David

I had mentioned this photo in my last post. I like the contempletive aspect of this shot.

Peace Flags

I usually only post my artwork here but today I will add some photos to the mix. As my wife and I were returning home from shopping, we encountered a display of tiny flags decorating the law Southern Oregon University lawn. It started near the arts buildings so my first thought was senior art project. But as we drove along, we began to notice little red flags distributed among the white ones. We began to realize that this may be something other than a school project. The small white flags lined Siskiyou Blvd. from one end of the campus to the other. And as we approached So. Mountain Ave. we saw a group of people planting these flags in neat little rows. I knew that I needed to get some pictures of this event. I also called a friend, David Lorenz Winston, a photographer, who I knew would be very interested in this also. When I returned to the spot where the group had been planting flags, they were engaged in a prayer circle. And when they had finished they confirmed my thought that this was indeedabout the dead in Iraq. They had planted 120,000 white flags and 800 red ones, representing representing only a small percentage of the total dead. While I was taking pictures, my friend David was taking some a block away. It is him with his back to me in one of the photos I took. This is a powerful reminder of what continues to go on in Iraq, so let's don't forget.

Ashland Springs Hotel at Dusk

This weekend the local gallery association holds it's annual celebration called "A Taste of Ashland". Local wineries, restaurants and galleries are paired up to show off the local culture and to kick off the summer season, although this year it seems winter refuses to let go. The weekend begins with a gala fundraiser, held last night, which features a 1 hour painting and drawing frenzy called a quickdraw. Afterwards, all the pieces are auctioned off to raise money for the association. This painting is my effort from last night's event. It is 16"x20" and the view is looking up through a skylight at the hotel.

At this point in this painting, I chose to add some heavy paint with a palette knife and also to add some brighter colors. Up until this time , the paint was a little thin and needed to be beefed up. I'm still not sure about the background, so maybe I'll try something new next week. I noticed That I had lost some of the softness in her face, especially around the mouth. I'll also check that the next time we meet. Still a lot to do.

This painting is in the final stages of completion, with just some glazing and a few extra touches to be done. The family came to see it a few days ago and gave me the go ahead to finish. Although I was confident with the result that I had achieved, I just didn't know until the clients had voiced their opinion.

Well, here's the next installment of " The Pearltrader" painting. Due to illness, we've both been unable to stick with any kind of schedule. I'm hoping with the warmer weather we'll all stay healthy so that we can make some steady progress on the painting. But you never fight a delay, they always happen for a good reason. Don't they?