Outside Long Beach Harbor - Oil on 16 X 20 Stretched Canvas

Outside Long Beach Harbor - In April of this year we left Long Beach, CA harbor on a cruise ship headed for Mexico. Just outside the harbor I spotted a couple of container ships and snapped a picture thinking it would make a nice oil painting.. Finally finished it. So here it is..

Your comments are welcome.

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Minnesota Conversation Pit - Oil on 16 X 20 Stretched Canvas

 

A little closer view.

I decided to paint another “Fall Colors” painting more than a month ago and got well on my way when I got an email from an old friend advising me of the passing of another old friend from the 1970s. At that time he and his family lived in Nassau county NY, out on long island. A group of us from a territory management meeting in NYC were invited to their home for an evening of cocktails and dinner. While there I remember sitting in a sunken area of the living area called the “conversation pit”; three steps down to an area of couches, pillows, drinks and good conversation. We all enjoyed a wonderful evening before returning to mid-town Manhattan and more specifically, Craw-daddy’s pub at the Roosevelt for another cocktail or two. We always stayed at the Roosevelt while in New York because of its proximity to the diamond district.

After giving some thought to that evening I decided to put a Minnesota type “Conversation Pit” into the “Fall Colors” painting I’ve been working on here at the house. Since I had already gotten pretty far into the painting, how to do it was the problem; luckily I hadn’t yet done much on the mid or lower sections of the canvas. I had seen something similar to this Adirondack chair arrangement in a photo recently so decided to use that idea and just stuck it in the mid area and put a little light on it. I think it fits nice into the painting and also sort of depicts the laid back relaxing lifestyle of Northern Minnesota living where most people sit face to face and talk to each other rather than use some sort of electronic aid; that is at least in the summer and colorful splendor of fall; winter is something else. I call this one “Minnesota Conversation Pit”. Next I’m going to try a winter landscape, at least that’s the plan.  Your comments are welcome.

My First Tall ship - Oil on 16 x 20 Stretched canvas.

 

My second painting since breaking that old painting block I suffered from for the past year or more. It was still wet when I took the photo so the up close picture of the front rock outcropping looks a little discolored, but not much. I didn't want use Photoshop and just wanted to get it posted. I have another one planned, but need a break for a few days first.  So here you are 
"My First Tall ship".

Fall colors at Blackberry, MN - Oil on 11 X 14 Canvas Panel

Fall colors at Blackberry, MN - I got motivated to paint something colorful and fall like recently and decided to post it on the first official day of fall.

For those of you who are not familiar with Blackberry, MN, and I'm sure there are many, it's just seven miles east of Grand Rapids, MN on US highway 2 (now you know). It was founded more than 110 years ago by mostly immigrants. My grandfather was one of the town founders. In addition to having the farm at Blackberry he also owned and operated a bar in Bovey, MN where I've heard he kept the local mine workers well oiled for years. I suspect he was also a bootlegger too as his son, my uncle Vic in later years was the local bootlegger. He made wine and had a still, distilled his own booze and sold it to the locals.

Blackberry was a great place for me to grow up because as a child I was never without something interesting to do. Even in the long cold winters there were all kinds of sports, hunting, fishing, trapping, skiing, drawing, lots of local friends and scouting along with school activities. We were always busy with something although it was a relaxed lifestyle. Years later when life for me was very fast paced, officing on 5th Avenue in New York and constantly traveling to make a living, on many occasions my mind would wander back of the peace and serenity of life in rural northern Minnesota. Well, Enough history...


The idea for this painting came from a picture snapped on the property owned by my cousin Mike Andrews or his wife Pat and then posted to their web site
( http://www.mississippilodge.blogspot.com/ ). They have a beautiful log home of about 4500SF overlooking Mississippi Lake with shoreline on both Mississippi Lake and the Mississippi River. If you are interested in looking at the picture go to their web site then scroll down until you come to "fall colors", it’s the first picture. If you compare the painting with the picture you can see that I cropped it slightly and made a couple of other small changes to suit me. I hope Mike and Pat don't mind my using part of their image. The river in the painting is of course the Mississippi. My childhood home is about a half mile from where this picture was taken and just slightly up river. Your comments are welcome.

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Country and Western Singer / Songwriter Wayne Longton - Oil on 11 x 14 Canvas Panel

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Wayne Longton – Country and Western Singer / Songwriter – Wayne passed away in late April of 2012 and his widow, Wendy asked me if I would paint her a portrait of him with his usual smile, this is what I came up with. Wayne was a personal friend for decades, from the time we both were about seven years old and attended the same rural grade school in northern Minnesota. I and my wife Lois visited Wayne and Wendy at their home in Iowa in August of 2011 and had a wonderful time reminiscing. I’ll miss him… Your comments are welcome.

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Evening Water - Oil on 11 x 14 Canvas Panel

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Evening Water - Oil on 11 x 14 Canvas Panel - I've had this one on the back burner for some time now. So, today overcast and raining, I decided to paint it. I've attmpted to show a generally warm painting yet maintain the mystery of dark water. I hope I've achieved it. Your comments are welcome.

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Beach Umbrella - Oil on 8 x 10 Canvas Panel

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Beach Umbrella - Your comments are welcome.

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The Gondola - Oil on 9 x 12 Canvas Panel

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The Gondola - I guess by now you've noticed that I like to paint boats plus a little water. I, if you haven't, noticed that my technique or way I approach the canvas has changed of late, or I should say is changing with every new painting. I don't know how to or can't explain why, it just is. I'm not sure that I'm OK with the change, however I'm getting good results and feedback of late so I guess I'll just keep on letting it flow and see what happens. Your comments are welcome.

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Three Boats - Oil on 11 x 14 Canvas Panel

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Three Boats - Sometimes Lois and I travel down I-5 to the turn off and head west to Whimpy's Marina and have dinner. This painting is reminiscent of some of the scenery we see while dining there. The restaurant overlooks the harbor and the windows allow for great views. The sun and images reflect off the water and can be spectacular at times. The food is good too and they also have a bar if care for a cocktail or beer. Your comments are welcome.
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Mid America - Kansas - Oil on 11 x 14 Canvas Panel

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Mid America - Kansas - A new painting from another of my old photographs taken sometime in the 1980s. The location is somewhere near Minneapolis, Kansas according to the back of the original photo. Since my wife and I recently (August 2011) traveled very close to Minneapolis, KS on US Highway 81, I can testify the countryside hasn't changed much; still very peaceful with an air of stability and roots.

Years ago I had a good friend while in the mortgage business here in California who was originally from Minneapolis, KS. We spend many hours (some of those hours over cocktails of course) discussing the stability and fiscal and emotional dependability indigenous to the people of that area that is developed by generations of citizens with strong constitutions and good values. I am guessing it's still true today. There is something about the mid west that I still to this day miss very much. I guess that's why I paint memories from that area often. Your comments are welcome.

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Posed Nude #1 -Oil on 9 x 12 Canvas Panel

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Posed Nude #1 - I've never painted a full body nude before. I've done partial nudes in past years, however was never quite satisfied with the results. This one I like better and I'll try more in the future.. Your comments are welcome.

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At the Sea shore - Oil on 9 x 12 Canvas Panel

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At the Sea – Another painting from a photo I took in I think Hawaii. We haven’t been there in ten or so years as there are many other places in the world to experience so we haven’t yet returned to Hawaii. The boat was beached and looked abandoned and if you’ve noticed, I’ve been doing some boat paintings lately so when I ran across this old picture it was just a natural thing to paint it. Your comments are welcome.

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Big Rock Lane - Oil on 8 x 10 Canvas Panel

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Big Rock Lane - I took a picture of this place in I think the mid west many years ago when I used to travel for a living, however now that I think about it possibly it was Oregon or Washington . You get tired of all the traveling after a few years and it all runs together, however you never tire of what is out there to see here in the US. We still like to travel by auto and earlier this year took a sixty five hundred mile driving trip back to the mid west part of the country. It took more than a month to complete and when we finally got back home to California we were tired, but very happy with the whole trip. Your comments are welcome.

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Boat with Shadow - Oil on 8 x 10 Canvas Panel

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Boat With Shadow - Light and Shadows within my paintings have always fascinated me. The question is how do you invoke interest and character in a painting? Why not even discussion? I think deep shadows help. With that said I hope the lights and darks invite that discussion. Your comments are welcome.

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