Poke Berrie

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As a kid I spent a lot of time crawling around in weeds and other vegetation, looking for grasshoppers and other insects. I remember how it seemed like I was in my own little world. The sun would shine through the leaves. I liked the shadows and light and the shapes and structure of the various plants.

I was driving along a farm road in Indiana. The corn was tall and beautiful. I noticed at the end of one row some interesting growth – I was told later on that it was poke berries. There were little black berries hiding behind the stalks and leaves. I climbed back into them and found the same magic I felt as a child. Here is my interpretation. I hope you like it.

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Headlights

5

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The center of Indianapolis is Monument Circle. The Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument is there, with a red brick road going around it. Indianapolis is known as The Circle City because of it.

My painting is of that area. The woman stands next to the road, waiting for cars to go by. It is raining. I have tried to show the wet road with reflections of headlights. I have also used atmospheric perspective – the cars that are closer are portrayed larger, the ones further back are painted smaller.

This is a romantic area. Two of my children were engaged here. Horse carriages take passengers around here and through the city at night.

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Bovine Line

5

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I was taking my wife for a ride in the farm areas. There were a bunch of cows in a field. We pulled our car to the side of the road. I think they thought we were the zoo – they all walked together to stare at us.

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Clyde and Rene

12

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I found out that my brother-in-law Clyde, has cancer and has only two weeks to two months to live.  He and his wife, Rene, were going to fly from Utah to visit their son’s family in Missouri. I just had to go see him and say goodbye.

My wife and I drove from Indiana. It was great to see our nephew’s family, but it was especially great to see Clyde. He has been in the family for twenty five years. He always has made me feel so good. He is a wonderful man. I told Clyde and Rene that I wanted to do a portrait. It was really all I could do for them. It was an emotional experience for me to paint them.

God Bless you, Clyde. Thanks for the wonderful times.

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Cows

5

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One of the things I like best about living in the Indianapolis metro area is that only five minutes from the city I am in the farms. If ever I feel stressed out, I can jump into the car and take a relaxing drive through the cornfields, past the cattle, the barns and silos.

This painting shows a typical Indiana scene. You see cows walking in a line. In the background are cornfields. I have tried to portray the direction of the sun. The grass in the foreground has a lot of yellow in it. That is what sunlight looks like. My wife really likes the trees. This painting makes me feel relaxed and at peace.

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Asleep

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I absolutely love reflections in water. One evening I was in Madison, Indiana, right along the Ohio River. There was a fantastic sunset – the sky was yellow and it reflected in the water. There were some boats docked. Against the yellow they were almost a silhouette. There were very few other colors. I just loved the magic that these colors created. I hope that  sharing this painting with you will create the same emotion I felt.

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Lamp Lady

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One of the biggest problems portrait painters have is what to do with the background. Often it is just filled in with dark color values, a fireplace, or books on a book case.

This is a painting of a woman who owns a store that sells all sorts of lamps. I felt it needed to portray that fact. The woman is the most important part of the portrait, so she takes up most of the space. She is painted in bright colors. The lamps are in the background – very small, yet apparent, with muted tones. The background should never overpower the subject matter. Doing it this way provides a portrait of the woman, while at the same time, lets you know what she’s all about.

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Napa

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My favorite subject to paint is nighttime reflections in wet roads.  I love driving down the street on rainy nights and seeing the colors of taillights and neon signs as they are mirrored in the puddles of rainwater.  This painting is of a scene in the middle of an intersection in Rising Sun, Indiana.  The buildings, streetlights, and a soft drink machine are reflected.

The dark sky against the rest of the painting creates a dramatic contrast. The building is wider up front and goes narrower as the view goes to the rear. The same thing happens with the road. This technique is called linear perspective. Linear perspective gives the illusion of depth – you can walk right into the picture and down the street.

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