Hi All,

I usually stick to Art talk on my blog, but I do occasionally wander off into the weeds and write something personal. Some days I’m just getting up on a soap box. Sometimes I’m pimping my fellow creatives. Today is different. Today is very personal. I’ve been holding this in for a few weeks and have only told a handful of people because I’m still not 100% sure about it myself.

Many of my friends already know that my family lost our beloved Aunt Jo several weeks back. I posted my version of a eulogy on my FB page expressing not only her importance to me personally, but her importance to all of us. Here it is:

So that’s that. My Aunt Jo died this morning. It did not come as a surprise. For what it’s worth she had been gone for a while. As many of us know, Death can be a release for all involved.

I loved her dearly. She understood me when others didn’t. She helped me to see places and know about things that may have been forever at arm’s length to me. She had given me a place to live rent-free when the loss of a job had sent me across the state to find a new home for my family.
She was a good housemate. She loved her 2 cats and her dog. They were her constant companions. The cats and I had a friendly understanding. I did not love her dog. We ate bleu cheese with crackers, watched CSI and talked/debated/argued until 2am. I was afraid to ride with her in the car. Anyone who knew her felt the same. She could be funny as hell. She was a strong, fiercely independent woman. In the end though her mind left her. The cares of society weighed on her with increasing intensity leaving her feeling that the world was crumbling around her. Her memories fled. Dementia’s a bitch, kids. She had to lean heavily on her siblings to care for her as her mind and body failed. It was very hard on them all. I am intensely angry about the way it had to happen. I know there is nothing to be done about it. It is my shame that I was not there for her as I should have been in the end.

For those of you who know me personally you know that I grew up in a very religious household (Southern Baptist). These days, after years of agnosticism, I’m not so sure about what happens when you die. I guess I’m of the opinion that energy is never destroyed, but just changes forms. We exchange electrons with everyone and everything we come in contact with. That exchange has got to leave some sort of imprint on us… I’d like to think perhaps there was enough of her left with me to give me that relief I’d been seeking since her death. You see I don’t feel like I ever properly mourned her loss.

Maybe it was my own subconscious sense of self-preservation sending me a much-needed boost to alleviate my feelings of shame for not being there for her at the end.

Maybe it’s just because the subject of her decline and demise had come up a few days earlier.

Maybe she really did come to me to comfort me in the only way currently available to her.

Who can say for sure?

That’s dreams for you.

Cheers,

R

 

Put final touches on this little fella this afternoon. Vine charcoal and white conte on grey-toned paper. Now to arrange for some sort of display. I’m sure something will come to me…

Cheers,
R

 

The timer goes “Ding!” and I set my brushes down. Take a long look. Take a couple of pics. Then another 30 min for final touches and I put it aside. Done’s done. What started out as a way to make a little extra scratch before a vacation wound up being the turning point in my work that I’ve been searching for. Well that and a few philosophical revelations. We won’t get into those just now…
I’ve got a show looming on the horizon so we reset the easel and gear up for the next piece.

Tonight’s going to be a busy night.

Cheers,
R

I set a time limit of 2.5 hours so for better out worse I’m sticking to my word and calling it done.

 

 

I guess it’s time to prep some more surfaces and reset the timer.

Cheers,
R

Took a call last Friday that resulted in me creating this painting tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever finished anything quite so quickly. Total painting time was about 2.5 hours. I suppose deadlines make for quick decisions. Thinking maybe there should be some more of this type of exercise in the future.

Here’s to shooting from the hip.

Cheers,
R

Finished with this little monster a few days back. Been somewhat distracted as of late due to some family issues. Finally taking time to post this for your viewing pleasure (or whatever it is you get out of viewing this).The trouble is that now I’m finished I don’t have anywhere to keep it safe until I get the framing materials together. Next time I guess I’ll be doing a bit more planning ahead. 

Here’s to late nights and rainbow dust.

 

Cheers,

R

Got a new one in the catalog. Proud to be able to offer this in print. Lots of options. See for yourself!

Click here. It’s totally legit.

Thanks for having a look. Just… 168 more shopping days ’til Christmas.

No sense waiting that long. Best to get a head start on things don’t you think? 

 

Cheers,

R

I’m very proud to finally be able to offer this image as a print. Click here to check the sales page:

Shameless sales page this way…

It’s one of my personal favorites. The source image holds some very good memories for me of a very long walk around Manhattan several years back. It was cold. We did not, for some reason, actually get any coffee. Never set foot in the place. Just one of those memory tripwires.

A former coworker and current friend owns it and thanks to him I was able to borrow it long enough to get it scanned. If memory serves I couldn’t afford to do it before the piece sold a few years back and I put off asking until recently. Good thing too. He just moved to Tennessee.

Now that’s done I can bring them image to you.

Thanks to the fine folks at FineArtAmerica.com I can offer posters, cards, paper prints, canvas prints, metal prints (Check them out. They’re pretty cool), acrylic prints, phone cases, totes, and even duvet covers.

Yes… we went there.

That’s OK though. I’m OK with selling duvet covers of my images. If it makes someone happy to have it then that makes me happy. Annnnnd a little extra income never hurts.

Cheers!

R

 

So I do some fluffy, brightly-colored landscape paintings (and the occasional portrait, God help me). A guy’s gotta pay the bills. Gotta buy paint. I take commissioned work so I can afford to do the work I feel I need to do. Plus I like having a little fun. Doing some lighter stuff. Trying to take another person’s vision and translate that. It’s no mean feat I can tell you. Some people are easier to work with than others.

The gentleman that commissioned the work was extremely easy to work with. He ordered the piece for his wife as a birthday gift. It’s a placeholder for something a little more tangible down the line I think.

I think it’s romantic and sweet. I don’t usually deal with that sort of thing. It’s refreshing.

 

Here’s to a little more romance.

Cheers,

R