My Early Days-19

Here it is, the last day of my month in North Carolina.  It is with great sadness that it is over.  I always have the feeling I could stay this way forever.  But it will be nice to be home with my own life and my own home.  This last Early Days is very apropos in that the last is the first.  This painting, I've posted in the past, is the first painting I did.  It was the reason I began painting in the first place.

I was in an art therapy group, you can find a Blog dedicated to it in my sidebar.  One of the members was an artist and when I mentioned I found a poster I wanted to buy, he said, paint it yourself.  I said I had no idea how to do that and he said I'll show you.  He took me to the Atlanta Art Supply and I bought a 10/pack tablet of 16x20 canvas sheets, a few brushes, a bottle of gesso and 8 acrylic colors.  $35 and the journey began.  Here is my first, Hearts 1983, along with the reference poster by Jim Dine born in 1935.

mine, 1983

Jime Dine, 1970

 It looks to me like Jim Dine gets hold of an idea and paints or sculpts it over and over in many many different ways, especially tools, hearts, robes and Pinocchio.  It is quite fun to Google him and then look at his Images.  You will quickly see the patterns.  Here are some I liked as I looked at his images.

Self-Portrait

Tools

Robe

Tools

Jane 8'8"x78" acrylic with objects 1969

Mister Coffee Face 60x48 acrylic mixed 2011

My Angel 58x32 enamel on wood 2006

Pinocchio

Rosecrucian Interior Scene, with Lemons 96x96 acrylic mixed 2010

Mostly, the next to the last day was spent doing a few errands and napping.  It was lovely!  My Chihuahua Annie decided to sit in my sister Beverly's lap and it looked like she was working on the Ipad! 

She sat there for quite awhile.  That is the sweetest dog ... and sister, too!  I've had a wonderful time but it is now time to sign out and see you in a couple of days.  Tomorrow, I'll be driving and listening to an audio book.  I am looking forward to that! 

MY Early Days-18

This will be my next to the last day of "My Early Days".  In two days, I return to Jacksonville to relieve my dear friends that have so faithfully cared for my home.

Today, I'm presenting two paintings that I have copied from artists that I can not find represented on the internet.  Isn't that strange?

 

This first one is after an artist named Christian Barat who was born in 1939.  The name of the piece is Ramatulle and I painted it in 2006 on a 16x20 canvas.

This second one is after an artist named Francesco Casals.  I named this Agrumeto Cooper and painted it in 1984 on a 16x20 canvas.  Agrumeto is the word for Citrus Grove in Italian and Cooper is a dear friend of mine.  Mr. Casals named his simply The Orange Grove and painted it in 1980.  The reason I named it after my friend Cooper was he was a draftsman and had to help me square up the village before I painted it.  I just couldn't get all the little buildings laid out without his help.  I sure wish he was around to help me do this now but he lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.  We are still dear friends.

Yesterday, we went to Church and following had a luncheon presented by the men of the church.  I'll bet most of them had their wives prepare the meal!  Later in the afternoon, we were invited to a friend of Beverlys, and mine, Barbara Phillips and her husband Marian and their visiting daughter Kathy from New Orleans.  Barbara is an artist and last year when I was recovering from my broken ankle, she came to me, gave me some acrylic supplies, I had left mine at home, and gave me a lesson.  This year, I wanted to give her one of my paintings.  I was delighted she found two she wanted.  I expected her to take a small one as a token and when she took two and one was a 10x20, I was delighted.  Then, as a surprise to me, she gave me my choice of three of her paintings.  One was done in a folk art style which she had done many of.  That is what I choose and then it turned out to be her as a baby!

Needless to say, I was so honored.  Ever since I met Barbara, I wanted one of her paintings.  I really had no idea she would give me one that day!

My Early Days-17

 The Unknowns.  These are paintings I've done but do not know the artist that I copied from.  It is with great sadness that I present them and would welcome any one that could identify them so I could give proper credit.

 

This was called Endangered Panda and if you look at the bottom of the painting you will see it painted on the canvas.  This was painted in 1984 on a 20x24 canvas board.  The boards that I used in 1984 have not held up like I would like them too but the proprietor of the local art store assured me that today they are made with attention to preservation and will hold up better.  This painting is a favorite of mine and has hung in my homes ever since it was painted.

 This is a painting I did from a Tee-shirt I bought in Tampa while attending a convention.  My daughter Mary Ellen came to me and asked me to paint it to hang in her bathroom.  After we moved, it was put in my bathroom where it still hangs today.  I painted it in 1992 on a 20x16 canvas board.  I painted the word Tampa on the painting and Mary Ellen was rather surprised.  I said you know I paint what I see and you didn't tell me otherwise.

Oh to say this is my favorite maybe of all I've done.  It is because the woman in blue turned out to look just like my Fathers Mother, Grammam.  I found the painting in an art magazine and it was from an article discussing shadowing.  Somehow, I lost the article and therefore the name of the artist that gave the demonstration.  This was painted in 1986 on a 20x24 canvas board.

Beverly and Bob are safely home and had a wonderful 18 days in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia.  We watched the raw videos from the trip last night and they were wonderful.  The places they visited were often breathtaking.  Beverly and I started falling asleep and just couldn't stay awake when we got to the last day at the Vatican.  Finally, we cried "Quit" and went to bed at 9:00 p.m.  I'm so glad to have them home.

This photo is the 1st one shared with me.  It is the 1st formal night of their 12 day cruise.  Pretty fancy, huh?

My Early Days-16

Wow, I can't believe I'm on Days-16 but the good news is, Beverly and Bob are driving the last couple of hours right now to get home.  That means I'll be going back to Jacksonville in the next few days and my Blog will return to normal.  I hope that is a good thing, but I have enjoyed going over the Early Days and visiting the Artists that made it possible.

Today is no exception.  In fact, it is another special day in that I am focusing on Milton Avery, one of the first artists I got familiar with and has always been a favorite of mine.  I'm going to show both my painting and the his reference painting I used.  Also, I have a great show of his work.  So, first my work.

Water Carrier - I painted this one but don't have a photo of it now, mine was done on a 28x22 canvas board.

mine, unknown title

Avery, unknown title

Avery, Morning Talk 1963

mine, Morning Talk  16x20, 1984

mine, Substantial Woman, 14x18, 1985-2009

Avery, Substantial Woman, 36x46, 1946

I've found his paintings from 1937 to 1960.  I have no idea how many paintings he did in his life time, but it must be in the thousands because every time I've looked up his work, I seldom if ever see the same pieces.  Today, for instance, I've never seen one of these and I've been looking at his work since 1984.  The price for one of his pieces is astronomical IF you can even find one.  He certainly became a super-star!

For a bit of information about Milton Avery, I'll let Mark Rothko say it best:
 According to Mark Rothko, What was Avery's repertoire? His living room, Central park, his wife Sally, his daughter March, the beaches and mountains where they summered; cows, fish heads, the flight of birds; his friends and whatever world strayed through his studio: a domestic, unheroic cast. But from these there have been fashioned great canvases, that far from the casual and transitory implications of the subjects, have always a gripping lyricism, and often achieve the permanence and monumentality of Egypt.

Now for a real treat, a show of Milton Avery.  I love that man!

(Well, for now, I can't get them to load.  I'll keep trying hope for the best.
ADDENDUM: Finally on 6/10/13 I figured out mine were saved as TIFF files and that is why I could not upload them.  I converted them to JPEG files and here they are!)

Bridge to the Sea 1937

Bucolic Landscape 1930

Green Sea 1958

Two Women at Desk 1944

Bicycle Rider by the Loire 1954

Conversation 1956

Female Painter 1945

Figure by Pool 1945

Green Chair 1944

Nude Combing Hair 1954

Robed Nude 1960

Self-Portrait 1947

Sheep 1952

Sketching by the Sea 1944

Two Women 1950

Early Days-15

This is a phase lasting at least 20 minutes where I attempted the airbrush in 1986.  Problem was, after I bought the supplies - these are very expensive paintings - I didn't know what to do or how to do it.  That is why my attempt lasted 20 minutes.  Here is what I did manage to do.

Truth is , I'm glad I gave up the airbrush.  It wasn't the direction I wanted to go.  I got interested in it after talking to a junior high school boy.  Now he could do it and would have known what to do.  Problem was, he didn't have the equipment.  Ah, such is life.  you've either got it or don't know what to do with it.  Now this is a sad, sad cometary!

My Early Days-14

Vintage Shade of Purple, 12x16 acrylic, 2006

I have always really loved this one.  I keep it tucked in a display portfolio where no one can see it to ask for it!  I'd have a hard time parting with this one!  It is after a wonderful artist, Rachel Deacon.  Here is a sample of her work.

Devoted, 20x24 oil, £1550

Graces and Airs, 30x24 oil, £1995

Unknown

Unknown

Woman in Lace

Her women are so gentle and feminine.  They are simply beauty and grace.

There isn't much to report about on the mountain today.  Lazy and contented enjoying a beautiful day!