Windbreak oil on canvas 40x30 inches
The two weeks between the debate and the assassination attempt were really tough on my mental health. I felt adrenaline in my system daily as it seemed I was just waiting for slaughter in the fall election.We saw profound confusion in President Biden during the debate and that is not right for the most powerful office in the world. Both my parents had some dementia in their last years though it came and went. I believed Biden had to withdraw or he would be the primary issue throughout the campaign. Friends, family, AOC and Bernie Sanders disagreed. Thank God for Nancy Pelosi!! Again! Seriously, what a warrior! She could tell that the gains of the last 15 years were about to be wiped out. Her legacy along with Bidens' and Obamas' Again, it wasn`t that Trump gained votes from the disastrous debate, it was that so many would be discouraged and wouldn`t vote at all. The cult of the Republican Party would sweep congress and the presidency and further embolden a radical supreme court. At least now I have hope. Now we can stop what seemed inevitable after the bullet missed its target. Their convention was like the second coming of Christ and all I could feel was doom. We cannot let that happen. Trump should never be president again.
I believe the marvelous upwelling of support for Kamala Harris began in utter relief. We will see if she has the character and imagination to meet this moment [looks promising!] and advocate for a future we want to live in.
I`m curious to hear what the [likely] Madame President has to say.
When I was 18 I had a semester of art school in Mendocino Calif. The school was really oriented more towards crafts but I wanted to be there because of the extraordinary setting. My dorm room was adjacent to an immense meadow that ended at the headlands overlooking the ocean. Also at the edge was the local high school. A double row of Monterey Cypress had been planted at the western side of their football field to act as a windbreak. I would climb into the tree at the start of the row and look down the tunnel or out to the sea. It was truly awesome. The painting above was an attempt to paint those trees from a 52 year old memory. The painting below is a small egg tempera of my perch up in the tree that I did at the time.
Below are new watercolors painted on location then cleaned up in my studio;
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And this painting inspired by the local streams;
I love David Shrigley. I think his work would be called conceptual art. It`s his goofy humanity for me. Look at this wonderful video interview. Such a lovely man.
The second annual Lake Oswego Open Studios will happen this year at the end of September. For those who don`t know what this is about, an open studios tour is a self guided visit to dozens of artists studios open that weekend for guests. By looking through the website, you can decide which artists you`d like to visit. I was a founding member of the board and though I am no longer, I love and support this introduction of artists to the community. It`s fun!
For many years I participated in the Portland version and realized there were enough artists in Lake Oswego to do our own. So we did. This may be the last year I do this however, it depends. No matter how prepared I am or how successful the event proves to be, there is always an emotional whiplash I don`t understand and it takes too long to work through it. Solitude really is best for creating.
click HERE for work for sale in my studio
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