cherry pie

I've painted a lot of black women.

There were no models, so I depended on my imagination.

As these women appeared, I grew to love them like sistahs.

They were very good company.

There are several more of them, but

Cherry Pie here pushed to the front of the line.

anything's possible

I don't even remember when I painted this. I do know that it was totally different (even upside-down I think). I decided I had nothing to lose but pride and painted over it. Losing the attachment often saves the day.

I keep it around to remind me that anything's possible.

ghost dog

This painting came out of, well, I won't say nowhere. But I can say that this one came out of itself. That highlight in the eye showed up while I reloaded my brush; I saw it just in time to stop painting. To be honest, I'm afraid knowing when to stop doesn't happen nearly as often as it coulda/woulda/shouda, but when it does, it's a real thrill. It's as good as making the right mark.

Though I swear there is no velvet Elvis in my past, sometimes I like to mix color with a metallic iridescent. In this case, yellow oxide and some sienna with metallic gold. The resulting light shift gives it some life, some movement. And makes it almost impossible to photograph. "Almost" means I'm still trying.

Sounds like life.