The Commisioner 2016-W01

New year, clean slate. With this post, I'm batting 1000 on posting every week in 2016. We shall see if I can maintain a perfect record, as I have done in years past. Let's get started!

When I was a lad, I loved watching the iconic Batman (as portrayed by Adam West) with my dad. And sure, it would be nice to live in stately Wayne Manor, but I always thought Commissioner Gordon held the job worth having. He had nice suits and a pretty fancy office, and yet his job seemed to consist mostly of pushing the button on the bat phone and clucking at/with Police Chief O'Hara. I bet that do-nothing job comes with a pretty sweet paycheck attached, and what a title: The Commissioner. No further information available... or needed, evidently.

Speaking of commissions, I don't actively seek painting commissions but I generally accept them when asked. A work colleague faced with the task of getting a nifty gift for his first wedding anniversary, the dreaded "paper", adroitly noticed that most watercolors are painted on paper and thus would be suitable.

Oddly, when I accepted the commission I expected to be painting the happy couple. Portraits are mostly what I do and show. When the reference photo hit my inbox, surprise! Basically a landscape, backlit and some other art challenges. But what good is an artistic license if you don't wield it as needed? So after a consult with the client, I got to painting.

The result was a little tighter than I would wish. It seems that "commission nerves" still can inhibit me somewhat, but in the end we got a good result. The image coincides roughly with the time of a certain question popping, and of course we know how she answered. I'm told that on receipt of the gift, the bride cried... so mission accomplished! Please join me in wishing them many happy anniversaries to come, and thank you for stopping by.

As One

Substitution 2015-W48

Technically today lies in week 49, and that's just the first item that isn't quite right in today's post. I decided to include this post's new painting in the Banshee series even though the subject is more "embodied" and less ethereal than a banshee ought to be.

Reason being, I painted it many weeks back, between Banshees I and II.  It was around the time a woman in Colorado was attacked and her living baby cut out of her womb. Horrifying. Then, today's Foxy Banshee (Laura Ashburn) characterized this horrible crime as an 'abortion'. Rilly? No wonder Laura looks so sheepish. Anyway, with that stupidity issuing forth from her piehole, Laura qualifies for the Banshee series even if stylistically she mismatches her painted sisters.

As it happens, I have another, more embodied Banshee in reserve for a future weekend where painting doesn't happen; unusually for a Foxy Banshee, this one has dark hair. So there's a clue if you fancy a game of "guess who". Meanwhile, enjoy today's Foxy Banshee and thanks for stopping by!

(Corporealized) Banshee III

Been a While 2015-W47

Though I was sure it was more like May, I'm confronted with proof that I haven't made a blog post since early March and nor have I painted much since then... but with pretty good reasons for most of the gap. We know April showers bring May flowers, and I'm happy to say that Old Red made his annual appearance. We know May flowers bring Pilgrims haha but I don't know if there's a rhyme for what June brings. All I can say is for me, June brought a substantial life change. I was back in school.

I started my career in IT before I graduated High School even, and was a software developer before eventually moving towards consulting and sales. But my tech skills were mired in a stale shrinking tech backwater so I decided to enroll in an intensive course in web development. Intense is a bit of an understatement. Since early June I saw only co-workers, fellow students, and the parade of humanity that rides the rails of our CTA. Working full time during the nine weeks of offsite prep work, I expected a break when full time classes started. No such luck. I think in five months I watched 12 hours of television and went on four social outings.

For now, I'll say not much else about school other than the workload was crazy and the technical challenges were nothing compared to the emotional hurdles. Glad to be done & now I'm putting my shoulder to the wheel of job searching. Very different nowadays, is that. So please wish me luck and meanwhile — as of last week — I'm back to painting and now today, blogging. You see, I visited my old Truman College painting classmates a couple weeks ago and they inspired me to get back to both! I'm on a new series, The Banshees. Which are Irish but we Scots have nearly the same creature.

Banshees shimmer into existence and they wail and they shriek. Obviously not a portend of good, but more typically of death and misfortune. In our time, some corporation seems to give airtime to, or employ, no shortage of foxy Banshees — on whom we can rely to open their pie holes and wail some sort of nonsense. Like the Irish model, foxy Banshees tend to pale hair and they utterly lack real substance. Series inspiration Koch's Banshee today is joined by my newest: You-tuber Megan Fox, who should not be confused with the hot version. As I recall, the Tuber opens her pie hole to deny evolution. I'll wryly observe that many science deniers seem to accept science just fine when they need medical attention.

On that note, as I look out today on our slushy first snowfall, I'm glad to be back. I plan to post more dependably and maybe I'll score 52 in 2016. Thanks for stopping by and I hope this finds you well, too. Enjoy!

Banshee II

Puppy Love 2015-W10

First things first, I'm happy to say that my friends at Salon deWinchester have two new posts that you should please check out. Their lazy blogmaster finally got off his rump. A handy Awesome Link to that blog is located on this page.

Secondly, I and the Salon share the same lazy blogmaster. Who is a/k/a me myself. And we usually share the same David painting, too, but not today. I have a study I painted this morning posted over there.

Meanwhile, I figured I'd better get the item below posted before it made no sense. Knowing it were painted on a wintry Valentine's Day gives it a contextual boost. Three weeks later, we find ourselves in early spring and shocked at how hot it is...  nearly 50 degrees. No kidding, it actually feels "hot" out. But if that reads like a complaint, t'ain't.

Next week, I hope to have a more thoughtful essay to go with the painting but for new just enjoy another Olive and do visit Salon deWinchester, s'il vous plaît.

Olive III

Don't Call This Caterer 2015-W09

Fox News employs no shortage of people who can be divided into two base groups: idiots and crazys, although many are able to switch hit should a rebalancing become necessary after one factors in the "guests".

Wasting no time this year, the crazy idiots at Fox n Friends decide to kickstart 2015 by admonishing the women of America they should better cater to their menfolk. Listen up, ladies: more foot rubs. This gem and others apparently originate from a new book of dating advice for women. Surprise, written by men. We do know what we like...

The bizarre segment featured today's subject, Ainsley Earhardt. She testified her resolve to do more for her man. If I were him I'd be in a little panic as to what she might be cooking up behind those overpainted eyes and gigantic gnashers. Good luck, pally!

Fox Crazy Blonde NOS

Bark Bark Bark 2015-W06

Wellity well well well...  seems to me like I last blogged a few weeks ago. But according to mathematics, turns out to be nearer to 8 weeks.

And boy have I been hearing about it. Beginning last weekend I got emails, texts, and to-my-face "ahems" as to what's up with not blogging. How nice is that, to be missed out of someone's day/week/month?

Also fascinating: these where's your blog barkings sounded in roughly the same amount of time elapsed since my last posting. Could be an important social or behavioral sciences research project there. I leave it to those scientists to decide.

Back in mid-December I made a truly horrible first effort using gouache, so maybe the shame of that combined with the holiday rush and post holiday recovery conspired to delay all posting. Maybe not. Maybe I just needed a short break. We'll never know, but I'm finally digging out. Much like last weekend with all the snow.

2014 saw me paint several variations of a Bad Kitty. As I much prefer dogs over cats, I felt the pooches were short changed, so let's fix that. You have seen today's subject, Olive Puccio, previously on August 8th. That's when I announced the blog posting time was moving to Saturdays circa 5pm. The observant among you will notice that this post is going up on Sunday morning. That's because I had a much needed, awesome 3 hour nap on Saturday. Thanks noisy girls upstairs. But back to Olive, I think she will feature in some more studies while I stretch my painting legs and get back into my art groove.

Along with Olive variations I have a couple pent up portraits I feel ready to tackle. A book about how to approach Abstract painting lies atop my bedtime reading stack so we'll see if that long awaited foray into non-representational painting gets any traction in 2015. Meanwhile, here is the adorable Olive. Enjoy, and I'm glad to be back!

Olive II

Lazy Boy 2014-W49

It's true that lately I've been thinking about replacing a piece of furniture in my living room with a La-Z-Boy type recliner, but I think my title was more a commentary on how I've become lax with posting my blog. Chiefly because I haven't been painting as I should. Partly busy, partly lazy. So as 2014 dwindles down, I will plan to redouble my efforts in the New Year.

In this and prior year's resolutions, I recall also having mentioned exploring abstract painting and although I don't think today's painting exactly qualifies, it is at least a nod in that direction. And it most definitely was an abstraction since there was no underdrawing... I just painted as I went. So it won't win any prizes for composition but the color is nice and in any case it's much better than a big sheet of nothing.

Hope your holiday season is off on the good foot, that you're on top of your errands and scored some good bargains. Please take a moment tomorrow to remember Pearl Harbor day and the many Americans who gave their lives in serve to our country. Peace.

Abstraction of Clivia