Not my studio

This is not MY art studio.  Though sometimes I do feel like I have "opportunities" lying around everywhere.  When I shared images of my real studio (on a better day), I received this image in reply.  Craig Marshall Smith sent it to me.  He tried to tell me that this was his studio!!!!  I instantly knew better than that.  Craig is an art instructor I had a Metro State a lot of years ago.  We have reconnected after finding that we were both showing in the Lone Tree Art Exhibition.  Back in my student days, I remember being initially scared of Craig.  I knew him as demanding, difficult (but fair) fastidious, and yes we would both call him a "curmudgeon."

Check out his website at:  http://www.craigmarshallsmith.com

THE REST OF THE STORY:  This is actually a photo of Francis Bacon's studio.  Bacon (1909-1992) was an Irish/British figurative painter known for his bold and raw imagery. He was a rather roguish fellow and we shall leave it at that.  What is extremely interesting is his studio.  In 1998, The Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane was bequeathed Francis Bacon's studio and all its contents. Conservators, archaeologists and curators tagged and packed, catalogued and moved everything in his studio including the dust.  The floor, walls, doors, and ceiling were all removed and relocated.  Over 7,000 items were found and catalogued. And in 2001, his relocated studio was opened for public viewing. 

PRICELESS!  Sure makes me feel good about my studio even on a bad day!

Meet Joe

Joe "making his list and checking it twice."

 

 

Meet Joe Wilcox.  Now he's my friend, but at one time he was also my boss...the last boss I ever had while working in corporate America.  He is also by far the funniest one with an amazing, wicked sense of humor. His Christmas letter is the one you absolutely can't wait to open because you know he'll have you in stitches. Joe has the distinct honor of knowing me when I was "on the edge of a nervous breakdown" (as he puts it).  So Joe was the recipient of my resignation when I took that leap of faith and jumped from my "day job" to being a full-time artist.  (Gotta love a job that sucks the life out of you.  God doesn't have to beat you up the side of the head with the idea that he has a better plan for you!)...

 

...FAST FORWARD...  Joe always sends a witty response when I send out my quarterly newsletters and my most recent one was no exception. His note just begged to be shared with a wider audience and so with his permission, I am posting his picture and his story.  In my last newsletter, I shared pictures of my studio and told of the inspiration that I have posted on the bulletin board behind my desk.  Joe graciously sent me his picture to add to my bulletin board as a reminder of where I've come from.   He says, "The fear of where you could have been can drive inspiration when all else fails."  So you guessed it...Joe now has a permanent place on my wall.  And yes, even the worst day painting is better than those "soul-crushing" 60 hour workweeks in corporate America!

 

PS: Don't you think he kinda looks like Dr. Seuss' "Grinch?" Picture green and add some hair. 

 

 

Stay tuned for more stories from my newsletter readers.

 

 

Very Still Lifes

 

"Sunflowers and Pumpkins" Oil 11x14 SOLD

 

When you think of "still life" what comes to mind? More than likely it's a basket of fruit or an

 arrangement of flowers (like in the 1st image).  I want to propose that a still life can be so much more.  It can be almost anything.  Here are some unarranged, "found" still life images from my day on the backroads of NE Colorado.  Gotta love the colors!  Love the overlapping and repeated lines and shapes! And love the composition.  What a marvel that they were "parked" so painstakingly and artistically?!*!?!   We're not done with images...stay tuned.

 

Any thoughts?

MY FIRST BLOG: Take Your Wife to Work Day

Yesterday was an unofficial “take your wife to work day.”  So I got up early and rode with Frank to Yuma, Colorado, a very small town in the middle of nowhere in the northeastern corner of the state.  I was forewarned that it was a desolate place and most likely I wouldn’t find anything worthy of taking pictures.  That just couldn’t be true, so I took my camera along anyway. 

We started early and drove east just as the sun was coming up.  The day was overcast so it made for an understated landscape with subtle colors.  There were no big surprises…no “rock your world” or “take your breath away” scenes.  As we listened to Allison Krause, I enjoyed the beauty of the serenity of a quiet early April morning.  Sometimes less can be more!  The rolling hills were mostly shades of gray with tinges of green.  There were occasional stands of gray and leafless cottonwood trees along the dried riverbeds and surrounding farmhouses.  Sagebrush and yucca plants added nuances of color to the vast open spaces of the eastern plains.  Often the miles of grazing land was dotted with black angus and longhorn cattle.  Barns and silos and occasional windmills and John Deere tractors made for splashes of brightness.  The roads were labeled CR followed by letters for east-west “county roads” and CR followed by numbers for north-south roads.  I couldn’t help but notice the funny bright yellow road signs that stated “No snowplowing 7pm – 5am.”   There was no lush green foliage, no water tumbling over rocks, actually no water at all, no purple mountain’s majesty.  But there was beauty just the same.  Beauty is everywhere if you have the mindset to find it.