tropic topic

I'm signing up for a Google app which will make it possible to post on samartdog from my iPhone. Could be useful when we're in Hawaii. Or anywhere! We'll see...

3-legged landscape

Last week, I paraphrased Wolf Kahn:

"Paint a landscape because
no one will say you're crazy if you put three legs on it."

Here's my 3-legged landscape.

Boulder at dawn.

I also took a cue from Celeste Bergin
and worked over an old canvas,
a painting of 3-legged dog.
It seemed appropriate.
  

snowman

Four pretty inches of fresh snow today!

Not enough to build a snowman

but enough to paint one.

  

waiting

While you're waiting for me to post another painting,

I've been painting it. 

I've been taking Wolf Kahn's advice;

paint a landscape because
no one will say you're crazy if you put three legs on it.

Needless to say, I'm paraphrasing,
but not by much; it's close to a quote.
 He also says painting landscape gives us permission
to be free, to make a mess.
I'm taking him at his word.

I've also been waiting, waiting to go back to Hawaii.
In two weeks.
Yahoo!
Here's an iPhone daydream.

braggadocio

What a way to start the new year!
The Liebster Blog Award has been given to
samartdog by Reform School Art.

Liebster is a German word that translates as
favorite or dearest. 

The award originated in Germany

 and is intended to recognize up and coming bloggers.

 Those distinguished by this award have
fewer than 200 followers. 

In keeping with its pay-it-forward tradition, 

I have nominated the following five six blogs for the award.
To me, they qualify because of their art and/or humor.
Also, they are all damn interesting.

Art and Music
ByeByePie
Arting Around In SoVa
Maine-ly Painting

Brian Eppley Paintings
Sippican Cottage

I'm truly thankful that Patricia Kessler nominated me
 and especially to have been chosen by a blog called
Reform School Art.
(I just heard some of my former teachers roll over.)
How cool is that?!
Well, it's as cool as being defined as favorite or dearest. 
And to be called up and coming at my age?
I'll take it!
Then we get to
  fewer than 200 followers.
Uh-oh.
You should know that sometimes

 I have a hard time with the rules.

Some of my favorite blogs rack up huge numbers.
Small wonder, given how long they've been at this,
how world-class their art and/or blogs are,
or how prolific they are.

Then there are the rest of us.
We just might be too
busy,
lazy,
shy,
elitist
or celibate
to have enough followers to populate small towns.
Good news! We either make money doing what we love,
or we qualify for The Liebster!
Life is good.

seeing eye dog

Look me in the eye.

Wait...

I have been professionally accused of being indirect.

 Understatement.

This post is a sterling example; let me explain.

With a wild swing from obscurity to brick-upside-the-head,
this is a blind dog.

No doubt it would have worked better
if I had just said that to begin with.
"But what kind of art needs a written explanation?",
I asked myself.
(My apologies to any and all who tried to figure this out.
All three of you.)

endless

Back to the east pasture.

I find this place to be endlessly

fascinating?...

beautiful?...

endless?... 

This picture keeps catching my eye.

Props to my iPhone camera;

It continues to amaze me.

O Holy Dog

timing is everything

First day of Winter,

and right on time...

Two feet of it!

Seriously, folks... what's not to love?

winter life

At this time of year,

when the days are cold and short

 and the shadows are long,

the ranch quietly sustains its own way of life.

Wildlife silently crosses the land.

The horses live in their own society.

And while some cows are dying,
 others are calving.

In the presence of Winter,

life goes on.

dream dog

A dog's midwinter's night dream.

canal dog

Yeah, I'll wait here for you.

But I sure ain't pullin' your boat.

up from the pasture

Again, not a good photo, but I'm out of time.

And patience.

Resolution: fix camera setup. 

the devil's footprint

Recently, the dog and I were walking along the river

late one afternoon in a remote area of the ranch.

Dusk was quickly falling,

 and I knew we'd better head back down the canyon.

As we turned to go home, 

something on the ground caught my eye.

Tracks.

Animal tracks, I thought.

I leaned over to look closely and took some pictures.

These were like no tracks I had ever seen before.

Not cow.

Nor deer, nor elk.

Not even mountain goat.

They gave me the creeps, 

and we high-tailed it back home.

I can't find anything on Google, 

and until someone can tell me otherwise,

they look like the devil's footprint. 

brrrrr

It's cold enough to turn you to stone.

MY ball

100 things

100 things
I love about art:

1   CHOICE

2   COLOR

3   MUSIC

4   BRUSHSTROKES

5   MATISSE

6   RHYTHM

7   COURAGE

8   SOLITUDE

9   LIGHT

10   CONTRAST

11   PASTELS

12   WOLF KAHN

13   BLACK

14   MEMORIES

15   QUIRKS

16   INTUITION

17   LINE

18   DESIGN

19   SERENDIPITY

20   ANYSCAPE

21   SHADOW

22   ABSTRACTION

23   CLOUDS

24   GESTURE

25   ROCKS

   26   DAVID HOCKNEY

27   INSANITY

28   CREATION

29   ERASERS

30   LAND ART

31   PERSPECTIVE

32   SHAPES

33   MUSEUMS

34   METAPHORS

35   OUTSIDER ART

36   TURRELL'S CRATER

37   IMAGINATION

38   SWEET SPOTS

39   COLOR WHEELS

40   ACCIDENTS

41   ART BLOGS

42   ARTISTS 

43   SAMARTDOG

44   HUMOR

45   COSTUMES

46   SPECTRUM

47   DOGS

48   ORANGE

49   BLUE-VIOLET

50   LOADED BRUSHES

51   BRILLIANCE

52   DREAMS

53   TIMELESSNESS

54   THE RIGHT IDEA

55   STUDIOS

56   MARK ROTHKO

57   TURQUOISE

58   TREES

59   PASSION

60   MARK LEACH

61   LOOKING

62   BLANK CANVAS

63   WEATHER

64   ART CATALOGS

65   PEACE

66   ART HISTORY

67   VIEWS

68   STORYTELLING 

69   CHIAROSCURO

70   COMPOSITION

71   NEW CRAYONS

72   DISCOVERY

73   PHOTOS

74   PENCILS

75   ATMOSPHERE

76   EMILY CARR

77   COLLECTING

78   CAPTURE

79   VAN GOGH

80   NEW MEXICO

81   PATINA

82   GEHRY’S BILBAO

83   CHRISTO

84   POLLOCK iPHONE APP

85   FINDS ARTISTS

86   SHRINES

87   LOVE

88   COMPLEMENTS

89   VIBRATION

90   MIXING COLOR

91   INK

92   SUGGESTION

93   INDEPENDENCE

94   LEARNING

95   LOST EDGES

96   GAUGUIN

97   LOCAL LIGHT

98   PAINT

99   POSSIBILITIES

100   CHANGING MY MIND

I'm thankful for all of these things.

What's your 100?

more good news

Hey!

Did ya hear the good news?

Pizza is a vegetable!

sunflower

What if Van Gogh had had an app?

long live the king

King Alexander 

will never let petty bureaucrats get him down.

He's rebuilding his garden.

It's now bordered by a spiffy new sidewalk. 

Long live the king.

dog on wheels

I took this little guy off of the window sill in the studio,

 painted his portrait, took a bad picture of it

and posted it.  

So there you have it.

just cuz

Here's a cheerful little so-and-so.

Just cuz.

nothing is forever

On October 24th, I posted a story about 

Alexander's Garden.

Meanwhile, the City of Boulder has been

on a mission to rebuild all its sidewalks.

Hellbent, you might say. 

On our walk early yesterday morning, 

the dog and I headed over to see 

if the crews had gotten to Alexander's house yet.

They had. 

Garrett's nose points to what's left of that magic little garden.

The sign below was hung on the fence
in front of the house.

The display of rocks and shells and treasures,
 so carefully collected and artfully arranged by Alexander
was gone.
All scattered, dug up or buried,
along with the plants and sprinklers.

 

Nothing left but his hand-painted sign 

and his crown.

I turned and looked back,

hoping I had imagined the destruction.

I hadn't.

nice night

Tonight CU is hosting USC here in Boulder.

Live on ESPN. 

So the whole world will get to see us get creamed.

Or the whole world will get to see Boulder

on a really nice night.

I recommend the latter.

iPhone Pollock app painting

P.S. Yeah, we got creamed.  42 - 17

I hate football.

 I had a hometown overcoming, is all.

But, if you were ever inclined to watch any college football,

Saturday night (6pm MST),  #1 LSU plays #2 Alabama.

Now, that'll be some football!

No allegiance here, just maybe a little bet.

Har har. 

fall color

Here comes another snowstorm.

If I were a tree, I'd run away from home.

This is in honor of the last flash of color.