This commissioned portrait turned into a marathon painting for me, and I’m still not sure why. It started off simple enough: I marked the position of the figure with a few brush strokes, then went about the business of blocking in the color. No problem there. (more…)

Plato, 36×36″, $800

Painted this one a few weeks back, just never got around to posting it here. So now I am. I used a generic photo of a dog from who-knows-where online, painted it in a happy-go-lucky abstract style, and named the dog Plato. Measuring in at three feet square, this canvas is presently hanging in our living room.

Calico #2, 42.5×42.5″, $1,200

I like big canvases. Though it doesn’t look it, this painting [Calico #2] is painted on just such a canvas [three and a half foot square]. I’ve got another canvas the same size as this one, primed and ready to go. So, what do you think I should paint? I need subject matter ideas. Let me know!

“3 tree, big” acrylic, 20×16″, $200

Had a great day at the Northshore Art Market in Covington. It was very hot and very humid all day [that wasn't so great], but I got to meet many wonderful people, make a few important contacts, and sold a few paintings in the process. Shown above is a photo of the booth. It was smallish and the paintings were crammed in there. The biggest improvement I could make is to purchase one of those big white canopies [you can see them in the background]; they are taller and allow more light through which brightens the atmosphere [unlike my little cave-like display].

Anyway, I plan to do more of these art markets in the future. I’ll let you know when and where. And I’ll bring more sunscreen next time, as well.

Finished four more paintings for the art market. These are all smaller [11x14" and 12x12", respectively] and are all priced at $100. From left to right, they are “Blue Closeup,” “Watchful Eye,” “Lake Arthur Cypress,” and “Lily Elegant”.

I’m still not sure how many paintings I will be bringing. The wife bought a popup tent thingy which I will test out today in the backyard. Then I will have a better idea how much space I will need to fill with paintings. Anyway, more to come.

I painted this painting once before from a photo I took years ago of our friends’ pug. It was such a natural for a portrait that I had to paint it again. (Turned out almost as good as the first one, by the way.) I took a few photos showing some of the process. All told, this painting took a couple of hours. (more…)

This coming Saturday is the Northshore Art Market in Covington, LA, where I will be showing my paintings and hoping to sell a few. My brother Tim asked me how my preparation was going, and my only response was to reach through the phone line and strangle him where he stood. Okay, that didn’t happen, and I’m not nearly as “on edge” as I probably should be. Here is where I stand: I’ve got my cousin Robby (thank you, Robby) and the wife to help setup and tear down - Robby’s got a line on a tent to fend off the sun or the rain as the case may be - and Tammy’s folks will be here to help take care of the little one while this is going on - I have no solid idea how the paintings will be displayed - and I have yet to print off any business cards or bio sheets, both of which I plan to do before the big day. Did I mention it will be this Saturday?

I was planning to paint many many new paintings for this big event but have not really painted anything until yesterday and today [that's okay, I have plenty of backup paintings]. But I managed to complete four decent paintings today. Here they are:

They are, from left to right, “Lone Egret,” 20×16″; “Looking Back,” 20×16″; “Railroad Landscape,” 20×20″; and “Lounging Cat,” 16×20″. Each are priced at $200.

Well, that’s all I can think of - lot’s of work left to do. More to come.

Here is another website I frequent from time to time. It’s centered on the interesting, creative world of [what else] writing in notebooks. Sure it’s an odd subject for a blog, and no not every post is very interesting, but every so often I will find a gem, feeding some creative fire within me, urging me to drag out a long forgotten notepad and start doodling or taking notes or whatever.

Okay, so it’s not for everyone. But for those of you interested: notebookism.com