Happy National Coffee Day!

In honor of the day, I wanted to let you all know I have an exhibit up at one of my favorite coffee places. Quince Essential is in a cool old house built in 1893. I'm showing both abstract and representational work, from small to medium in size. I'm sharing the show with Sarah Margaret Wade, who is an art therapist and a recent transplant from Alabama.  

Stop in, have a cup and enjoy the art.

Quince Essential Coffee House

September 23rd – December 31st, 2018 (or there abouts)

1447 Quince Street (1 block east of Quebec, South of Colfax)

Denver, CO 80220

303-955-2479

Hours: M-F 6:30am-6pm,  Sat & Sun 8am-6pm,  First Saturdays 8am-9pm

Live, Love, Laugh and be Happy

Sold - 11x14 - Acrylic on Board

This is the commission I had from the couple who saw me working on a small plein air piece in BelMar Park, Lakewood, Colorado. It is basically a larger version of the original, with the finishing touches supervised by them. The title of the work comes from a song her father used to sing: When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along), written by Harry Woods in 1926, with Al Jolson recording the most popular version...

When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob-Bob Bobbin' Along 
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along, along 
There'll be no more sobbin' when he starts throbbin' his old sweet song 

Wake up, wake up you sleepy head 
Get up, get out of your bed 
Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red 
Live, love, laugh and be happy 

What if I were blue, 
Now I'm walking through, 
Walking through the fields of flowers 
Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours 

I'm just a kid again doing what I did again, singing a song 
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along 
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' 
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along 

There'll be no more sobbin' when he starts throbbin' 
There'll be no more sobbin' when he starts a throbbin' his old sweet song 

Roaming Free

Click to Bid  –  6x6  Acrylic on Hardboard

After 116 years, Barnum’s animal crackers are no longer behind bars and are roaming free! That is until they meet their mushy demise swimming in a child's glass of milk… The change comes because of pressure from PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who urged the redesign of the box. (See new box design below). The Nabisco product takes its name from the famous but now defunct circus which had its last performance in May of last year. Some animals were said to have been mistreated to perform tricks. So in changing with the times, our animal friends are depicted free to roam in a more natural habitat.

P. T. Barnum of Ringling Brother's Barnum Bailey's Circus has a Denver connection. 

He purchased 760 acres west of then Denver city limits in 1878. Legend has it that he bought the land to house his circus animals in the winter but the area was never used for that purpose. The acreage was then platted for residential development and to this day bears his name.

Crayons 7-2

Click here to Bid  -  12x12 Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

This painting is the second in a series exploring abstract linear compositions using crayons. It was completed in 2016. The first in the series was donated to Project Angel Heart's, Art for Life auction. Project Angel Heart was begun by Charles Robbins in 1991 to provide meals to those living with HIV/Aids. The mission has greatly expanded since. According to the groups website: "In 2018, Project Angel Heart plans to deliver 385,000 medically modified meals to at least 3,000 Coloradans living with life-threatening illness in Denver and Colorado Springs. We will serve children as well as seniors, clients as well as their families, and many individuals who are living in poverty. About 80% of our clients will live in Metropolitan Denver, while 20% will live in Colorado Springs. We will also modify meals for 65% of our clients, meeting dietary needs specific to their illnesses, treatments, religious beliefs, and allergies." I will donate 20% of the proceeds from the sale of this painting to Project Angel Heart. To learn more:  https://www.projectangelheart.org

Kountze Lake Afternoon

Click to Bid - 5x7  Acrylic on Panel  (Plein Air)

I spent yesterday afternoon out painting in Belmar Park, a nice 750 acre open space area in the heart of Lakewood just west of Denver. I found a shady spot to set up my easel next to the lake, with this view to the west. Just a perfect day. This acrylic has a Chinese red underpainting just like my other work, but rather that the linear structure of the still lifes,  I used a more painterly approach. I call painting outdoors my community outreach. When working along a trail, folks and the occasional gaggle of geese always stop by to see what I'm up to. On this outing I set up near the water by a park bench, coincidentally the couple who donated the bench came by to visit their favorite view, saw me there, and liked the painting so much they've commissioned a larger version!

The open space was originally owned by May Stanton Bonfils (1883-1962), the heir to the Denver Post newspaper fortune. (I worked as a graphic artist at the Post for 13 years.) The property was her summer residence, it had a mansion that was an exact replica of Marie Antoinette’s Petite Trianon Palace in France, which was built during the Great Depression for the cost of $1 million. Alas, it was torn down and all that remains is a marble boat ramp on the east side of the lake. Today there are lots of walking trails and a Hertitage Center were several structures have been moved and restored. 

Grapefruit with Spoon
on Green Melmac

Click to Bid -  5x7  Acrylic on Board. Starts at $100.

Melmac you say? It was a hard plastic multi-colored dinnerware popular from the 1940s thru the 1960s. My folks bought our set when I was just a little munchkin. I've still got a few surviving pieces that I continue to use today. The Color-FLYTE version I have has a slight mottled finish to it. Hang onto something long enough and it becomes hip again. This was my breakfast tableau, and of course a few cherries and blueberries snuck in...

Happy Labor Day!

"An artist is not paid for their labor,
 but for their vision."  -- James McNeill Whistler

    -- James McNeill Whistler, Caprice in Purple and Gold, The Golden Screen

Blue Berries Orange Shadows

Click to Bid - 6x6   Acrylic on Hardboard Panel    Starts at $100

I love blueberries! Especially wild blueberries. So good for you and great in a smoothie! I decided to leave the shadows a contrasting orange just to give the work a little more vibrancy. Or maybe because football season is upon us and these are the Broncos colors? Anyway, I've always liked the area on the berries where the petals, officially named corolla tubes, were attached. It kinda reminds me of the Mont Blanc logo...