meanwhile

I noticed on my stats page

 that this blog is close to flat-lining.

I am still here, painting away.

And always sketching.

I know... it would help to post.

eventually

Update.

Not only did the trip home 

from YouCan'tGetHereFromThere last forever,

it made us sick. 

A gnarly bug, incubated for those untold hours on the plane,

gave us weeks of explosive sneezing and rumbling coughs.

Ack.

Just to prove anything at all is moving here,

we've finally gotten the garden in.  Mostly.

  I like to wait until it's at least 90 billion degrees out,

 don't you?

In other news... 

I have this sketch awaiting on a 2' canvas,

and though I've actually put some paint on the beast, 

I think I'll let 'er git along some before the unveiling.

Yeah, yeah.

 Both the garden and the painting will get done.

Eventually.

freud at forty

I sketched this portrait of Lucien Freud at forty

from a photo in VF.

What a guy.

lollipop

It all started with a fresh white sheet of Rives BFK.

I used a rag, a big brush and my elbow

to spread color everywhere.

Looked at it for a while from every direction.

Kept looking.

Eventually, an image appeared.

Once it did, I knew it was there for good. 

I did an idle sketch of what I saw.

Then I drew it on the BFK.

I liked everything about it,

 except, egads! 

This guy has a head like a lollipop!

And just look at that poor dog... 

no doubt checking for exits.

Me, too.

The guy in the sketch is moderately funny-looking,

in a goofy character-y kind-of-way,

but that fathead in the painting is a total sucker.

So far, I think there might be enough to this painting

to make it worth saving.
 But the outline was a mistake;
I should've worked with masses.

I sometimes wish there were such a thing as

 someone who'd swoop in with

  some good advice, maybe a nice glass of wine

and another fresh sheet of Rives.

Put me and The Sucker out of our misery.

The dog can stay.

Wish, wish, wish.