Why I Love Bloggers...And Portland

Beta-carotene has sent me this link about the bike pile that I photoed in Portland this week.

Exactly one minute later (according to my inbox) Iron Fist sent me this link about the bike pile.

It's the same site they both link to, but they have different photos on them.

This is sort of public art by a group called ZooBombers.

Thank you both very much. You guys are awesome!

The more I learn about Portland the more I like it.

I Had No Idea...

Thank you to Stacy. She sent me this link about the Horse project in Portland.

I thought it was just a random horse. I had never heard of the horse rings or the project.

I like it even more now.

Spare Time...

There is only twenty more days before "Quick Draw". So far I have only painted one practice piece. I have managed to paint a few others though.

"Untitled" 8 x 24 inch oil on canvas.

"Untitled" three panel, 8 x 24 each, oil on canvas.

"Birch No 3" 18 x 24 inch oil on canvas

I have been re-working a couple of other works.

I have decided to paint over the bottom three panels of this work. I will be keeping just this one. I like the way this looks by itself.

I have added a few layers to this painting. I have decided that it's done. The photos aren't the best, but I'm pleased with it.

*****

Yesterday we closed the gallery and went to Portland. These trips are usually last minute. It's more for our sanity and need for a little bit of culture. We stopped at a street vendor and ate Gyros. I love Greek food, and street vendors. It's a perfect combo.

This is Precious and Mr. Man from the fifth floor of the parking garage. Every time we visit Portland (or anywhere else) we have to ride the trains. That's what we were waiting for here.

These two photos were just too funny. I love seeing things like this. I make up all kinds of stories as to what they are and why they are there.

"Mustang Parking"
This little horse was about four inches tall and chained to the sidewalk. Why you ask?
Because if you leave your horse unchained it wanders off or someone takes it. Duh

This could only be one of two things.
Of course I have no idea what either of those things are but it could be only one of them.

On The Easel...

This is what I've been working on this week. My favorite thing to paint and photograph. Naked women. Shocker, I know. This piece is four panels, each 10 x 30 inches. I have been interested in the multi panel works. This painting still needs a few more layers and a few detail adjustments.
I was really liking the way it was coming...until I moved it and separated the panels.

Now that I have moved them apart, it's freaking me out. She is totally creepy with the panels a few inches apart. It's the top two panels. The gap between her nose and mouth is what ruins it for me. I like the lower three panels. That gap under her nose makes her face really creepy.
Precious said she was too "porn-ish" anyway. I can see what she means. I am using web porn girls for models. It's not easy to find a good model.

Ideally I would love to find one or two women that I could use all of the time. I want to have a uniform look to the female works. It would also help to have them in person once in while instead of just photos. This work is 10 x 30 inches, single panel. This is just the under painting. It has a long way to go.

Run Over By The Past...Part 4

It was April when Shelly's sister contacted me. It had been more than 9 years since we had heard from her. More than 7 years since Shelly had passed.

After I had told her what had happened, we cried for awhile. She asked me for the things of Shelly's that I had left. Something to remember her sister by.

It had been so long. I had mourned for her. I had moved on with my life. My thoughts of Shelly were limited to the best of times. No sense remembering the bad. It had ended long ago. She was dead and I had nothing more than my memories.

I was resentful that her sister had the nerve to ask me for Shelly's things. Where had she been all these years?

I have been thinking about it for almost six months now. Trying to put myself in her sisters place. I have had almost seven years to grieve, mourn and heal. For Shelly's sister, this all just happened. She just learned of Shelly's fate. To her Shelly has just passed.

There is no way I can imagine what her family has been through or is going through now. I have never lost a sibling. I have never been estranged from my sister.

For the last few months I have had a box of Shelly's things ready to ship. Going through what remained was much more difficult than I had imagined it would be. The past has a way of playing tricks on your memory. Emotions I had long forgotten were suddenly fresh in my mind.

I have finally put Shelly's things in a box. Her ashes were among those things. There has been many days that I have talked to those ashes. The way I should have spoken to her when she was here. I had a difficult time then. It has been difficult this time too.

I think the time has come for me to say goodbye. Maybe I can mend a few of the wounds from when she was alive. Maybe I can help her family heal. Their grieving has just begun.

The box is addressed to Shelly's sister. Most everything that still remains of her life. What remains of her. I'm sending her ashes.

Shelly will always be a part of me. She will always be a part of my life. I hope that Shelly's family can get past what ever problems they had. It's too late to do anything else.