My brother-in-law’s grand daughter in a great photo he took on Thanksgiving!

Visited the Getty Museum in LA day before yesterday.  Wonderful Impressionist collection.  A fantastic museum.  Even had a section for the public to sketch from sculpture, all materials provided.  Wow.

The Origins of Dance, 18×22

Heart Song of the Turtle, 18×18

Universe in a Bottle, 15×15

Joyful Noise, 11×14

Watercourse Way, 18×22

Visit to the Molecularium, 18×22

Wonderful Life, 11×14

Swing Time 11×14

Touch and Go, 18×22

The Outer Edge, 19×19

Tete-a-Tete, 11×14

Bird Song Sutra, 11×14

Taking the Bait, 18×22

The Witch of the Sky Watches, 11×14

Dragon Dreams I, 18×22

Dragon Dreams II, 18×22

Lament for Voiceless Things, 19×19

Say the Word – Marbles, 11×14

He Said, She Said, 11×14

Reunion, 18×22

Life in the Farthest Reaches

The Five Delicacies, 11×14

Star Life, 18×18

Slipping Through, 15×15

The Laws of Nature, 18×22

Whew, it’s a lot of work matting and framing with glass. I’ve got about 25 images, and some are quite large. Below is the announcement. I’ll send out some cards and letters in late January. If you are in the area, please stop down to the gallery (near the Lake) and say hello at the opening. We’ll bring some good snacks and drinks. You’ll need to click on this image to get to the larger one which is legible. Please do. The Reception is Friday, February 1st, 2008, from 5-8 p.m. Hope to see all you loyal blog readers and potential students for the “Drawing for the Terrified” class there.

Did this oil painting last summer from a variety of photos, sketches and trials. I like the contrast between the foreground and the distance. There is some depth there. Up at midnight with lots of thoughts, plans, travel itineraries, and things to do that don’t turn off on schedule as they should. The curse of the insomniac. Got all the printing done for the Artpath show, with the help of my son and his large printers at Subatomic Digital. Am now in the process of creating titles for this first show of mine which is abstract, or at least mostly abstract. I’m curious to see how it is received. I brought all my oil painting stuff home from UVM, and will begin that again  in a few weeks.

Often it’s useful to paint a copy of a master painting, and I do this quite frequently, though seldom are these posted.  The one below is a Degas copy.  Every time I do one of these, I learn something.  This one is very small (only about 8 x 11 inches.)

Well, the ad went out in three papers (Shelburne, Williston and So. Burlington) and I’ve had a few folks write to get on the list.  It seems I’ll have to keep up the advertising and posting so that next Spring we’ll have a good sized group.   The North Hero group is all set.   I’d just like to get one closer to home arranged soon as well.   If you know anyone who wants to join us in May, June and July, send me an email.  The drawing below was done on a flight to San Francisco.  I spotted a picture of this fellow in a newspaper or a magazine (not sure which.)   The drawing sold at the Catamount Gallery auction a month ago.  They got a tidy sum from the 7 paintings and drawings I gave them.

Just finished clearing the snow off the driveway a few hours ago and it’s back to full already.   We were out driving to the North End this afternoon and the roads are pretty bad.  Considering the amount of the fall, they are doing a good job clearing the road.  BUT… they’ve knocked down our mailbox AGAIN, after they put in a new one last spring.  Here we go again.   The downside of living on the curve connecting two straight parts of a road. Boooo!  The image (Focal Point) appeared yesterday.

I was filing away old images and came across this last night.  As you can see from the sign on the top of the store on the right, my grandfather, in horse and buggy days in early California (Turlock), had a general merchandise store.  The date on this is around the late 1800′s.  My dad was born there in 1913.   The town is of course not recognizable as it is today.  The space is now a bank.  When I visited there a few years ago, the bank employees were kind enough to tell us the early history of the space.

It’s now about zero outside and a large “NorEaster” is about to hit in a few hours.  The media is playing this up a bit more perhaps than it will be, but the snow blower is now awaiting the onslaught, the salt bucket is full, and there are no plans to travel tomorrow.

Found this  on a small stone in a wadi.  If you can translate, let me know.