A Little More About Me

I have had the good fortune to be possessed by the art gods. Really don't think much of other jobs, had 'em and hate 'em. I love paint, its my friend, although on some occasions it can be a little too lusty, for as Odd Nerdrum told me, "Stick to the minimalistic color pallet, for fugitive colors are like beautiful women. so tempting yet when you add it to your painting it Always betrays you". Wise words from a wise man. I paint all of the time and inbetween the "all of" and "the time", I study. Study the old masters, the new masters, light and shadow, composition, effects, tonality, color, oh yes color. I love color. Not too much and not too little. It's sooo tempting. Now some colors, lets say prussian blue, it has a potent personality, wants to jump right in and take control, it is beautiful. It has to be patient because too much is too much but just enough makes the painting live. So does its friend Crimson. I would say on the whole if they had an astological sign it would be Leo.

Squishy

Squishy is the funniest cat. During the day he is completely uninterested in being pet or loved. At night, on the other hand, he purrs, loves to be cuddled and likes sweet nothings whispered into his ear. I guess this would definitely be his day time look. He gets so irritated...it makes me want to give him a big hug whether he likes it or not. He'll let me and he won't struggle but he most definitely won't enjoy it. I love this cat.

Bottom Dwellers

When I was a little kid I was always afraid to swim in lakes, not one lake in particular but ALL lakes in general. I'd be swimming along and for the most part it was consistently cold and then all of a sudden there would be this frigid cold spot, a little further on a warm spot. Now I can handle this, that is not my problem. The real reason lakes are creepy is the creepy water guy that lives down in the bottom. It's the things in the bottom of the lake, the things that tickle my toes or wrap around my ankle. The hands that grab me and threaten to pull me under. It's also the nasty mud between my toes: what makes it feel so nasty if it's just dirt?

Fight the Fear

I find that being a dedicated oil painter can be a dangerously reclusive game. It's so easy to get caught up in the smell of oil and the many colors, brushes, textures, preparation and then just painting. This is good, dedication, but I think all great painters need to live and find inspiration. Being connected is one of the greatest benefits. Every time I hang a painting I am exposing myself, "openings" are scary, always looking to see if I measure up (although we as painters are not supposed to compare because we are all unique) I must say that it is human nature to compare and no matter how much we say we don't... we do. I guess the solution must be damage control: to stop myself before I start. Are all painters afraid of rejection or ridicule? Maybe not, maybe so, but for me, I think that I need to have more faith in myself, be more confident. I would say that most people are kind, I have decided to get out and "do" more. To streak through the proverbial streets of creation exposing my paintings as much as possible, all of my nooks and cranny's.

My Odd Pallet

Brad says I'm far to shy about showing off my achievements, so here's one. When Brad and I were in Norway staying with Odd Nerdrum for a couple of months, Odd came into the student kitchen. I had my little water color pallet sitting on the table. He looked at it and asked whose it was. I told him it was mine. He says " This is so wonderful,I will trade you one of my signed pallets for your signed pallet". My pallet hangs on his studio wall, and the one he gave to me hangs on mine. One of the greatest experiences of my life. Odd is truly one of the kindest people I have ever met. I'm a better person for having become friends with him.

Flowers

I love flowers. I'm not always happy with a

paintings "outcome" but the one with the flowers, I really love this one. I sat out in the front yard on a box and just painted, listening to the birds, the laughter inside the house, little dogs running around my feet, I also dropped my painting pallett upside down on the ground. It was a "perfect" weather day, too. The conditions were just right (which dosent happen very often). .

Scarborough Fair

Simon and Garfunckle sing it best. Old folk lore, a song that know one knows the origination of. Possible, yet impossible. Not there, yet there. What does the future hold.....

Inbetween

On reading Siddhartha: There was an "inbetween", somewhere between enlightenment and earthbound, some clarity but not. He sat by the river and pondered.........

Little Pieces

It feels to me,that, every little thing is a piece of other little things, making big things and on and on and on. This is a middle sized piece of something much larger.

Lemon and Two Oranges

These guys hang on the studio wall at Odd Nerdrum's farm. I painted them while I was there. As you can see buy the mold, well the mold was so beautiful it had to become part of the picture.

Cuddle It Up

I'd never expect lemons to look so chummy. My friend says they either look like there humping or the one is bullying the other. She's so funny, I just love her.

On the Edge

Yosemite at sundown. It's so beautiful there. It appears that the longer I camped there the harder it was to come home. Of course there was this one guy who was riding his scooter down to the little camp store and he was very tall . He was coming down the hill and there was a low overhang. He didn't duck down and he knocked himself out. I think he was pretty ready to go home after that. The sunset was really beautiful though. I hope the guy was Ok. Beautiful sunset.

Bunches O Bananas

I love bananas, they travel in a group and once you learn how to peel them its all up hill from there.

Monets Boat

Monet is so amazing. I decided to paint a copy of this painting because I want that boat.

Apple and His Friends

Apples are fun, so colorful. I was painting along and I look up and he has bugs. They sat there for a long time ( the bugs sat there for a long time, the apple didn't have much of a choice).

Me on Painting

When I first started painting I was trying to find the magic to put into my paintings. But I think I was going about it the wrong way, I paint and the magic finds me. There's the beginning and then I just keep painting and painting and painting, and then it starts to sparkle a little and I keep painting hoping that it comes to something and then if I'm really lucky, I, as the painter, will actually be able to see it. This is a rarity and even if I do see the magic, the magic is different for everyone and thats where everyone else comes in and helps me "see" it. Painting is one of the most meaningful ways for all of us to connect. There is a certain partnership between viewer and creator, it must be this way for otherwise it would have no purpose because we find ourselves through eachother.