In 1994 I was visiting my cousins Keith and Hazel in Whitewell, Wales when they took me to visit the local church near their house. I fell in love with the place. I took photos of the church and vowed to come back the following year and paint it. They took us to the airport and we said our goodbyes.  I would never see our Hazel again as she died suddenly a few weeks later at the age of 47. I returned to the church the following year to find her buried in the churchyard cemetery. I thought of her as drew pictures of the church and the gate wrapping around the graveyard. I later sent prints of the finished works to Keith, Miss Audrey who lived next to the church and a wealthy gentleman who was interested in commissioning some work from me. Last April I revisited the church with Keith who got a hold of the key to the church and let me inside. I was quite pleased to find the two prints I had given to to wealthy man framed and hanging in the foyer of the church.

Keith and Hazel had two children Vern and Debbie who I think dearly of. Debbie was my lovely date at the AT Ball in Chester, England last year. Vern always seemed to have a mischievous gleam in his smiling eyes. He even stayed with us in the States for a bit. He was my go to guy in the UK. I knew I could count on him if I needed anything. I could show up at the airport broke and call him and he would come get me. Sadly, like his mum, he died young unexpectedly and was buried here. I paid my respect to both my cousins. This post is a tribute to them. It was a bitter sweet day for me but I was honored my art had been appreciated so much.

I don’t always scout around for subject matter. Some times I just sit myself down with a sketch pad and look around as was the case here. I was visiting my friends Annie and Leon in White Bluff Tennessee and just walked out there front door and sat myself down on the porch and did a sketch of the scene in front of me. I painted it afterwards using my imagination and memory.

My friend Doug’s dog Crow got all comfy on the couch. I got a quick sketch of him in ink before he moved around. Normally I draw from life and paint from memory or imagination.But in this case I got to paint it from life too. I gifted the painting to Doug who has been a good friend of mine since the early 80’s back in Nashville.

I’ve been on a roll lately in terms of sketching. I’ve been using  permanent ink pens on 9″ x 12″watercolor paper so I can paint them later. I’ve learned to scan the drawings before I paint them so I basically get two images from one piece of art.  It’s something I wished I would have done many years ago. Still, I have many them squirreled away. With the popularity of adult coloring books I wonder if I could some how print my  black and white prints on watercolor paper for others to paint. I could include a colored print of how I painted it so the person could copy it or choose to color it how they see fit. Something to think about.

I came across this oil painting I did back around 1989. I hope to get back to oil painting again.  I have taken the skills I have developed in my watercolors and I’ve turned to acrylics which is also water based.  It’s my hope to eventually get back to working in oils again.

Rob Robinson and I have been friends since the third grade. Over 20 years! We both had our bouts with cancer too. This weekend there will be  a benefit for him in our home town of Medina, New York. I am donating an original pastel in support of the cause. It’s going to be a fun night. Rob is a well respected piano player and plays in several bands and many of his musician friends will be there. So there will be some great live music to go along with the Spaghetti dinner. Bring along your dancing shoes. I hope to see you there!

Back in the winter of 1989 I worked on a series of collages. My old dog Roscoe was on the way out and I tried to envision a future without my loyal companion who had been by my side for 16 years. I looked far ahead and pictured my self as an old man…still painting. I thought of this picture when I was sitting in front of a church in Wales painting last spring.

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Back in 1995 I received a grant through Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council to create 5 art instruction video tapes. They aired a couple of times on local cable and copies were donated to all the libraries in both Genesee and Orleans county libraries. After recent inquiries I discovered that none of the libraries I spoke to had transferred the tapes to digital before they were discarded. I may unveil them again someday, although the only thing memorable about them was the bloopers and folks that assisted me with the project.

Early last Sunday morning I tore down my campsite at Jeff Poppins Equinox party in Tennessee. I loaded up my belongings and decided to hang around and enjoy the rest of the morning. I made my way to the fire in the middle of the open field where some folks were gathering. I decided to do a little sketching and I brought my art box with me. Four youngsters were hanging around acting kind of bored. I think they were all siblings. I asked them if they would like to paint and like most kids they were into the idea. I got out some watercolor paper and gave them each a piece as they gathered around. I got my watercolor set out and they were intent on watching my actions. I slowly took the cover off the set and exposed all 24 colors to the kids. “It’s magic!” the older boy says excitedly. It reminded me of an old zen saying. “A child looks at a mountain and sees a mountain. The adult looks at a mountain and sees many things. The sage looks at a mountain and sees a mountain.”

I finally finished the acrylic painting I have been working on through 3 different states. Under Heaven. With studio work there is no time constraint on the work. You can keep working on on it infinitely. I think that may be how the Mona Lisa was painted…and maybe never finished. Fortunately for me, studio work doesn’t consist of staying inside or in one place. I just take my art with me. By investing more time in my paintings I can come up with more major works. Still, I enjoy just sitting down in front of a subject and just drawing it in one session. No reason I can’t just do both. Not good to have a favorite weapon.