Two Mixed Media:

Someone asked me to draw from a photo of their dogs, so this is what I came up with. Permanent ink colored with watercolor pencils. First time I tried something like this.

I hope he likes it. 3.5 X 5.5: Rusty and River.

Next, I used same materials to present a plant on the ground at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park. End up being more stylized that originally intended but half way through I started to add colors I like. 5.5 X 3.5

Picked up some new (for me) music last week, Steve Mason, Nightmares On Wax, Hookworm, Fat Freddy's Drop, The Durutti Column, Klaus Doldinger ( He was a leader of Passport - one of my favorite new jazz albums), The Out Crowd, Johnny Flynn, Hammock, West Indian Girl, and more.

This coming week I want to go back to oil and finish one I started, looking down on shells on the beach; one acrylic called Beige, and maybe get out my pastels which I have not used since moving to Florida.

Greg is on his way down to hang out for a while. Planning my Denver - STL trip. Watched Dan Edmundson videos on the painting craft. Lots of good stuff. 

First Watercolors in about 45 years!

Well, I got out my watercolors and worked on two scenes from our visit last summer to Cashiers/Highlands, NC over Labor Day. The Dahlia gardens were in bloom. These are two views of the same garden. 

So, I think I will try a few more before I work on oils. And, I need to get out my pastels and try some drawing. 

Listening to Spiritual High by Moodswings, with Chrissie Hyde and MLK. Do you know Valdi Sabev? I saw David Gray is appearing in STL with Alison Krauss - that could be a great concert. I started down the YouTube path last night watching Folgelberg's Now That We Love (which I love); to Gordon Lightfoot 1972 concert to current interview which made me just want to cry to see how frail he is (We saw him in concert here last year - no lung power) and was able to hear Beautiful (which I love); to Kenny Wayne Shepherd in concert with Blue On Black (which I love) plus an acoustic version; to  a relatively current video of the Cult's She Sells Sanctuary (which I love); and on and on and on. One Thing Leads To Another which could lead to Beautiful Friction, right? I find it interesting to see who appears on who's album when you did not really know that person back in, say 1972, but now are famous. And who wrote songs for whom. Jack Bruce with Mountain for a while? Nicky Hopkins on an early QMS album, Jon Mark and Johnny Almond (Mark-Almond - New York City State Of Mind [which I love]) producing for Marianne Faithful. Jimmy Messina producing before paying and recording - what a rich history of band membership and guidance he has had. You can see him this fall in Edwardsville, IL. Back to artwork...

So, I entered four paintings in the July gallery show at the Art League of Fort Myers. They had their voting tonight during Artwalk. Tomorrow I will drop by to see if I won anything; last month my Delnor-Wiggins Pass landscape won the People's Choice Award. In August I will enter something in the Art Alliance members show. Its free, I like free.