5

The gathering place in many small towns in America is the local bar. This painting is of one of them in southern Indiana.

The  two main things in this picture are the bar and the large mirror. The items closest to us on the bar are painted larger than the persons further back. This gives the illusion of depth. They are almost silhouetted, so no detail is needed. Your mind puts the features in.

The top-right hand portion of the painting is of the mirror. You see reflected in it the front window and entrance to the establishment, as well as the reflections  of the bottles that are on the counter. Again, the bottles are painted simply with quick strokes of color. Your mind sees what is there.

7

We all called our maternal grandmother “Grandmuzzie.” We absolutely idolized her! We lived near Salt Lake City but she was from Idaho Falls, Idaho, so it was such a treat whenever we got to see her.

I remember once we took her to the Great Salt Lake. It is seven times saltier than the ocean so you can just sit back in it and you’ll bob up and down like a cork. Grandmuzzie didn’t want to get into the water, so she just sat in a chair, dressed in her Hawaiian Muu Muu and shaded herself with an umbrella. That was fifty years ago.

I’ve portrayed the afternoon sun by making the right side of her very light with shadows going to the left side of the painting.

8

This portrait is of recording artist Roy Gentry. He is in a “reflective” mood, yet his “reflection” is in the tabletop. Note the natural light coming in on the right from a window. I’ve painted his arm and face  almost white to portray it. The left side of the picture shows shadow. Note the fist, the face, and his jacket.

 

7

I sold these two paintings this last week. They were both from my Madison show.

You should know that all paintings in my blog are for sale unless otherwise noted. If you’re interested in any of them, contact me.

2

This painting is from a show I did about Madison, Indiana. It shows the view from inside a car while driving down the road. The main technique in the painting is atmospheric perspective when looking at the vehicles and the buildings. The closer ones are painted larger than the ones further away, and the detail is stronger with the closer objects.

I want to point out the two stop lights. I haven’t painted the cable holding them up. Your eye puts it in for you. This painting really makes you a participant in the scene.

7

This painting is of a building on Main Street in Rising Sun, Indiana.  The words on the side of it have been preserved to add to the history of the place. It is early evening. The streetlights have come on, illuminating the buildings and the street. Two cars are parked. Possibly their owners are inside closing their businesses for the evening.

8

Last summer my wife and I had the opportunity to travel down the east coast of the United States from Washington D.C. to Alabama. One place we especially loved was Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I actually bought a boogie board and went surfing in the ocean. We ate dinners on the pier. Probably what we enjoyed the most was strolling hand-in-hand along the beach.

I’ve tried to portray that same feeling with this painting. You’ll notice atmospheric perspective. The people closest to us are drawn larger than those further away. Also you’ll see that detail is less apparent the further back the subject is. Notice the lady in the top left corner. You think you see her face, but there actually is none to see.