Winnifred 24x30, Ruby 15x20 (Sisters)

It's rodeo week in Tucson. The kids are out of school (they even close the colleges), the spring birds are singing like crazy and everyone is polishing their boots and silver bolo ties. All wait in breathless anticipation for the crowning of this year's rodeo champ. Who will it be? I could hardly hazard a guess what with all the gayly clad entrants and what not. Maybe I'll just do like I do every year and...completely ignore this singularly Tucsonian event. I will paint away the hours and every now and then try to imagine why anyone would want to learn to walk bow-legged. Believe me, it's not comfortable. I'm contemplating taking my cane with me to Mexico this weekend. One, to stave off would be attackers and two, to garner all the sympathy I feel I got coming. From what I've heard, it seems my erstwhile Latino counterparts haven't fully appreciated the gravity of my recent injury. I'm going to set them straight hoping to get a few extra special meals out of the deal. Trees, shorebirds (they won't make it into paintings) and irrigation canals will be my photographic targets. Hopefully we'll get some good inspiration for another couple of masterpieces. Until then, enjoy these two new beauties. They are for sale/auction on the Bay.

Cold Moon 18x12, Orange Blossom 18x12, Lowland Graze 24x18

Here's three more little jewels mined from the depths. The tricky part is to know how to crack open the tectonic plates. From there the rest is easy. It's not too unlike a trip to the landfill. You think that your heavy steel crowbar will have enough snort to hold the chain as you drive off with a load of junk in the trailer. The junk, tied to the chain which is wrapped around the crowbar staked to the ground is supposed to hold the load as the trailer pulls away. This makes for an easy off-load...saves maybe 30-45 minutes. However, that 1inch diameter crowbar can (and does) bend! Sometimes you need to stake-in a big ol' spud bar to get the job done. Yeah, just like oil painting at the easel. And you thought you needed to attend a high-priced workshop to learn how to paint. Just don't forget your miner's hat and flashlight.

Goldenrod, wedgewood Moon, Westerly

Here's three new happy paintings. The top one called Goldenrod is the view we had traveling through Utah not long ago, just south of Bryce Canyon. I've not embarked on any road trips lately and am feeling it's about time I get out of the cabin and stretch my legs a bit. Does titanium stretch? I'll have to be careful with the left one. The last thing you want is a bunch of screws strewn over the roadway. I'm thinking either California near Monterrey to check on our galleries or...a trip south to Mexico to see if we can't get thrown in and out of jail for the weekend. Either way I'll keep the blog posted and be sure to take detailed notes. Meanwhile, enjoy these three for sale and auction here.

The Roaring Wind 24x18, Tree Elf 24x15

Can you be fat and fit? This, the compelling title of an article in the latest issue of Runner's World. In my case it should be called Limper's World. Do I run? Well, I fancy myself a jogger of sorts and since I have a marathon on the list of things I'll not accomplish by age 50 I guess I could qualify in a kind of round about manner. I didn't really take notes but what I recall from reading this article is that for every year you age past forty you will gain a pound per month if you don't excersise a corresponding increase of 1/2 hour per day... or eat seven meals less per week. Don't quote me on this but by age fifty you should be running about 47 miles per day and eating one leaf of spinach per week just to maintain your middle-aged physique. This to say that after 3 plus months of convalescence I am about 230 lbs overweight and need to get in about 7 or 8 marathons before my birthday ...or, I will implode. Needless to say. I don't read Runner's World much anymore. I do paint however and am on pace to break a few records...two thousand paintings and counting...here's a couple more from the vault.

Black Cavendish, Abythar 18x12 (sold) Bumble Bee 30x24

Maybe you've wondered how catch and release hunting is actually accomplished. What techniques do they employ?, you've asked yourself. Well, the picture above gives a certain amount of insight as to what really happens in the duck blind of our exclusive and soon-to-be patented club. I even have pictures of young men gazing wistfully towards the horizon, wreathed in aromatic wisps of fragrant Black Cavendish, hoping for a glimpse of wing tips through garlands of evocative haze. Of course if I let those loose on the www that could seriously jeopardize our fledgling movement, not to mention my standing with certain religious folk. Be that as it may, I intend to continue my intense pursuit of the Face of righteousness and love and to surround myself with ducks of many colors...and paint pretty pictures...and wonder if C.S. Lewis smoked a pipe along with his buddy J.R. Tolkien...in a duck blind.

BROKEN LEG UPDATE: Last eve I walked/ jogged a mile! It was the first time in over three months of takin'-it-easy that my heart had a chance to pump at over 20 beats per minute (exaggeration) It felt good (and painful) and with 50 yrs. on this planet looming like a large metaphysical portal into another world I am determined to make the best of it. March will see all kinds of birthdays of significance this year and I'll be here to gladly receive congratulatory pats on the back from friends near and far. The paintings pictured are available for purchase or bidding wars here.