Fortress of Solitude

After a months of pondering, wondering, seeking, searching, hunting, packing, planning, painting and unpacking...my Fortress of Solitude is complete and the house around it is not far behind. 


As much as we hated to leave the country, we packed up and headed back to Newnan, my hometown to buy a house. We are now closer to the school where I work, closer to UGA where Julie is working on her PhD and dangerously close to my folks. We will miss not having neighbors, the wonderful people, our chickens and garden, the beautiful landscape and the stars at night. I will not miss armadillos, coyotes, deer in the road, a 45 minute one way commute, a dirty car, chopping wood for 3 fireplaces and mowing several acres with a push mower.


All I need is to have Directv installed in the studio and I am all set! I am sure Julie will be so pleased not to see my art stuff in front of every TV in the house.

Above are images of the new space, once an quasi sunken carport. I am using an old dresser as a tabouret, perfect height and 19"x25" of mixing space, very necessary when you use a palette knife on large canvases. I have also cut pieces of wood that are screwed into studs on the wall at different heights from which to hang canvases of different sizes. I have a TV with Directv and Netflix streaming to keep my from the front of the rest of the TV's is the decent parts of the house.

I also have all of my art books out, my guitars have been rescued from under beds and my still life items are out where I can see them. A couple of great chairs and a sofa and a mirror behind me where i will be painting. I do need to make space for my newly constructed shadow box, I made it 24"x24" and it may just be too big. My old space at our farmhouse was great, however it was too small. I do miss the fireplace!

All I need now is motivation! they say painting is like riding a bike... I say it's like riding a horse and then falling off and breaking something. It takes a little effort to get back on...

My Alter Ego

Vacation Motor Hotel, Clarksville, TN © 2009 David Boyd Jr.

Many of know that I am a bit of a shutter bug. It mostly came out of a fascination with the camera at a young age and most recently, the purchase of my first digital SLR to coincide with my first large purchase of a painting over 3 years ago.

Ever since, I have had my camera at my side at all times. I mostly use the images for reference, but recently started entering shows. I have been accepted to the past 2 Nature Undisturbed shows and well as the last 2 SlowExposures shows.

About a year ago I started a blog for my photos called dirtroadphotographer, but decided I could only focus on one passion at a time and have neglected it ever since.

I have dabbled in digital photography using Photoshop, Aperture, SilverFX and several camera types from digital to film to my cell phone. I have even started an AP photo class at the high school where I teach.

Last week I got one of those emails that make me grin from ear to ear. Chris Curry, owner of A Novel Experience in Zebulon, GA and one of the founders of SlowExposures emailed to see if they could use one of my images from the entrants I had sent for last years show as the central image for the marketing materials this year. Even though it was not selected for that show, it resonated with them. I am thrilled, honored and humbled to have been asked. The image happens to be one that I planned on turning into the largest Googie Art sign painting I have ever done of my favorite sign of all time, the Vacation Motor Hotel.

For publishing purposes, I changed the image to black and white.

Moving Sale Gratitude

WOW! Things went quickly today! I am blown away by the sheer number of pieces that were sold to good homes. I am very humbled and dumbfounded by it all. Thank you all so much!

This was a very special sale, don’t expect one until I move again... and after this one, that will be NEVER!

Painting is a very fickle business. There is not a great deal of “profit” involved in the monetary sense, but the the enjoyment of creation and expression is priceless. To be a painter it takes a village, and that village is you. No painter can make it without a base of support. If I cannot sell paintings, I cannot afford to paint. Thank you all for that and continue to support the arts whenever you can, we all need it!

I look forward to the move and new inspiration and time in the studio. I will miss being out in the country, but I am looking forward to what is on the horiZon in the up and coming art scene in Newnan, GA.