O Brother

O Brother Bob No. 4

I had a photo of my brother, the collector--taken about three years ago--with a flash (not a good idea).  I thought I'd do some quick practice portraits with Tombow markers.  Unlike my iPad apps, there are no undo or erase buttons.  This No. 4 took forever because I really wanted just ONE to be recognizable.  The picture behind him is a selfie he sent me as a joke when he added another camera to his collection--he and I never throw anything away so he should know better.

O Brother Bob No. 3

No. 3 includes a few of the many paintings he has hanging at his house; however, the woman in the actual painting doesn't really look like she's ready to attack.  Behind him is my recollection of a painting by K.A. Colorado, a very nice artist Bob brought by for a visit in the Fall.  The book is a big, beautiful one on Francis Bacon, a gift from Bob to me.

O Brother Bob No. 2

Bob is a book collector/seller and gave me some titles of his favorite books (and a few I made up).  I screwed up his right eye so he's being socked by his Blue Boy sculpture (which is actually about four feet tall).  Okay, the punch works on several levels because he was Mom's favorite child!

O Brother No. 1

So this was the first, drawn upside-down quickly with the markers.  When I turned it upright, I thought, "Oh, Lordy--he looks three sheets in the wind."  This one was based on the actual photo--he's sitting in front of a beautiful hand-painted screen--filled with flowers, with the modern lamp just behind him.

Bob is one of those truly nice guys; I'm lucky to have him as a brother and neighbor.  I tried Tombow markers because I admired the work of Jean Spitzer.  My work is zilch compared to hers, but it was fun.  These are 14x10 and on hot press w/c paper.

Anyplace is Studio Space

I borrowed this painting, Jabor's Tomatoes, acrylic 11x14, from the owners; it's hanging at the Holly Springs NC Cultural Center exhibit. The Art After Dark reception is Friday 6 to 8 p.m.; the exhibit will hang until the end of August.

In 2004/2005 our house was gutted and remodeled--from the dirt to the rafters. My husband stayed in our tiny guest house; I rented an apartment up the street and furnished it sparsely--two Morris chairs in the living room held my files; and, in the kitchen, I had a desk, one folding outdoor teak chair, a daylight lamp and a used three-foot tall step ladder (for changing bulbs). There was no TV and the cell phone was used infrequently--calls were too expensive at the time.

I placed three tomatoes (from a friend's garden) in a 75-cent leather-handled wooden bowl, set it on the chair, set up the lighting, put my palette on the desk and I sat atop the ladder--all night! I painted from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., took a nap, and resumed painting. I completed it in about 24 hours; I relish the memory.

The bowl went with the painting (I insisted); when I saw it last it was filled with clementines--what a nice painting that would make.

Nine-foot Snake!

Living near the lake, seeing snakes is not unusual. This sighting is: A nine-foot astrological diamond-back copperhead cottonmouth with golden fangs. The snake is on my back porch.

As I returned from my arrowhead search along the shore he said: "Why are you bringing that stick home?"

I said: "It's not a stick--it's a snake."

He said: "Well, put it away."

That's how things end up in my workshop--the snake has been in the corner for five years.

The golden fangs? I finally found a use for my old gold crowns-- ca. 1970. Copper shavings from my staircase railing (2005) cover his head.

How many feet in a yard?

There are ten feet in my yard--six lefts and four rights; they were in the bottom of my 40's shopping cart which is in the workshop. Since I don't like even numbers, I'll have to eliminate one or buy another one. These could be feet for the ducks or feet for the newel posts. Some appear to be made of walnut and one pair is painted blue. A wrought-iron tea cart (an auction find) was missing its two small back wheels. The feet worked well; I named it "Blue Suede Shoes Cart" and used it in my living room. Give junk a title and it becomes art!

Cache of Weapons

Yesterday, I bid farewell to my arms--only kept three, one of each color. My grandchildren weren't allowed to play with guns; now they're almost teenagers. When a small hardware store went out of business and sold these for ten cents each--I bought them all. More is always better. As a child I loved playing with cap guns, arrows, knives, and bb rifles; I haven't hurt an animal or human yet. I should have avoided those candy cigarettes!

I hope the previous Administration was not looking for these Weapons of Spark Destruction.

Chunks of Marble

You never know when chunks of marble might come in handy. While taking a break from pruning, I noticed the sun and shadows on my gloves and on the last camellia of the season. That was the end of my gardening and the beginning of art time. The chunk of marble was a perfect base; a tombstone carver had allowed me to look through his scraps (a habit from my sculpting days). I found three pieces; they have been used to level the grill, to keep the crawl-space door closed, and one piece is now in a painting--The Last Camellia, oil pastel, 12x15.

Ducks in a Row?

My art exhibit is less than two weeks away so I'm trying to get my ducks in a row--framing, varnishing, attaching wire to frames, and additional invitations need to go in the mail. My ducks always end up in piles--not rows.

There were seventeen ducks at Good Will; how could I possiby choose just one? They all came home with me and I was tempted to put a "duck X ing" sign out front and have them march up from the street. I also considered making little goggles for them from innertubes (got some from a gas station) and let them waddle down to the lake. Neither came about. My husband spray-painted them yellow and they sometimes decorate the front porch for Easter--then it's back to their crates and into my workshop. A painting is planned: A crate of ducks sits protected under a dark red shed while a black bird bathes in a puddle--safety vs. freedom--rather sad. The painting is in the pile of stuff in my head; one day it will be on canvas--then the ducks can find another home.

A Box of Dishes

Ben Seibel's Impromptu dishes--delicate, footed white bowls, cups and saucers--are in a box. If Mom's wineglasses find a home (I tried to give them to my brother) the Seibel dishes will look nice in the glass-doored kitchen cabinet. If not, they'll go into the storage shed. Three of the cups are in a drawing, On the Edge, 14x11; one of these days, they will appear in a painting.

The Doll

My brother and sister-in-law said they almost bought a doll for me in South Hill. Since I had looked for a used, slightly abused doll for several years without mentioning it to anyone, I got in the car and headed east to South Hill. For $5 I got my doll with clumpy, greenish hair.

She has inspired three drawings--Pull the Chain, pencil & ink, 16x12, was the first and is my favorite. Browsing through the workshop for a vertical to add to the right side of the drawing, I spied a leftover pull chain--perfect--it provided a title. The doll will be moved from the workshop to the bedroom, but she'll be placed so she can't be seen from the bed.

The Deer Skull

The deer skull was bought from a thrift shop. It livened up a boring flower painting and suggested the title: Don't Stop and Smell the Roses, Run like Hell, acrylic & oil pastel, 14x11. The skull will stay because I can't imagine anyone else giving it a home.

Off to the Ruritan Thrift Shop

The items in the back of my car are off to the Ruritan Thrift Shop--wooden roses, dump trucks, a mixer, platters, and the basketful of harmonicas. When I left the shop, two young girls were making music with them. Nice. The globe, however, is still in my workshop.

Basketful of Harmonicas

When we bought this property, the previous owner told us about hearing a harmonica-playing ghost. I have learned that, years ago, a young man did indeed live next door and he played the harmonica. I grew up in this area and give credence to stories of people who could cast spells and I keep an eye out for ghosts. (Parents might have used these stories to keep children in line.)

I like to tell my out-of-town guests about the harmonica-playing ghost. My plan--when I bought these--was to tell the story, then stand outside the guest house in the middle of the night and play the harmonica. I have never done it; I don't want to be the cause of heart attacks.

I will keep three of these--I'll put them in the storage shed with the banjo-ukulele and the bongo drum. The rest of the "collection" will be donated. (The keyboard and music book in the workshop will stay; occasionally, I check my memory by reading music.)

The Level--My Favorite Toy

As a child I loved playing with levels, T squares and plumb bobs. I found this level for $2 and left the tag attached--builder friends are envious.

This level provided the title for the painting below. Leveling, 24x24 acrylic on Ampersand panel, was inspired by a contractor who, in 1999, took my money and didn't finish the job--art as anger management. When the painting was displayed locally I disguised him with sunglasses and dark hair.

The level was not part of the initial concept for the painting--I used it to hold the painting in place when I viewed it from a distance. It grounded the painting and took it to a new level! It will definitely stay in the workshop.

Security in the Workshop

A small dump truck, a toy bulldozer, two stainless steel lamps, six plastic Hampton Inn platters, a bag of chopsticks, a bag of stainless knives, and lots of packing material are in the back of my car--ready for donation or dumping.

I located my security staff. Two were in a box and one (with the gas mask) was in the corner of the bathroom on a pedestal pretending to be sculpture. I suspect they were partying during the cold months; their weapons will turn up sooner or later.

I will keep these newel posts and their helmets--great models.

World in a Dump Truck

World in a Dump Truck is not a political statement but what I found in my workshop. I've used the globe in one painting, The Preacher in 1905 (20x16 acrylic on Ampersand panel), shown below. The original b&w photo of the preacher--who shared my family's last name--was in a box of photos at Good Will. I felt he deserved better.

Although globes are useful in Feng Sui, I think I will pass it on. The dump truck, however, will be used in a still life painting--I imagine it filled with vegetables or fruit.

Coral--Trash or Treasure?

There, on the windowsill in the workshop, are the two pieces of coral I found at a thrift shop. I believe Martha Stewart used a piece on a mantel--it was on the cover of one of her books. Should I keep them? I don't have a mantel. They look like veins.....let's look at them in the mirror. Hold the coral over my face; look through the hole--neat, I think; I can't really see with my left eye. Let's set the camera up, take the pictures, download the photos. Oh, I don't like the blue tee shirt I'm wearing.....delete the photos.....remove the shirt. Try it again--use the timer, rotate the coral so I can look through my right eye. Download more photos. I like these but I hate my wrinkled neck and flabby arm. I can fix it--move the photos into Corel photo/paint; smudge the neck and remove the arm but leave the hand........... Four hours later--I like this photo but what should I do with it? Keep the coral? I think it's destined for the donation box.

Project: Clean Out the Workshop/Studio

My workshop is well-equipped with heat, an air-conditioner, a bath room and a back porch (with a view of the lake). To save energy during the cold weather, I painted in the upstairs bedroom. Now I need to get my supplies moved back to the workshop. This may take a while because--thanks to my accumulation gene--there is barely space to walk and I got wider during Winter.