Quiet Evening

A quiet evening is what I enjoy most these days. Watching Henry breathing, dreaming of catching a rabbit or a squirrel. Henry is my dog who just hates going out to do his business. “Too damn cold,” his eyes tell me. Invariably he will catch his lead on a chunk of ice and I'll have to go out and get him free. If I do not tie him on, he'll wander off.

I dream of Spring theses days and Spring colors. I doze off and miss the ending of a two hour mystery. Henry looks up at me, he needs a scratching and a treat before settling in for the night in his doggy bed. Takes him a good ten minutes to get his blanket just so. When he is finished and settles in, the blanket it is pretty much as it was when he first began scratch at it and pushing it around with his snout. He stares at me. The message?Go to bed so he can sleep. At 3:00 AM he'll tug at my blanket wanting to go out again.

Henry has made it into several of my paintings, laying on Jordan's lap or staring at Kim reading. In his own way he inspires me. The moon at 3:00 AM is quite beautiful, even when it's 20 below zero out and Henry still hasn't found the perfect spot for his gift to nature.

Back in my warm bed I dream about painting a night scene with a bright pale moon shining through my neighbor's tree. Inspiration is always there for artist if they are willing to look.

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The Colors on My Palette

Leslie is a tiny town in north central Arkansas. 415 people living on 487 acres. A Main Street about two, maybe three blocks long. I was only there for three days and most of that time I was visiting friends of Jordans, who is the lady in most of my recent paintings. Her daughter, Josephine, has squeezed her way into my heart and onto several of my canvases. Adrienne is another citizen of Leslie. I met Adrienne through Jordan over pizza. Got to read some of Adrienne's writings, which she is quite good at. She is also my editor for my blogs and newsletters. I write them - Adrienne makes them readable. My English teacher in high school said I wrote the longest sentences he'd ever read. He said I could have had A's a few times had my spelling been better and if I’d not been so skimpy with the use of periods and comas... 

Besides fixing my writing, Adrienne inspires me in other ways. Adrienne and Jordan have told me about life in Leslie and what it was like growing up there. These glimpses into their life adds color to the paintings I do. Just finished one I call “Brad's Road.” A scene from my head that Jordan put there with her tales of Leslie. Texting back and forth with these two ladies I form paintings in my head. Jordan, posing here in my studio, tells me about people in Leslie while I doodle a scene that may or may not become a painting. Her little story, whether it becomes a painting or not, still colors my work. I often think of Jordan's mom and dad while painting a scene with her in it. They did an amazing job bringing her up and now it's Jordan's turn to raise Josephine.

I draw from her life, other’s lives, and my own, from memories my parents gave me. The good people around me are like nuggets of gold to me, they are the colors on my palette.