The three-armed eggbeater ride of my childhood was called The Scrambler. It has evolved into today’s sleeker, curvier Sizzler. The cosmetics have changed, but the experience remains the same. It’ll still make you want to hurl, and (if you don’t) it’s a great first date ride. That’s because centrifugal force smashes the riders together, forcing full side-body contact, which can be an icebreaker for shy youngsters. This young couple seemed to be...
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Artist Carol Marine says in her Daily Paintworks Horsing Around Challenge that she and her family woke up one morning while camping in Missouri to see this horse grazing near their tent. She snapped a photo of the scene, and posted it for artists to interpret. I’m not a relaxed camper. If I heard a “chomp, chomp, chomp” from inside a tent in the early morning hours, I’d freak out. What else could it be but the Langoliers? Available on Artfire You...
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The Superbowl has come to Indianapolis, and to commemorate it, I present my first football painting, ever! I’ve always longed to paint the game, but the NFL is extremely protective of their rights (as they should be), so that’s a line I’ve never crossed. I’m able to take my camera into games, so I have hundreds of tempting references I can’t use. If you’re an artist, you know how frustrating that can be. Finally, this week, I decided...
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I couldn’t resist painting a portrait of this lovely waitress from a photo taken by artist/photographer/traveler/blogger Lee Brown. Lee generously lends some of his travel photos to artists in the context of his ADNW painting challenges. Participants get one month to submit their interpretations of his image. There’s some cool stuff already posted. Go see it here. I don’t know what I liked more – the quality of the light, or the shape of her hair...
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Funny how some paintings grow on you. When I finished this one a few weeks ago, I didn’t think it was up to my standards. I was going to wipe it off and start over. But it had so freaking much paint on it. Wiping it would have created a toxic mess. So I put it aside, thinking it would be easier to deal with when dry. Over the weeks, my revulsion mellowed. I started thinking maybe it wasn’t so bad. Maybe even I liked it a little bit. The warmth of the colors made...
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This week I’m hosting the painting challenge on Daily Paintworks. It’s called “The Color Of Music,” and you’re invited to play along! The idea is to paint a favorite piece of music, converting sound to pigment. My song choice, “Life Becoming,” comes from a long-time favorite album by Michael Nesmith called “The Garden.” This mostly instrumental album comes boxed with a short novel. The idea is to play the music...
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Every year I pass this colorful little tent at my state fair, and have the same “gotta paint this” reaction. So I photograph it, and file it away. This 4th of July weekend seemed like the perfect time to finally get it done. I’m experimenting here in painting on a metallic gold-toned surface. I was reluctant to cover up all that pretty gold! Also trying out my new favorite blue, indanthrene blue, in the sky. Here are a few images from along the way:...
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Here’s another painting of something I can’t eat. I loved these things when I still ate white potatoes. These days I have a new love – sweet potato fries! OMG, they are so good! Much tastier than white potato fries, and they barely raise my blood sugar. I serve them with a garlicky dipping sauce made with Greek yogurt. Yum! A few images from along the way: Purchase on Zatista You might also like: Like Moths Caramel Apple, No Nuts Stripes, and...
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Ten years ago this week, I gave up sugar forever. So I’ll celebrate by painting apples covered in caramelized sugar. I used to love these things! Ate a lot of them as a kid growing up next to a ten acre apple orchard. My mom would melt Kraft caramels in a double boiler with a little cream, then dip the crisp fresh apples in it. Yum! The taste of Autumn. No nuts for me, though. Here are a few images captured along the way: You might also like: Candy Apple Reds...
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