Rear End Year View

Champ the wonder dog sits patiently awaiting the New Year to come through the door.  And feed him.

Wow, can you believe it's time once again to reminisce about the year gone by?  2012 was a year unlike any other. 

Not really.  But I heard that it's customary to say that about departing years.

It started the same way as every other year-- in January-- and progressed through the calendar in usual fashion.  I remember having a New Year's Resolution to achieve world-wide acclaim as an artist, and sell my work for millions of dollars.  I'm pretty close to achieving that goal, if you disregard the fact that I'm still totally anonymous as a painter, and my pictures are traded for Pokemon cards.  But I'm so close, I can smell it...


Looking back through my efforts in 2012, (pronounced Twenty-Twelve) I can see good times and good art, along with mediocre times and so-so art.  But isn't that why we look so eagerly to the coming year?  To start afresh?  To right the wrongs of the previous year?  To grow, and learn and finally achieve our potential? 

Or is it to breathe the same sigh of relief as when we narrowly miss having a car-accident?  You know, "Man-- I'm glad I made it through that!..."

So, allow me to skip through some memories; the sights and paintings of the year, and end the chapter of life that was 2012.


The year started with a trip to Hollywood with my daughter, Leigh.  We were participating in a show about ghosts called My Ghost Story.  I've blogged about it here.  The best part was getting to the Getty Museum with Tess, an old Air Force friend I hadn't seen in 30 years.  Fame is 15 minutes long.  Friends last a lifetime. 






Leigh at the Getty checking out a Medieval pop-up book.

Then it was back to work in Maine.  Here's some stuff from early in the year.





Morning Reflections



Birches-- I've never posted this one.



Appleton Hills

Then I finished up a big one;  After years of 12X16's and 14X18's, at 3ft high and 4 feet long, it was my largest painting to-date:

Horse Pull

Sometime in the Spring, I got interested in doing my pictures vertically.  Before, I always laid down to paint, but then I decided to stand up.  And that made my compositions become vertical, too.

Up River



Noon On The River

 

 

The two paintings above show the Eastern River, near my home in Pittston.  The painting on top depicts a lovely spot a short hike from my home.  Below that is a picture I did from the edge of my back yard.  It may not be great, but that one I did plein air. 

 

 

Below is one of many scenic spots in the Boothbay Botanical Gardens, in Boothbay, Maine.  

 

 

 

Garden Falls

 

 

Garden Falls, and Noon On The River where done plein air in anticipation of the summers plein air events.  At the height of this blisteringly hot summer I hit the road to New Hope, Pennsylvania to a paint-out hosted by the inimitable Howard Cooperman and his lovely bride, Edye.  Howard owns the Bucks County Gallery Of Fine Art, (where I have a few of these pieces hanging) and I couldn't wait to slap some paint with about 20 very admirable artists.

 

 

I found this painting along the river, and added some touches before the artist got back..

Wondering where I can get more punch.

 

 

On the way back, I had to stop in Stockbridge, Massachusetts to say hello to  my hero, Norman Rockwell:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's see.  On to Fall, and more surf and turf:

 

 

 

Sebasco, Maine views

 

 

Then I thought, "I know-- let's do portraits!"

 

 

Luke

 

Homecoming

But, you know, I also had some fun whipping out the old pencil--

From life

 



From a photo

And that brings us to my latest picture, and probably my last for this year.  It's called December Fields.  I've wanted to paint a picture of this house since the day I moved here.  I finally got around to it:

So, that's my year in paint and pencil.  I'm really looking forward to what lies in store for 2013. 


Anybody have any Pokemon cards left?


Have a Happy Holiday!


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