BLOG FOR WEBSITE December 10 , 2024I had an art mentor for many years . Gladys Stocks . She was knowledgeable, talented but above all else ….Opinionated ! She didn’t teach me technique, per se. She tried to teach me to be fearless and embrace color and light. She also tried to teach me to be confident about what I created , to have pride in my work and value it. She passed away about 14 years ago (just before her 90th birthday) but I still hear her in my mind sometimes telling me to brighten up a piece of art or stop telling myself it’s not good 😊🥹The first thing I was drawn to , subject wise , were...
Urban Renewal - a subject and period in time that completely intrigues me. I mean, really , I experienced it firsthand . But I’d still like to know how the decisions were made and the actual condition of everything that was torn down . In 1973, I was 8 years old and had lived at 195 paradise row since I was born . I always heard it referred to as “ The Valley”. I attended Winter street school which still stands as an apartment complex and our family walked across the gas station parking lot to St Paul’s church each Sunday . White lace gloves and patten leather shoes. The boys with waves in the front of their hair and...
My friend Patrick is a pretty cool guy. I say he knows everything! Ha ha but if he doesn’t.. he knows SOMETHING about everything! I met him in the same way I have met many folks .. in my art studio. We both have an appreciation for art, music and stories! I wish I knew half of the interesting facts about people and their history. Their life stories. But then again I’m glad I don’t. Because I hear them and they are all new to me! 😀Pat has been illustrating a longstanding series. A cartoon I might say. It’s amazing. Characters and storyline aside for a minute, what about the fact that they are all drawn freehand from Pats mind...
I got to thinking about how it takes all types of people to make the world go round.. For example there are certain subjects I don’t like to ponder. ( although I do, more often than I would like to!) The dark things In life. The injustice. The abuse and wrong doings. I mean somebody HAS to think about the human condition and help us face it. My friend is in law enforcement and she has seen it all! We NEED people like her who will delve into the harsh, grim realities that exist. And thank goodness for them!There are also those in the arts who like to explore those dark or controversial areas. The resulting art can sometimes feel...
I wanted to simply capture buildings.No specific city, town or street. So, I gathered reference photos from near and far. Saint John, Newfoundland, Italy, Greece and San Francisco!I quickly observed the colors, rooftops, doors, windows & architecture. I chose different buildings from each photo, melding them all together .When I finished, I thought "There! Anyone who looks at these can be anywhere they want to be."
