Sunday, March 31, 2013

Hanging Pics

Returning from California, I was over come by a blizzard here in East Boothbay. I was scheduled to be a part of a 3-person show at the Damariscotta River Grill, with an opening on Wednesday, March 20, but it started snowing that Monday night, and snowed ferociously all Tuesday when we were supposed to hang the show. Happily, on Wednesday morning, the snow began to stop and I bullied my car out the driveway and on up the road to Damariscotta where I hung the show with Greg Laderer and Lettie Chieu Husson. It is a pretty wonderful show. Here are some photos:

These are a pair of 'late bloomers,' flowers that lasted through the first frosts and were pretty rough and tough. So I painted them with palette knife and thick, rich paint, thinking of van Gogh all the while. The top one was the advertised one of mine, and is on postcards, if you'd like one.


On another wall are more flowers, and then more:

These are not great pics, and there is a whole wall of Valentine vegetable posters, plus several of the original paintings of Veges, and some landscapes. So, if you're in the vicinity, do drop by the River Grill and check all the paintings out, including Greg'e and Lettie's wonderful landscapes... The food is great, too. The show is up until April 30...

Monday, March 11, 2013

lovers point

Sometimes a photo triggers such a strong positive reaction, that it is impossible to try and duplicate it in paint. So I did it in ink and wash, from a slightly different perspective.
IT's been wonderful being out here in California, even though the weather has not always been like the above photo. IN fact, it has been chillier than usual except for the few days when it has been toasty.
Lovers Point in Pacific Grove is not historically meant for romantic lovers; it is so named because Pacific Grove was begun as a chatauqua community, or summer community, founded by the Methodist and Epsicopalians of the Bay Area. They were, in fact, lovers of Jesus, and the point was where they would gather on Sundays.

Despite the attractiveness of the water off Lovers Point, it is as cold as any water in Maine, and usually only children go in without wet suits. Surfers wear their wet suits while surfing there, and wet suits are worn in the annual Triathlon here. Once, in the entire time I lived here, 13 years, I went swimming - when El Nino brought the warm waters of Baja north along the coast, and the water rose to about 68 degrees. IT was tolerable then, but it certainly isn't now.

Soon, I'll be back in EBB, where the water will be snowy and cold still, and not nearly so blue. BUt it will get better, and bluer, and then summer will happen. I can't wait.