Tennessee Iris 061

Julie has these gorgeous Tennessee Iris's blooming in our flower bed. I was very nervous about painting one, they are so beautiful and of course, all I could think about was how well Van Gogh did them. Could mine even compare? Big shoes. I had one long canvas left and it was perfect for the job, I just hope it is dry before the Cotton Pickin' Festival!

I will have a booth at the Cotton Pickin' Festival in Gay this Saturday and Sunday. I moved to Gay 2 years ago and really enjoyed the festival, the art, the crafts, the antiques and best of all... the food! I had toyed with the idea of trying a festival, but my work is large and expensive, thus fits better in galleries. However, I think these daily paintings will do well! They are small and inexpensive and people know what they are! So, if you are around Gay, come see me this weekend!

Americana 059 & 060

In prepping for the Cotton Pickin' Fair, I knew some Americana pieces were necessary. I have long admired the work of Jasper Johns and the beauty of his flags. He could take something we see every day and make you look at it in a different way. He could also use it as a vehicle for experimentation. Flags have long been used by many artists as such a vehicle. Peter Max and Steve Penley come to mind. No that my style is settling and, it is my turn. Recently my experimentation pieces have been the Stand of Pines series. I hope to do many more of these on museum and gallery wrap. These are on regular canvas and will probably do better framed.

Two Avocado Paintings 057 & 058

I finished these pieces too late last night to get any good light on them. I am trying to turn out some fruit for the Cotton Pickin' Festival next weekend. With the amount of oils I use, they take at least a week under a heat lamp to dry. My style has started to change a bit and I am enjoying where it is going. I am at the phase where I can't wait to get home to paint. I love that place. It only comes around so often.

Two Tomatoes on a Vine 057

I stole away some time today for a quick painting. It was way too windy to get out. This time of year is very busy and I always find myself tired and stressed. This weekend we had our auction, Groovin' in the Grove, which I can scratch off my plate. To add to my usual load of springtime stress, region golf, and for some reason I agreed to be the commencement speaker for our senior class. I am both honored and nauseated.

Anyway, I found these guys in the kitchen. I loved the stem and the fact that there was more than one, although I would prefer 3... beggars. I loves the shadow and the sharp uninviting leaves where the vines attach to the tomato. I was very pleased with the outcome and I love the complimentary color scheme.

White Barn, Gay, GA 057

Finally got out to paint today. Jules and Mo' came with me... Mo' whined like a baby the whole time like the cruiser was surrounded by angry cats and he had no escape.

It was a beautiful day, and I HAD to get out and paint. It had been almost a week. There is no excuse... well, actually I could come up with several, but they are worthless. Even though I was distracted by the whines of my dog and the cars that occasionally passed, I was happy with the piece in the end, and that is all that matters...

Cabin. Paris, Tennessee 056

Well, we have made it to Paris, TN. I got up this morning and went out in Jules' folks yard to paint this old cabin they have in the back yard. It is beautiful. Hand hewn logs with mortar between them, dove tailed on the ends. It has a deck on the back overlooking the creek. I hope to paint from there tomorrow, but the forecast calls for rain. I may be painting indoors from photos, we will see.

This cabin is great, they just cleared the brush recently and when we were here last it was way too cold for a Georgia boy like me to get out there and paint. My blood is too thin. I did take a lot of photos that day, but I never painted from them.

Red Blossoms 055

I was very excited about starting this piece. It is a larger one, done in one sitting, 18"x18" in about 2 hours early this morning. I love being able to wake up and blunder into the studio with a cup of coffee, put on the headphones and plug into some tunes and get lost in a painting. Pure heaven. Tomorrow I leave for Paris, TN and I am painting with wild abandon, like it is my last chance. I try to make the best of every vacation I get from teaching. The weather is going to be pleasant in Paris and I am taking my outdoor painting rig and 4 canvas's. Industrious, I know. I hope to at least paint 2. I will be balancing being social with painting and the MASTERS!!

This is such a glorious time of year that used to be topped off with a trip to my garndmothers in Washington, GA and a pilgrimage to the hallowed grounds of the Augusta National with my father. It was always so special and magical. You have never seen anything like it. It has changed now. Used to be everyone was dressed to the nines and the crowds were intimate back then. I would walk the course and then follow my favorite golfer... from Tom Watson and Nickolaus, Freddy Couples to Tiger. The concession prices are still rediculously low. You could eat all you want on $15. Drinks were under a dollar, sandwiches under 2. I would eat as many pimento cheese sandwiches as my stomach could hold and the move to egg salad and maybe a club, and still come home with money in my pocket.

A few years ago my sweet grandmother passed away and the tickets were lost to the next person in line. My father had been to over 50 Masters since my grandfather got the tickets in the beginning, I have been to every one since 1978 or so. I still have most of the badges pinned to a hat in my studio. It is hard to feel good about losing the tickets, but I guess we had a good run. However, I doubt you will find any one there more in love with the history and the course than my dad and me.

Happy Easter!

Golden Delicious 054

These were a group of 3 as well, I painted them quickly before their numbers began to dwindle. Apples don't last long in these parts, I have an apple/peanut butter addiction that I must feed. I am happy with this piece, but the colors are a bit dull. I still have so much to learn about color. I love the abstract quality of the piece as well as the composition.

Big Red 053

I had 3 tomatoes I wanted to use for a painting, but as usual, we ate 2 before I could paint them... thus the solo tomato. Hopefully, when we get the garden going (if the rain ever stops) I will not have this problem. I still don't like solo objects, but you gotta use what you have when you have it.

Red Tractor 052

I took a group of 7th graders to Skidaway Island off the coast for 4 days of sea kayaking. We camped out walking distance from the marsh and I planned on doing at least 2 plein air pieces. I packed up my tent and backpack, paint supplies, hiked in half a mile, only to get rained on for 2 days! I got some decent pics... I have been on the trip 4 times, so I saw a lot of the same.

If you ever het a chance, call Sea Kayak Georgia, they are an amazing outfit and do great work with adults and kids alike. Ronni, Marsh and Regan are the best at what they do. They are located on Tybee Island. I will upload some photos from the trip that may become paintings soon.

After recoperating from the trip, I tackled this larger piece. It is painting from a series of photographs I took last spring. There is something about these larger pieces that make me incredibly frustrated and angry while I paint, but they always work out alright. I was happy with this one, but it was the cause of more than one tantrum this afternoon. I hope to post some marsh paintings soon.