Our Show at Tree's Place Gallery

the Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth

 

Karen and I just got back from our trip to Cape Cod for our two person show at Tree's Place Gallery. This year we splurged and added an extra day to visit Nantucket. 

We left Atlanta early Thursday morning and arrived in Boston around noon, picked up our rental car and headed out to the Cape. I had always wanted to see the Edward Gorey house, so we veered off of 6 and headed to Yarmouth. A good friend had given me a poster of the Gashlycrumb Tinies about thirty five years ago and I've been a fan ever since. The little house and museum didn't disappoint and after a long visit we continued on to the gallery to check in with Mike, the new owner and Hannah the director. 

Karen on the rocks at Fort Hill

 

It was good to see everyone again and they had hung the show beautifully. After we got reacquainted Karen asked if there were any walking trails nearby. Mike suggested either the Fort Hill trail or Coast Guard Beach in Eastham. Fort Hill sounded good and we drove out there. The location was picture perfect. We took some photos but none of them conveyed the beauty of that area. There was only one "fly in the ointment" and that was the green head flies. Unbelievable. A few moments after this photo was taken we had to run like crazy to get back to the car and away from those blood thirsty demons.

Just off the ferry in Nantucket

We had dinner that evening at our favorite Cape restaurant the Karoo Cafe, then hit the sack early back at the Whalewalk Inn. Karen and I got out of there pretty early the next morning in order to make the ferry in Hyannis for our day trip to Nantucket. The ferry ride over was really nice, we couldn't have asked for better weather. Then it was all about walking, walking and more walking. It was great. 

Nantucket Harbor

After a few hours on our feet we were ready for something to eat. Being vegetarians finding food that didn't have parents was a problem. Another problem was that many of the eateries on the island don't serve lunch. After a long fruitless search we finally sat down on a bench to check Yelp. Karen was getting pretty desperate by this point when she noticed a coffee shop directly across the street called The Bean. She said she really needed to get something to drink and walked over to it while I continued to search for somewhere to eat. A few seconds later I heard her calling me to come to the coffee shop. I entered to see a large menu of sandwiches on a blackboard behind the counter. They served up the best veggie wrap I've had in a long time.

Me in the stairwell of one of Nantucket's art galleries

Refreshed we continued to explore the island. We visited a number of art galleries, and then wandered the neighborhoods off the main drag. Lots and lots of very beautiful homes. It was around this time that we needed to start thinking about getting back to the ferry for the return trip, but neither of us wanted to leave. It was only 3 o'clock, so we went back to the ferry office and asked if we could trade in our tickets for the 7:30 ferry. They handed us two new tickets giving us an extra four hours to explore. The added time gave us a chance to take a shuttle to the beach, see the Whaling Museum, visit a few more galleries and have a second veggie wrap at the Bean before he had to return to Cape Cod.

View from the steeple of the First Congregational Church of Nantucket

The sun was setting as we "sailed" back to the Cape . . . spectacular!

Anne Packard Gallery in Provincetown

Early the next morning we tried Fort Hill again in the off chance that the flies may not be up yet. No such luck. They were even worse than the day before, so we drove to the west side of Eastham to First Encounter Beach. It was beautiful and fly free. The Whalewalk starts serving breakfast at 8:30, so we drove back about quarter after eight and ate. After that we got cleaned up and drove up to Provincetown. Once again the weather was absolutely perfect. A great day for gallery hopping. We visited with Johniene Papandreas for a long time at her space, Gallery Voyeur. It was really nice spending time with her again. When we had walked the length of Commercial Street and back it was time to head to Orleans and get ready for our show.

Karen discussing her work

The show started early, about 5, but there was already a sizable crowd there when we arrived. The next two hours went quickly, and everyone was very complimentary about our work. It was a very pleasant two hours. By the time it was all over Karen had sold one large painting, and I had sold three small ones. Not too bad for the first day.

Karen and I at the beach

When it was over we thanked Mike and Hannah for a good show, said our good-bye's and yes drove back to Karoo for one last meal before packing up for our return to Atlanta the next morning. I don't think it could have gone much better. Maybe a sold out show would have pushed it over the top, but other than that it was a great trip.

Perc: In Progress - Day 10 Completed Underpainting

Perc: In Progress - Day 10 Completed Underpainting  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on panel

Finished up the underpainting last night. Now it's on to one (possibly two) refining layers.

Perc: In Progress - Day 5

Perc  |  24 x  24  |  Oil on panel  |   In Progress - Day 5

Inching along. About half way through the body, then down to the cup and spoon.

Perc: In Progress - Day 3

Perc  |  24  x  24  |  Oil on panel

It's been a while since I've painted a percolator, and now seemed like time for one. I've got a bunch of these vintage coffee makers and this is one of my favorites. It's really got that golden age of appliance design look that I love. 

Single Pepsi

Single Pepsi  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on panel

As soon as this piece is varnished it will be headed up to Rehs Galleries, Inc. along with it's companion Single Coke No. 2. Now it's time to show a little love to C. K. Contemporary. Barring any unforeseen events I plan to spend the bulk of the next six months producing work for these two galleries. They've both been really patient and deserve some serious attention. 

Single Coke No. 2

Single Coke No. 2  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on hardboard panel

With work for the Tree's Place show complete, it's time to start painting for my other two galleries. First off will be a duo of sodas for Reh's Galleries, Inc. This "Single Coke" will be paired with a single Pepsi. When these two are done I'll be directing my attention to C. K. Contemporary. 

Maxie

Karen and I lost the heart of our home on Saturday. Max was our therapist, confidant, playmate and best friend. 

Clock Radio: Complete

Clock Radio  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on panel  |  Complete

I've got to say, this painting really kicked my butt. I'm still licking my wounds, but I'm calling it done and with that I've completed my portion of our two person show at Tree's Place Gallery in July. Now it's time to get to work for Reh's Galleries and C. K. Contemporary. I've got a duo of soda's ready to go for Rehs and some ideas bouncing around in my head for C. K. 

Clock Radio - In Progress: Day 12

Clock Radio  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on panel  |  In Progress: Day 12

The completed underpainting. 

Clock Radio - In Progress: Day 6

Clock Radio  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on panel  |  In Progress: Day 6

Put in a second layer to the background. It'll probably take a minimum of three layers. Added the first layer of the radio dial and knobs. Worked some color into the body and blocked in the GE logo the left.

Clock Radio - In Progress: Day 3

Clock Radio  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on panel  |  In Progress: Day 3

It's day three and I've been masking off various portions of the radio, laying in the first layer of the background color, working on the clock face and the lettering. Compared to the typewriter, this would seem a much simpler subject, but its' complexity comes in its' subtle variation in color, tonal values, and all those vertical vents with just a hint of a curve. Hope this turns into something. Back in a few days.

Tree's Place Show: PB&Jelly

PB&Jelly  |  12 x 12  |  Oil on panel

This will be the final small painting for our 2 person show at Tree's Place Gallery July 25th on Cape Cod. I had been feeling a little nostalgic and thought I might do a Pool Bowl for my last 12 x 12, but at the last minute I decided to do a PB&J instead. My next painting will be a larger piece, which will probably result in a number of "in progress" posts. It's going to be a tough one and I have to say I'm hesitant to show in progress images, since there is a distinct possibility that I may not be able to pull this one off. The first few days will give me an idea if I've bitten off more than I can chew.

Tree's Place Show: Remington Rand

Remington Rand  |  6 x 24  |  Oil

When I said that I thought this would take a little while, I had no idea that it would take as long as it ultimately did. I really got sucked into this one. It took four days just to paint the type hammers. 

Detail of keys and type hammers

I think it was worth the time because I'm pretty pleased with the final result. This will be shipped up to Cape Cod for the Tree's Place show Karen and will be sharing July 25th. I'm hoping to get one more small piece and one larger painting done for the show before I get busy painting for my other galleries. They've both been very patient and have earned some serious attention.

Detail of ribbon spool and carriage

For my final small painting I was thinking of another Pool Bowl. I haven't done one of those in a while and I've kind of got an itch. 

Tree's Place Show: Vertical Loaf No.2

Vertical Loaf No. 2  |  12 x 12  |  Oil on panel

I painted a similar version of bread for Principle Gallery and really liked it so I thought it'd be okay to do another "Vertical Loaf" for the July show at Tree's Place. The piece I'm working on now may take a little while. It's only 6 x 24 but it's pretty complicated. 

the Principle Show & A Visit with the Cohen's

Doors Open

Karen and I traveled to Charleston last Friday to attend the opening night reception of our two person show at Principle Gallery. The drive was easy and the weather was perfect. Our hotel was just next door to the gallery so it was really easy to drop in when we first arrived. The paintings were beautifully arranged on the walls, and we had a nice time talking with Thomas and Michele the owner of the gallery. 

Our friends Jeff and Leslie Cohen had driven in from Wilmington to attend the opening and we spent the afternoon with them gallery hopping until it was time to get ready for the show. The doors opened at 5 and guests began to arrive almost immediately. Everyone was very complimentary and friendly, and at the close of the evening Karen had sold two paintings.

When the reception finished up we said our good-bye's and told Michele we'd stop by and see her again the next morning before we left. After that Karen and I meandered the streets visiting other galleries then called it a night.

Breakfast at Eli's

Saturday morning we got up early and walked around Charleston. It's a great city for walking. Michele said she'd open the gallery at 10 but at around 9:30 we found ourselves outside the gallery. She had said that we could "buzz" her apt and she'd come down, but there was no response when we did. Eli's Table, a very nice restaurant, was literally right next door, so we decided to treat ourselves to breakfast. We ate on the back patio, and the food was wonderful. Fabulous roasted potatoes, creamy grits and huge biscuits . . . delicious! We took our time, had an extra cup of coffee, and when we finished we walked over to Principle one more time to thank Michele for putting on a wonderful show.

Fort Fisher Sunset

After that we went back to the hotel, packed our gear and headed up to Wilmington. The Cohens had been trying to get us up for a visit for a while, and since we were so close we accepted their offer. The drive was nice, with the exception of the Myrtle Beach stretch, which was hell. Their new house was really cute. They had been working on it for a year and was full of Coheny touches. 

That first afternoon they drove us around, pointing out the various places of interest. They took us down to the boardwalk, with a mandatory stop at Britt's Donuts. After that we drove out to the beach at Fort Fisher, walked around that wonderful park and that evening enjoyed a gorgeous sunset. At this point we were getting pretty hungry, so we headed back to their neighborhood and had dinner at a terrific burrito place they love called Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn. We spent the rest of the evening catching up. They moved away from Atlanta a year ago, so we had a lot to talk about. About 1 am we finally gave out.

Wilmington Waterfront from the deck of the USS North Carolina

The next morning Jeff made us all french toast and we planned our day. The main event was to be a tour of the battleship USS North Carolina. The weather could not have been more perfect and from the deck Jeff pointed out parts of the waterfront just across river. We lucked out on our visit, because just as we arrived we got to talking with one of the docents. He seemed to take a liking to us, and wound up escorting us throughout the entire ship. It was great. He (I wish I could remember his name) was a wealth of information, and even opened up a few areas that were locked off. Jeff and Leslie said that they had been to the ship a number of times and that was the best time they'd had there.

Jeff and Leslie on our battleship tour

That evening Jeff made us his famous Pad Thai, and later that night we went out and drove through the city of Wilmington. That is a happenin town at night. 

Karen and I on Zeke's Island

Our original plan was to return to Atlanta the next day, but the Cohen's talked us into staying another day and taking part in their new favorite pastime, kayaking. We called Alex, our nephew and favorite cat sitter and he was okay with watching our kitty for one more day, so we enthusiastically agreed to stay. 

The Cohen's had the tides timed for our journey which it turned out allowed time for breakfast so we ordered a Pink Skillet at Kate's Pancake House. Which was delicious, by the way. Delicious. Breakfast over we packed the kayaks onto Jeff's truck and headed back to Fisher Island. They had one tandem and two single kayaks, so Jeff took Karen with him in the tandem and Leslie and I took the singles. First we paddled across the basin to Zeke's Island then through the marsh to another location that Jeff said was a great place to find fossilized sharks teeth.

Hunting for sharks teeth

He was right, we found a bunch. I have to say, kayaking is really fun. It's easy to understand why they love it so much. With the exception of falling out of my ride (I have the dubious honor of being the only person they've taken out to fall out of their kayak. Fortunately I had put my iPhone into a ziplock bag) it was a wonderful adventure. The water, wildlife, salt marsh and good friends came together to make a pretty perfect day. 

We spent that afternoon visiting with Jeff's mother at her beach house, and finished off the day with one more trip to Flaming Amy's. Early the next morning we we bid our friends farewell and returned to our non ocean, non kayaking home. 

We've already made plans to go back. 

Tree's Place Show: Mixer

Mixer  |  12 x 12  |  Oil on panel

Karen and I just got back from our 2 person show at Principle Gallery in Charleston. I'll post about that next, but right now I want to put up an image of another painting headed up to Cape Cod for a second 2 person show (Karen and myself) at Tree's Place Gallery July 25th.

Tree's Place Show: Cherries

Cherries  |  12 x 12  |  Oil on panel

I've been working on paintings for the Tree's Place show, planned for the 25th of July, but have been slow about getting the finished paintings posted to my various sites. Cherries is the second piece, I've got another completed and a third on the easel. I'll make an effort in the future to get these online in a more timely manner. 

Tree's Place Show: Coke

Coke  |  12 x 12  |  Oil on panels P

I was working on a new blog post and I inadvertently deleted my previous entry, this one. So, here it is again. Now onto the next piece for the Tree's Place show.

City of Charleston No. 2: Complete

City of Charleston No. 2   |   30 x 40   |   Oil on canvas

Thirty two days and it's finally complete. This will be the final painting for the show Karen and I will be sharing at Principle Gallery in Charleston April 3rd. Now it's time to get busy for our other show this year at Tree's Place Gallery July 25th. I plan to do smaller framed pieces this year like I did for the Charleston show. That was really fun and it will also allow me to provide new work to C. K. Contemporary and Reh's Gallery during those months. 

City of Charleston No.2: In Progress - Post No. 4

City of Charleston No. 2: In Progress - Post 4

I've got most of the collar and rigging laid in. A little more work on those areas then I'll put in the first pass of the shoulders and legs.

City of Charleston No.2: In Progress - Post No. 3

City of Charleston No.2: Mule in Progress - Post 3

I went ahead and painted the first pass of the rigging under the mules neck and then laid in the neck itself up to the collar. Today it's back to more rings, buckles and straps.

City of Charleston No.2: In Progress - Post No.2

City of Charleston No. 2: Mule in Progress - Post No. 2

Got the head laid in and now. . . ? I'm debating whether to do the rigging under the head or start moving down the neck towards the collar. I guess I'll know in about 10 minutes.

City of Charleston No.2: In Progress - Post No.1

City of Charleston No.2  |  30 x 40  |  Oil on canvas

I finished up Pepsi No.2, but the gallery owner has asked that I not display it until he has the painting in his possession, so I'll post that image at a later date. In the meantime I've begun a new piece. Karen and I are sharing a show in Charleston the first week in April at Principle Gallery. She suggested that I do one large painting to go along with the five 12 x 12's I did at the end of 2014. Suggested, "with extreme prejudice". She also suggested that I paint another Mule. She knows I like painting animals, and since this creature is from Charleston, it sort of fit. I've got about four days into it at this point with most of that refining the drawing. I'm a left to right guy, so I'll be working down the head, then onto the neck and all that beautiful rigging. I'm not sure about the background. That may change before this one is done. 

Vertical Loaf

Vertical Loaf  |  12 x 12  |  Oil on panel

Well, even with all of the holiday goings on, I still managed to get all five of these little paintings done before my end of the year deadline. I was hurrying through these in order to meet a show date for the first of February. Now it seems that date has been pushed back until the first week in April. I'll post more about the show Karen and I will be sharing at Principle Gallery in Charleston as the event draws closer. 

So, I guess that's it for 2014. Thank you all for visiting my various sites throughout the year, registering "likes" and leaving all those wonderfully positive comments. They really mean a lot to me. Hope you all had a great year and here's wishing you a happy 2015!

Carnival Ride

Carnival Ride  |  12 x 12  |  Oil on canvas

Number four for my December 12 x 12 project. Little Dumbo here took a bit longer than the other three, but it was worth the extra time. I've painted this subject a few times before and his happy face always cheers me up. I'm attempting to complete five of these 12 x 12's before New Years, so I'd better get busy. I'm not sure what to do next. Karen says, "bread!", so it might be bread. 

Apéritif

Apéritif | 12 x 12 | Oil on canvas

Well, I've done about as good as I can photographing this particular painting. It's a decent representation, but not as good as I would have liked. Using the polarizing filter (thank you Katherine Kean) did help. I then spent a significant amount of time in Photoshop matching the image to the original. Steven Vaughan's idea was my next plan of action if Katherine's idea hadn't worked, so thank you as well for your suggestion. 

Now it's on to number four. I'm hoping I can get five of these small paintings done by the end of the year, but with the holiday's coming up that may be a stretch.

Hi-Fructose

Hi-Fructose  |  12 x 12  |  Oil on canvas

Here is the third piece of my December project. I had completed another of these small paintings last week, but I used a medium on parts of it and am now finding it nearly impossible to get a good photograph of it. There is a lot of  "sparkle" in areas where I used the medium and even with all my long years of Photoshop experience I can't seem to get rid of it and still have a decent representation of the painting. Plan "B" is to shoot it again once the painting has been varnished. I'm hoping that'll create a uniform surface and a more successful capture.

Juice O Matic No.2

Juice O Matic No.2  |  12 x 12  |  Oil on canvas

With 2014 winding down, I decided to run out the clock with a few smaller pieces. My intent with these is, for the first time, to place them in frames. Karen's "Perch" paintings look so good in frames that I wanted to see how some of my stuff would look framed. I'm going to finish up a small group of these then begin testing out various styles to see what looks best.

I bought this vintage juicer  in an eBay auction a while back and have painted it once before, but I really wanted to do it again. The other paintings in this group will come from old favorite subjects from the past. Once the holidays are done I think I'll get back to something big for the first of the year.

120 Grit

120 Grit   |   24 x 24   |   Oil on hardboard panel

Every once in a while a painting comes along that really kicks your butt, and for me 120 Grit has been one of those paintings. I never imagined when I began this piece that I'd spend as much time and effort on it as I have. I like how it turned out, but getting here was a real challenge. I've taken a number of breaks during the process of getting this done, ie. some house stuff, a trip to Charleston for the mentor show and at least five days trying to get my new iMac up and running. Transitioning from a six year old 24" iMac still using Snow Leopard to a new 27" Retina (which is beautiful by the way) using Yosemite has had me in tech mode practically non-stop. I've got most of the problems licked, but there's an ongoing complication involving Photoshop, my Wacom tablet and Yosemite that's really got me stumped. And, judging by the number of online discussion groups related to this glitch I'm not alone. I'm praying that either Wacom or Adobe comes up with a solution really soon. 

Wings Over North Georgia Air Show: October 19, 2014

I spent the day in Rome Georgia yesterday to attend the Wings Over North Georgia air show. I was hoping to get some photos I could use for future paintings and secondly, I just love me an air show. The event paid off on both counts. I couldn't help but post a few pix of the performers which this year included the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

Scott Yoak in his P-51D

Patty Wagstaff in her Extra 300S

Mike Wiskus in his Lucas Oil Pitts Special

Jim Tobul in his F4U Cosair

Walkabout Tiger Aerobatic Team

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

The Mentor Show at Principle Gallery: Charleston

Shiny Loaf No.2  |  12 x 24  |  oil on hardboard panel

Karen is participating in a show at Principle Gallery Charleston based on mentors. The gallery came up with the idea to have their artists present a painting for a show, then have an artist who had mentored them provide a piece, and finally present the work of an artist that they themselves are currently mentoring. Karen asked me to show as her mentor, and Munroe d' Antignac is showing his work as her protégé. I asked Karen what she'd like me to do for the show and she said I had to do one of my bread paintings. So . . . .

Opening night reception is November 7th.

Farewell to James McLaughlin Way

I received word last night that James McLaughlin Way had died earlier that morning. He was a sweet man and a truly gifted artist. Karen and I had the privilege of meeting him on two occasions when he was living and showing his work here in Atlanta. We both considered it an honor to have had our work in the same gallery next to his. Whenever we had reason to go to the gallery, the first thing we would do when we arrived was to search the space for any new "James Way" paintings.

R.I.P.