Windy Point 28x24, Repose 24x8, Tarantula

A nice eery illumination cast blue flickers of light as I sat staring at the computer screen late one night. Oftentimes spiders will dangle from the basement ceiling, silhouetted in the monitor's rectangle limelight.  They put on a little show till a quick squeeze between my fingers puts them out of sight. This night however there were a number of the little parachutists dropping in for a midnight invasion. I could see their streamers soft and white glowing in the half light and then...I could feel them all over me. I pulled at the thin strands of web, for by now they were many. When I attempted to brush them off it seems to have dislodged a whole nest of thousands of  mite-sized eight-leggers. They fell to my right and hit the ground with an audible thump... But not before half landing on my right shoulder and hand. They would have nested in my hair or carried me off had I not thought fast to produce an always-at-hand trusty bottle of spider spray. We do indeed have a lot of creepy creatures around here and especially this time of year.  The tarantula pictured above is a new friend. Him and his pal come out every night on the pool deck to creep us out as we go for an evening dip. I found their nest and dug this guy out of the ground yesterday to take a picture of him. They vary quite a bit and this little beauty with his rich colors reminds me of the paintings pictured here. I hope you enjoy them...and that they don't give you nightmares.

Theodore Roosevelt, Cloud Craft, Mist

My coolness factor just plummeted...or I've just been given another goal for my life. I'll decide later. I've read most of TR's writings and several biographies about him. Lofty ideals abound in this studio thanks to Teddy but the evasive masterpiece still looms somewhere out there on the horizon.  These two new ones incorporated the use of a palette knife and some new tube colors. They are available for purchase here.

Three's Company

My brushes with celebrity are only rivaled by my brushes with death at the fang and claw of dangerous creatures (and rivers). Twice I've fallen through crystal ice into frigid waters up to my neck, far from warmth and rescue; once into current that nearly swept me under its icy coffin lid into darkness and the watery nether-world. Actually, I've really not encountered celebrities as much as I've come into contact with their stuff, ...stuff of legends mind you.  You can see below in ancient blog-posts references to Elvis' sunglasses, Bod Dylan's furniture, Eric Clapton's guitar picks and Janis Joplin's rock-n-roll hall of fame trophy. This, not to mention that BD is my adoptive uncle from the Iron Range where I spent many a youthful hour picking thimble berries (almost always while avoiding a mild mauling by black bears) and courting a girl (girls) from the north country.
None of this compares, however, to the magnitude of joyful delight and drama that the daily routine of a hot cup of tea early am brings me.  I sit outside watching the ducks hop around their pen, splashing away with nary a care and I contemplate the Scripture passages laid open on my lap ...and the next attempt at a masterpiece.  This sunrise view of each day never fails to portend something new and exciting.  THE masterpiece hasn't been achieved yet and the mouth of a big-mane lion has yet to clamp down on my right thigh. Until then I will keep seeking the lost chord (the Moody Blues really didn't find it) and the other lofty goals mentioned here. The paintings pictured are another feeble attempt...but they're coming along.  Available here on eBay.