Sunday, May 24, 2009

Wild Rooster



Kauai is known as the garden isle.  After a typhoon many years ago it
became rooster island.  The typhoon spread chickens and roosters all
over the island.  Now when you drive around there are roosters everywhere.
You can always get a wake up call on Kauai.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Duck Pond



This is a plein air piece.  I was standing on a tiny bridge
crossing the creek that led into this pond.  Ducks
every where.  In the reeds, in the pads, quackers
all over.  I was drawn by the large tree in the back
ground acting as a dark center piece above the pond.
I've kept this painting in a drawer, I've never 
really cared for it, but it's beginning to grow on
me.  Sometimes things need time to resolve and
become clear.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Thunder on Jerome

 

I was driving just south of Sedona, AZ.  The sun was 
still shining on the Pinion pines next to the road.
Providing a perfect backdrop was a storm crossing
the mountains near the town of Jerome.  This little town
clings to the side of the mountains.  One block of houses
and the road switches back on it's self.  Now your looking
at the roof tops of the houses you just passed.  Jerome
in it's hay day was a booming Copper mining town.  The
remnants of that past are still visible.  The slag from the
mining is toxic and contaminates the ground.  During
those days the governor of AZ built a house there in Jerome.
Now it sits by itself on a contaminated parcel of land.
Today the town is a buzz of interesting little shops.  One 
I found was very unusual.  They sold nothing but 
Kaleidoscopes.  Large ones and small ones.  
I spent hours going through and looking at the 
unusual patterns created by all the 
different ways of making a Kaleidoscope.  
Cool.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Bobbers Glory


There was an old wooden sign nailed to a post on the
dock. It said Bobbers Glory. Underneath it said
Snapping Turtle. As I sat there painting this scene I was
thinking that Bobber probably was a myth. After about
an hour I noticed this huge mass of moss and seaweed
floating up from the bottom. As it got closer I realized that
Bobber was no myth. This was the largest Snapping Turtle
I had ever seen. At least 2 ft. from nose to tail. A turtle this
size could easily take a mans hand off at the wrist if you
got to close. I had an apple core and tossed it in the
water in front of his nose. In a split second he had slashed
the apple into shreds. That was not what he wanted.
He was staring at me. Don't go near the water!



Saturday, May 9, 2009

Faces in the rocks.


Let's play a little game.  See how many faces you
can find in the rocks.  Takes some imagination
and thought.  Currently I've found 18.  No, really I did
find 18 ... imagination, remember.  See if you can top
that number.  Thanks for playing.