Fast Landscape

During the last several months my schedule has become one of almost constant interruption so I’ve been tinkering constantly with ways of trying to hold onto ideas.  Last paintings that I tried stalled because just as I get “fired up” I have to stop and turn my attention elsewhere.  For a time I was hardly painting, taking refuge in drawing (admittedly NOT a bad refuge) and other things (reading, study).

Well, I still have a large partly begun canvas on the easel — and I’m NOT giving up on it.  Far from it.  But I did sit myself down one day and gave myself a heart-to-heart talking to (I find that an integrated personality is highly over-rated).  I decided — or me, myself, and I decided — that any painting is better than none.

What’s more I have tons of materials left over from some old projects that I no longer need for their original intended use.  I decided that I was going to crank out something.  Whatever it was, some of it was going to be fast and free.

It’s better to be painting than not painting.  It is better to be making line and color decisions than no decisions at all.  I decided that I’d rifle through old photos — better working from photos than not working at all — and I was going to paint whatever I could — whatever I wanted to — I was throwing caution to the winds.

Needless to say, I’m beginning to really have fun.  And I’m getting more jealous of my painting time than formerly.  Sometimes I’ve got fifteen minutes.

By golly, I whip out the brushes.  Fifteen minutes is fifteen minutes!

Strange Happenings

The squirrels are into the tequila again.  Actually this is a drawing for a painting.  I draw things that I’m going to paint.  It helps me think the image through.  It’s also very enjoyable to rehearse the idea.  And naturally having rehearsed the idea, it develops more readily in its painted form.

But the differences in drawing and painting are quite plain.  All the small lines and textures that you can capture in a drawing have to be sacrificed in a painting.  Well, each has its own charm.

[Top of the post:  Squirrel as Carmen Miranda, by Aletha Kuschan]

Alice at Beijing: Fishing

Alice is doing well in the first rounds of Cat Fishing Competitions at Beijing.  As you probably know, the cats have to climb down the ropes, catch a fish at the rope’s end, and successfully carry the fish back up the rope to the end.  So far Alice has only dropped one fish and hasn’t fallen into the water even once.   (Cats hate that, you know.)

She’s been doing fabulously well at this Olympics!  I’ll keep you posted on her progress.

[Top of the post:  Summer Olympic: Fishing Competition, by the young artist of the household]

Alice wins at Mouse Tennis

Mouse tennis is not an Olympic sport with which most people are familar.  The name may mislead you.  It’s not a game for mice.  It is a game cats play with mice.  (Poor mouse!)  It is very much like regular tennis, only some unfortunate mouse has to be the ball.  Alice has made a very strong showing from the beginning, but had to earn her triumph. 

Alice the Cat beat Miss Callico and won the match in an 8-6 nail-scratcher. The match started slowly, with Miss Callico going up three games to none, but Alice the Cat came back to tie it 4-4.  Afterwards they traded games until Alice finally won two in a row to take the match.  As you can see, the crowd went wild.  Congratuations Alice!

For mouse lovers in the audience, you’ll be glad to know the tennis mouse escaped before the traditional, triumphant mouse “snack” could take place.   Consequently Alice celebrated her win after the game with a bowl of dim sum over at Sagwa’s house.

[Top of the post:  Alice's Mouse Tennis match at the Beijing Olympics, by the young artist on the premises]

Great News! Alice is in Beijing!

Did you even know there was a Cat Olympics?  I didn’t.  We were aware that Alice is much traveled, and even that she speaks Chinese.  In fact she was in China when the PBS television show  Sagwa was being made.  Actually she and Sagwa are pals!  Imagine, Alice nobnobbing with celebrities!  But we were not aware of her interest in athletic competitions or that she had qualified for the Cat Olympics.

Well, in the first competition, Alice is a winner!  For those who don’t know, the Cat Olympics preceeds the Human ones.  And Alice’s first competition was Marathon Tree Climbing, where each cat must climb 26 trees!  As you can see above, Alice was in an early lead.

I’ll try to keep you posted how Alice is doing.  We’re all so excited here with our amazing toy — oops — sorry, it’s just slipped.  Officially speaking, Alice is not a toy.  (She’s very sensitive on that issue.)

[Top of the post:  Alice's First Event, Marathon Tree Climbing, by the younger artist]

Drawing is arduous work

Drawing can be arduous, taxing work so I like it whenever the subject matter is willing to help me out.  Here, an obliging little frog is getting ready to jump right into the picture.

[Top of the post:  Upclose view of my work station]

Sorry, of Late

Sorry I haven’t posted any art today.  Of late, I’ve tried to post something everyday.  However, today the frogs have taken up all my time.  They’re quite unruly. 

[Top of the post:  the frogs at home]

Fourth of July, Some Fireworks!

Look very closely to see why this is Fireworks. (See the landscape, the little house and trees on the dark horizon of this sunset scene with floral fireworks.)  I saw this wonderful painting by Donna Phipps Stout this past spring where it was still available for sale.  Can’t vouch for its availability now, but interested parties should contact the Jerald Melberg Gallery in Charlotte, NC.  Please mention that you saw Stout’s painting here!  I think her fireworks are lovely for celebrating this Fourth of July.  Our hot dogs (actually “Good Dogs by Yves” — we’re vegetarians) are heating up right now.  To all Americans finding this post, Happy Independence Day to you!  To visitor’s from other countries, wish you could be here for our party!  Please consider yourself a virtual guest!  And welcome!

[Top of the post:  Fireworks, by Donna Phipps Stout, oil on panel, 48 x 50 inches, Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina]

Fourth of July, Funny hats

Oh no!  He’s been out there with the squirrels!  This is Lewis St. Lewis’s fabulous painting of himself as something like Carmen Miranda (his source, a Carmen of an earlier era I think).  If you want to see Lewis’s paintings, you’ve got to go to Jane Tyndall’s wonderful gallery in beautiful Chapel Hill, North Carolina!  If you do, whether in person or virtually via the internet, please tell Jane that you saw Lewis’s painting here!

In the meantime, Lewis!  Get away from those squirrels!

[Top of the post:  Fanciful Self Portrait, mixed collage and paint, by Lewis St. Lewis, Jane Tyndall Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC]

Festive Squirrel

Well, Forth of July celebrations are having an intriguing affect on animals in our backyard habitat.  Never again do we give tequilas to the squirrels.  This one thinks she’s Carmen Miranda.  Hope all of you in the US are having a great Independence day, and to visitors from other places — wish you could be here to enjoy our party!

[Top of the post:  Tropical Squirrel, detail of a children's mural, by Aletha Kuschan]