we found a way to use those frames from her mom's collection of older items.

Can you spot a difference?

These are two separate paintings of the same subject. The top one is close to a 16x20 and the bottom 8x10. Which do you prefer and why?