Fine Art, Spring Training, books and music

Link to my website: Claude Lyles Art Works

Reminder that you can click on photos to enlarge and pinch open even further. Ash Wednesday, March 6, 2019.

New Art: 

This is a statue in a garden of our host when we had our outdoor painting workshop in Naples in February. Oil on canvas board, 9 x 12.

Old Art: 

Four redo's, and I am finished. Naples House is from Plein Air workshop two years ago, The yard scene is a 4 x 4 miniature from Zaandam NL from our trip last summer to the Rhine River. The palms are from fall visit to Key West and I softened the clouds in the New Mexico desert near Clayton.

Art Purchased: 

Watercolor by my workshop teacher Keiko Tanabe - Sunsett II (Bradenton Beach)

 World famous, art is her second career after being involved in International Business. Started to watercolor in 2005.  Currently lives in San Diego.

The second workshop demo was by Kenn Backhouse. He was focusing on shapes, color values, and composition.

Laying in shapes with underpainting.

Spring Training in Florida: 

Century Link Hammond Stadium 3 miles from my house.

My seats are between home and first, directly up from the mound, last row, in the shade and sheltered from afternoon rain showers. Easy in and out with stairs and elevator right behind us.  The Cardinals are not coming to Fort Myers this year, for some reason,  so I went to their road games in  Lakeland vs Detroit and Clearwater vs The Phillies. It was my first time in either stadium.  I stayed in St Petersburg after the Detroit game, with my friend Marty. We then joined Bill and Mindee for the game in Clearwater. 

From seat level looking back at South Fort Myers

Tigers vs Cards in Lakeland

Cards (in grey pants) vs Phillies in Clearwater

Next year Atlanta is relocating to the Gulf side just north of Port Charlotte so we'll have 4 teams within easy drive time.

Twins Catchers  putting on their gear

Studio Fun: (Cheap Thrill): 

In 2005 during our trip through Europe I purchased acetate photos of stained glass windows from cathedrals. Ran across them while organizing the closet so I put them up on the sliding door out to the pool from my studio to enjoy the light effect. 

 Strasbourg, Notre Dame, Chartres, and Sain-Chappelle. The latter was my favorite visit. It is a small (relatively speaking) family chapel for the Kings' residence on Ile de la Cite in the Seine River in Paris. It was commissioned by (Saint) Louis IX and finished in 1248. When you are in it, you can see the colored light spots on the ground and walls move as the sun changes location. Like being inside of a jeweled crown. 

Travel: 

Coming up, June 29, 50th High School Reunion at Saint Mary's. Looking forward to catching up.

Listening To:

Pat Matheny - Question & Answer album

Carmen McCrae live album - Live At Birdland West

Sinatra - Songs For Swingin' Lovers

Echo & The Bunnyman - Ocean Rain - too experimental. Still like Lips of Sugar and Bedbugs and Ballyhoo.

Our only symphony visit this year was a Pop's concert featuring the music of Neil Diamond, with the tribute band Super Diamond playing in front of and with the SW Florida Symphony Orchestra. Sounded like him, lots of hits; however, the tribute bands in general can lose the need to duplicate mannerisms or speech accents. Just play their music, dress like them if they need to. 

This month's Florida Rep show was pretty good, Noel Cowherd's Hey Fever. Somewhat dated but fun nevertheless. Coming up is Million Dollar Quartet. 

Reading: 

Two beginner's books on Magic Tricks, also two DVD's.

Humor from Reader's Digest and The Irish Post:

Founding Father's comment - he must have know Fake News was coming one day...