Dusk is my favorite time to photograph the midway. As blue skies deepen, the lights begin to sparkle. The hot, humid day gives way to cooling breezes, and the grandstand pulses to the beat of an American Idol. There’s a little extra excitement in the air. We’re going to have some fun tonight! This is my first experience using Ampersand Aquabord. (Not a misspelling. Ampersand calls all their boards “‘bord.”) As the name implies, this surface...
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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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This piece was created for the Daily Paintworks Balance Challenge hosted by Cathleen Rehfeld. Here are Cathleen’s guidelines for the challenge: The challenge is to create a stack of something that is balanced, in many ways. Literally balancing things on top of other things, and balance in color, color compliments, neutrals and bright color, composition, negative/positive space, and then paint it! I think I strained my mind thinking too much! But it was fun to shop for...
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Like moths to a flame, they gather. This is another image from the Indiana State Fair balloon glow. The unusual flat-bottomed shape of this hot air balloon hints at its purpose. It’s a promotional balloon shaped like a giant can of Pepsi. This painting is available on Zatista, where I’m starting to list some of my originals. I like Zatista. They’re selective. They sell nothing but original wall art. Their artists are screened by a review board, so...
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My state fair features – weather permitting – a hot air balloon race, with a balloon glow on the racetrack infield the evening before. Before this night, I’d seen balloon glows from a distance, but this was the first time I’d ever walked through one. I was awestruck. What a difference it made, being under these fire-breathing giants, hearing them roar and feeling the heat from the flames. Photographers bumped into each other as they maneuvered with...
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Their trappings are bright and colorful, yet their faces are frozen in eternal screams. I can hear them when I paint them. Yet in all my hours photographing carousels, I’ve never seen a child shy away from them. This is a warmup sketch for a larger painting. Lately my painting has been too timid and still, so my goal was to forget the preliminary drawing, throw some paint around, and have faith that in the end it would work. Here are some photos taken along the way:...
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Some girls just know they’re beautiful. She goes by the call name “LB,” and she’s one of the prettiest cats I’ve ever seen. You might also like: Little Big Dog Three Sheep Three Way
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