Home, family, fun and pigs

This is my latest commissioned painting. It was purchased as a birthday gift for a wife from her husband.

It was a fun and easy process. After learning that family, home, fun and pigs made the wife happy, I came up with a couple of ideas.

This is the one she chose.

Their three kids are in characteristic costumes. They are subtly placed and all center around home. Two little pigs sit in the shade of the tree in the back.

I liked the idea of a living post for the birdhouse to represent the idea of growth and change and life.

And, it is no surprise, there are words hidden in there somewhere!

Be good,
Scott

Everything old is new again

This past fall as I was cooling down from one of my morning runs, I came across 'free stuff'. You know, the pile of stuff by the side of the road with the handmade sign saying 'FREE'. One of the houses in the neighborhood was being renovated and each day something new, rather old, was put out for the taking. This particular day I found a piece of furniture that had been a built-in desk. I liked it but couldn't really justify taking it. What was I going to do with it?
But, that afternoon I was still thinking about it. So, I got into my car and loaded it into the trunk.
It had sat in the garage for the last 5 months, in pieces.

I finally decided to tackle it. My friend Elynne had sent me an electric fireplace insert, which I ahd used as a heater, but it lacked character. The desk would become the new home for the fireplace insert.

After getting the desk back together, I still had a bit of work to box in the sides, build a 'hearth', make an inner frame and paint it, antique it (there was no way it was going to ever look new and fresh) and wax it.
It turned out beautifully.I used the scalloping of the leg and drawer shapes to dictate the design. I selected a print of one of my paintings that has similar shapes and covered the inset frame with it. I was even able to maintain a working drawer.
Be good,
Scott

Art is Personal

I have been working on an interior design project. My friends Nancy and Mike have moved from Boulder to Seattle. They have rented a house and have hired me to help them make it a home. At this point, the furniture is chosen and situated. The rugs, pillows and accessories are carefully placed. All that remains is the art. Nancy really (really) wanted to create art. Though Nancy is a highly creative, beautiful dancer/choreographer the visual arts are still fairly uncharted territory for her.
We began with a trip to the art store where we purchased two canvases. In this case they were 30"x40" each. Then we hit three different paint stores. The goal was to see what was available in the mis-tinted section. It was fantastic, when, at the first store we found 5 different gallons of paint with colors that would work for us. At $3 each it was truly a steal. We rounded out our color palette by having 2 more colors mixed in the quart size. With seven colors, I felt we were ready to procede.
After laying the canvases on a drop cloth, I had Nancy do several quick sketches for me. These were no-thought-initial-reaction drawings. I gave her a word and she drew. I chose words that I knew were important for Nancy and Mike and their home. "Calm.... happy.... life..... growth... love.... celebration... connection.... " She drew and drew and drew.
I took her simple drawings and painted them (much larger) onto the canvases as an outline in the darkest color we had, which happened to be a blue.
It was then her turn to fill in the outlines, very much like in a coloring book. I gave a little direction in color placement, blending and balance, but mostly it was Nancy and her unbridled willingness.
While the paintings dried, I painted a white rectangle on the dining room wall to frame our bold art piece.I think it turned out beautifully. What I loved most about it was Nancy's reaction. She was almost beside herself with how much fun she had had and how lovely the painting is. "That was such a high. It's so beautiful." she told me (again and again and again).
This piece of art is very personal. Not only did she play a part in creating it, but it holds hopes and dreams and ideals in her own expression. Art is personal.
Be good,

Scott

Season of Color

This morning as I was writing, or supposed to be writing, I found myself staring at the table by the window. The Christmas cactus happens to have bloomed at Halloween and the glass pumpkins I bring out every fall. I love the little squirrel-candle-holder as he is a reflection of the food-gathering-squirrels outside. The combination of colors is so vibrant, so beautiful and I wanted to share them with you. Surprisingly, (I didn't plan this) it is a study in the secondary colors: purple, orange and green. Okay, that sounds a little art-nerdy, but I am a little art-nerdy sometimes.

I hope you are surrounded by color (primary, secondary, tertiary....) especially as we embrace fall and enter winter.

Be good,
Scott