Close Encounters

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I have long admired the work of Chuck Close. I think it is the mark of genius when an artist invents a whole new way of seeing.
My friend Mary and I did  a gallery crawl in Chelsea the other day and wound up at the Pace print gallery. There, against the wall in a storage area was a big serigraph Chuck Close self portrait. Absolutely mezmerizing.
I came home, pulled out my book of his work to savor them once again, and decided to have a little fun with it. Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.

Henbit and Buttercup Field

I particularly enjoy the fields along the roadside as I travel back and forth to North Carolina in the spring before the crops are planted. There is such a beautiful mix of complementary colors. There is the purple carpeting of a weed called henbit juxtaposed against the bright yellow buttercups. Woven through these are vibrant patches of green spring grass. Up close to the road, lining the ditches, is vegetation still wearing the rusty reds and oranges of winter sleep. Such a simple landscape, but rich in coloring.

Pop Cap & Pop Art XIII

Revisiting another iconic Jasper Johns work with my soda bottle caps. It's not easy to try to recreate the depth and layering of his color in oils when I'm trying to do it alla prima.

Pixie Caps

These are from the live oak tree right beside my deck in NC. They are tiny versions of the acorn caps that one finds on oak trees in New York. When I was little, my mother used to tell me that the caps were separated from their acorn nuts by pixies who lived in the woods so they could wear them as hats on their pixie jaunts. (I'm sure we're not the only kids who were told such things.) I used to draw little faces on my fingers and pop an acorn cap on each...instant finger puppet show.

Merry Top

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I remember my younger brother having one of these as a kid. I loved to make it spin for him and he would just laugh and laugh. I found this one at my neighbor Dan's yard sale. It brought back so many memories, I just had to paint it.

Mr. Tinkerton Contemplates Miro

Here's Mr. Tinkerton again. This time he is enthralled by Joan Miro's "Seated Woman". She is definitely his kind of gal!

I Loves My Meeses to Pieces II

This trio of Sophie's felt mice seems to be holding up pretty well. They seem to be holding a strategy session.