House of the Holy

 

   In the South you can't swing a cat without hitting a church. And the architecture pretty well runs the gamut. Two blocks from my house is a church in a small building that was once used by a beauty salon. A nearby strip mall has a church in a space that once was a furniture store. Go a few more blocks and you'll find a church that is one of the largest, most castle-like buildings in town.
   My preference -- as the architecture goes -- is of the smaller, more modest churches of the South, with  their white clapboard structures and tin roofs. Even with arched stain-glass windows, these buildings have a simple elegance.
   As for this painting, I often begin my work by under-painting the canvas -- often with a burnt umber (deep brown). Then I'll work out the sky and the land colors. This time, though, after I finished the sky I was happy with how the sky color worked with the burnt umber under coat. So, I left it.
  This painting is very nearly finished. Just a few touch ups and straightening of lines left.
   I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to comment, if you would like.

"I must confess that I have a weakness of empty places."

   
   The title of this blog entry is a quote by author Tony Hillerman, who is best known for his Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels.
   It's a confession that I, too, have realized. A weakness, or fondness, for empty spaces has become a reoccurring theme to my landscape paintings. The only thing limiting the sky and field is the size of the canvas. The farmhouse, windmill, barn or -- in this case -- grain elevator acts as a detail that draws your eye and further emphasizes the vastness of the sky and land.
   It's a place where I feel I can breathe. 'Empty' can have such lonely and negative images attributed to it. But when I look at this painting -- or some of the others I have done -- I am filled with a sense of calm and reflection.
   I hope that you also find a similar feeling when you look at this painting.

   Thanks for looking and please feel free to comment.

Blueberry Thrill

It's been a long time since I have painted fruit -- or any food, for that matter. On a recent trip to the grocery store, I looked at pears and apples, but decided on something new.

Blueberries are expensive, but so delicious. And, as I took a much closer look at the tiny fruit, quite beautiful. The soft and unmistakable blue, mixed with just a pinch of purple and green. Why not paint one? Two? I'll stop at three, for now.

I really like the way this has turned out. While I admit it's not quite the blue I was hoping to achieve, I do still like the overall result of my efforts.

On a side note, I will again be donating a painting to be raffled at The Business Journal's annual Women in Business Awards luncheon. This will be the third time I have donated a painting, which has always been well-received. I look forward to this every year.

Thanks for looking and please feel free to comment.

(I got a bit of a 'bounce' flash off the canvas. The middle blueberry really isn't that light. It looks much more like the one on the right.)

This painting has sold.

Literary Favorites

   
     It has been a while, but I finally have something new to post. The holidays have taken a lot out of me. Even though I had some time off from work, I felt like I had even less time to devote to painting. I am in the process of completing a large painting of another grain elevator.
     I am also in the process of completing five Literary Birds. I'm so pleased with how they turned out, particularly the one that has two blue birds on branches. The design on the birds looks remarkably like feathers.
     Tomorrow I will spend time building frames for them, and then frame them to complete the works of art.
     Each of them will be available for purchase. I sell them for $45, which includes a frame made from recycled wood, a cloth backing and a hook. Each is an original piece of art. You can get an idea of what the frames look like if you refer to an older post, "Frames on the Brain." If you are interested, please contact me by email at: nest214@triad.rr.com
     My wife and I will soon be launching a Facebook business page dedicated to wonderfully creative items we have made that will look perfect in your home -- or nest. The name of the business is The Nesting Place. We do not yet have a launch date, but when it happens, I'll blog about it, and post a link. You will then be able to go to it and 'Like' the page.
     The site will provide visitors with an opportunity to view, comment on and purchase items from us. We're looking forward to it.
     Until then, keep stopping by to check out what I have. As always, please feel free to comment.

Frames on the Brain

                                          

I'm adding a few more photos of artwork that I have framed. All but one of these pieces are painted on the covers of old Readers Digest books. I call them 'Literary Birds' (or 'Literary Boats'). They are smaller, so they go for about $45 each.

The bigger painting is one I have just finished. It's called 'Huddled Red Birds.' I'm taking all of these and more down to the farmers market on Thursday, so drop by if you can.

The Frame Game

Most of the artwork I create doesn't need to be framed. Nearly all of the paintings I have done have been sold, delivered and hung without any kind of frames. Because I use gallery-wrapped canvases, frames are optional.

Except for the works I call 'Literary Birds (or Boats).' With these I use the hardback covers of old Readers Digest books as the canvas. Then I make the frame and attach the artwork to the back, and then cover the back with a piece of fabric. As much as I enjoy not having to frame my paintings, I do enjoy how the 'Literary Birds' look once the framing process is complete.

Just for kicks I decided to frame the 'Grain Elevator' painting that is the subject of the posting below. My frames are simple -- they would have to be -- and I use recycled materials. Most of the frames are made with pieces of my former garden fence that was in our back yard. A tree fell a couple of summers ago and doomed the fence, forcing it into a career change.

I have nearly run out of fence pieces, so now I'm using flooring that used to be in the living room of our house. The former owners replaced the original floors in the living room and one of the bedrooms. Most of the original flooring wound up (for some reason) in our attic. These make really nice frames.

I do simple 45-degree miter cuts and attach each side with a pocket jig. Then I sand the frames just enough to smooth and get rid of the loose paint. I like that the frames are rough-looking.

Onces that's done, I white-wash them, let them dry and then attach the artwork to the back.

I think the 'Grain Elevator' painting looks quite nice with its frame. Very fitting.

You can see this painting -- and about 15 others -- at the downtown farmers market on Thursday, Nov. 29. I'll be there along with a handful of other artists and a bunch of people selling chilli and wreaths.

Come on down and take a look!

Thanks for visiting.

Elevation

The presidential election is finally over. Regardless of who you wanted to win election, we all are now free from the 24/7 barrage of campaign ads on TV, radio and the Internet. Gone are the loud and mostly ignorant cable news talking heads. No more polls. Late-night talk shows have moved on to other subjects.
It's like the road construction project that employed a jack hammer everyday outside your window, has finally finished its work and moved on.

Or, it's like you're driving away from the constant noise and filth of a major metropolitan: The horns are growing softer; traffic is thinning; you can roll down your window and breathe.

Suddenly, nothing is around. Just you, the ground, the sky .... and a grain elevator.

I found a photo of an abandoned grain elevator and it seemed like the best place to be, given all of the noise and chaos going on at the time. In much the same way that a beach house can deliver much-needed relaxation and a battery recharge, this motionless and nearly forgotten building delivers a thorough calmness.

It does for me, anyway. Hope you enjoy. Please feel free to comment.

On a side note, I'm hoping to create a Facebook page dedicated to my artwork. The one I use right now is piggy-backed on my wife's Facebook account.

Thanks for looking.

This painting has sold.