Bee–zzz on a Mission

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#220/365 Paintings

Have you ever noticed how crafty bees are? Not only do they manage to make something really good to eat but run a thousand marathons to do it while risking their lives with their stinger to protect their mission. Well, these bees — brother and sister (aren’t they all?), managed to remain black and white in their colorful world. Why? Because they decided to pick their own colors. Yellow, gray, black had sustained bee history for centuries. Why hadn’t they evolved into colors like the flowers given how often they interacted with them? This is just one of the question this sibling pair had about life and the future. So this is them on an adventure for color and to change fashion for bees of the future.

 

Where Beach Balls Gather

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#213/365 Paintings

Every so often… sometimes it takes months, but it could be days or hours, beach balls find themselves gathered into a pile on the beach. Of course they aren’t bored or lonely. They have exciting stories to tell. “Hey red, you look crinkled on your left side, did the kid’s dog get you after all? I thought you said you could outrun any dog in the world. That’s okay, we all have our vulnerabilities. Did I tell you about the day… ” — “Ralph, would you be quiet! Fighting the tidal wave was a lot of work today, I’d really like to get some sleep.” — “Hey did you see what happened to Bounce? She got taken home by the blonde haired kid. Sigh, lucky girl.”

And so it goes with the beach ball gathering that happen every so often from time to time. They look forward to the next day’s adventures — a lot like us.

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Project notes: When I turned this painting upside down it went from landscape and sky to looking out at the ocean from inside a cave. I wondered what I might find should I be in such a cool visage. I thought of the abandoned things on a beach and what that must look like when everyone has gone home to cozy homes and fried chicken.

 

August is the 365 W I L D {card}

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#210/365 Paintings

Well, guess what? Summer has been a spectacular mess. A ton of work traveling with bunnies, seeing friends, festivals… all the shopping, spas, rainstorms, bone dry heat, altitude adjustments… and always, always losing my toothbrush in this place or that. Poor me, right?

I guess I just want to be random this month. I have no idea what will happen. Maybe I’ll paint mosquito’s all month. I’m sure the unsubscribes will stack up fast in my mailbox. ; )

The Southwest was spectacular. Sedona and Santa Fe did not let me down. Especially, Santa Fe laid her hungry creative claim on me. I wasn’t able to capture it all. So I took notes, I took photos. I lost sleep. I didn’t lose weight darn it. But I ate everything I wanted and didn’t gain much either. I remember reading a book about creativity being a weight loss tool. Well, so is adventure, discovery, and living on the edge for a handful of weeks. I set out to break the monotony of routine in June. Even the studio was losing it’s luster. And it worked. I can’t wait to get organized for fall in a new way for both business and art. The bunnies by the way, were troopers this summer. I was amazed.

We are in month 8 of this project. I had a low point in June. But have completely regained composure and second wind. I look forward to many more painting adventures this fall. The stories lost some momentum this summer with the physical demands of travel… the paintings made it (with weekends off and catching up at the end of the month). I see the stories coming back once I’m re-settled into studio action in September.

I’m currently in Northern Ca. and it’s just gorgeous. I wish I could paint the balmy breeze and the smell of gardenia’s. I really hope I don’t get obsessed with mosquitos. But if I do, I apologize ahead of time.

The print store re-opens September 1. What is coming up this fall is a channel to order larger prints. So stay tuned. Also, some articles coming out about this project. And still gallery hunting for a physical exhibit of all of the originals (aiming for a gallery in SF, LA or NYC January/February). I’ve been advised to set up a virtual gallery. But the originals are truly better than the digital versions. Besides, how would I be able to see the loyal followers of this project? One of the best things about this summer was seeing many people I care about in person. It made me want to quit Facebook and cab it to people in person for tea, often. Reality is reality, that’s true. But the in person life is still my favorite.

Have a great August.

And remember if you ever want to see the paintings from month’s previous just hover over the 365 link on the navigation bar and all the months will roll down. Like a red carpet!

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