The Big Picture

This is a one of those paintings that while I was working on it I could imagine it being much larger, huh..? It's like this, all the elements in this picture; horse, ocean and clouds we associate with grandness, expansiveness, the mind opens up before a scene such as this. So..I kept thinking, this would probably work great on a much larger scale. Timothy commented once "you do small paintings that read like big ones", I know what he means. I often ask myself do these need to be huge?..maybe, maybe not.

Above: Trojan Horse, 16x14", oil on panel 2011

Illustrator Donald Moss

A good bit of the artists I admire (past and present) have spent a portion of their careers doing illustration work. Some like Edward Hopper looked down upon this period, never understood that. I admire great illustration, yes there is a different spirit involved but one that is no less enlightened or skilled than "gallery" painting.


While looking through those old SIs (see below) I came upon this spread by Donald Moss using Magritte as a template to illustrate a golf story. Donald worked at Sports Illustrated for over 30 years (50's-80's) and often used surrealistic/pop references in his illustrations, he was one of my favorites as a teen (uhh...duh).

Above: Donald Moss, SI June 11,1973, "Oakmont", Donald passed away last May, he was 90.

Super Bowl Betting

90 million dollars, that's the legal amount wagered on the Super Bowl today, add what gets put down in the office pools, between friends and with the local bookies and that number jumps to 8-9 billion $'s, that's a lot of scratch. Besides the score, you can also put money down on various "prop" bets, such as; The coin flip, heads or tails? What will Fergie wear for the halftime show? What color will the Gatorade be that gets dumped on the coach? Use your imagination, there's a bet for it. Me?? I am taking the Steelers and the points, (that Gatorade is going to be yellow).


What's a Super Bowl without Joe Namath?? lame. Here's "Joe Willie" pimping Dingo Boots, I wanted a pair of those so bad as a kid, had to settle for Hush Puppies "D-boots".

Above:I got a huge stack of SIs from the '70's, spent some time with them yesterday, Joe's pants look like they were made out of a bath mat, I want one!

Scott Belville at MOCA GA

"Trust", Scott Belville's exhibition of new work is up now over at MOCA GA here in Atlanta (through March 19th). Scott's got great technical skills and a fine color sense but his narrative take on the Southern psyche is what keeps me looking. If you enjoy what you see on this blog (we're fishing the same streams, just catching different fish) be sure and check out Scott's work today.

2011 The Optimist Theme

Finished the above painting yesterday. As I was working on this picture variations of this painting/theme would pop into my head and I would jot the ideas down in my sketchbook. The theme being; a floor with a character in front of a backdrop. These three elements allowed for many possibilities, the backdrop could be anything; a scene, a painting, another character or object. What would be "real" and what would be an illusion? I thought "This could be fun, let's see how far I can take it", so I decided to do a series of paintings using this theme as a premise. I'm optimistic, let's see what transpires.

Above: The Last Optimist, oil on panel, 14x12, 2011

Week Of Ice

Atlanta is returning to normal after the "Snowpocalypse" of this past week. Several inches of powder topped with 2 inches of ice shut the city down for 4 days, schools were closed all week. I tend to follow the family schedule so I stayed out of the studio and in the house till Thursday, its not like I needed a break or anything but I got into the spirit of the event; sledding on Monday (baking sheets work great but hard to steer) , movies on the tube (Ground Hog Day, Terminator Salvation) , games (Taboo). Not a bad week, no injuries and quality family time but man, what has happened to those mild Atlanta winters we have grown accustomed to?

Top:Grant Park
Bottom:The Atlanta Cyclorama, North view

2011 Back To Work

After a 2 week break I was able to get back in the studio this week. As the holidays approached I knew I wasn't going to be working much so I left a picture unfinished on purpose, which allowed me to ease back into painting mode once the "hub-bub" was over, a slow but smooth transition.

Meanwhile... Nashville Arts Magazine used my Red Velvet Cake painting to illustrate a recipe of said cake by one of Nashville's top foodies, Nancy Vienneau, (check out her wonderful blog). The blurb appears in their January issue. That painting has a life of its own.

Above: as yet untitled 28x25 oil on canvas