Christmas evening…

The Christmas holiday is almost over.  In 1 1/2 hours  CST, Christmas 2010 will be a memory. I've done many various Santa bookings, all corporate, this season. I did get a couple of requests for private home visits on Christmas eve and Christmas day. I chose not to do Christmas eve. This was the first time in at least 20 years I didn't work the evening before Christmas. I never do Santa on Christmas day. The last booking I did was 3 days at Mid-Continent airport in Wichita. My daughter, Shannon was my elf for many years at the airport and other places. She retired from "elfing" several years ago.

One party I went to I was asked to pose with a "truck with Christmas lights." As you can see, this was quite a vehicle! The owner said he found out the hard way it was illegal to drive it with all these lights on, OUCH! That would be a great way to advertise Santa.

 I sold another ACEO painting last night and was able to paint another picture this past week. I hope to get it on my blog this coming week. My goal is 2 or 3 paintings a week. With the holidays about over, that will be a goal closer to achieving.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas season and has focused on the true "reason for the season", the birth of our Savior,  Jesus Christ. I also pray that all will have a wonderful new year.

Two Firefighters

Two Firefighters

These firefighters must be "feeling the heat" as the glow of the fire surrounds them with a halo.

Size: 5" x 7" x 1 1/4" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted. This picture is sold and is already hanging in a home.

This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time. I hope you enjoy viewing them.

Nearer My God

Nearer My God

Nearer My God - Closeup

This painting, along with a couple of others are somewhat of  a departure for me.  I made a  3/4" plywood background. I then cut the shapes and glued them to the board. I used gel medium and modeling paste for background texture. Then I painted and finished the pictures. The shadow box frames are 1 1/2" deep.

Size: 8" x 16" x 1 1/2" Wood under acrylic, shadow box with all sides painted. Picture is sold and already hanging in a home.

This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time. I hope you enjoy viewing them.

Ben's Guitar

Ben's Guitar

This painting, along with a couple of others are somewhat of  a departure for me.  I made a  3/4" plywood background. I then cut the shapes and glued them to the board. I used gel medium and modeling paste for background texture. Then I painted and finished the pictures. The shadow box frames are 1 1/2" deep.

Size: 8" x 16" x 1 1/2" Wood under acrylic, shadow box with all sides painted. Picture is sold and already hanging in a home.

This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time. I hope you enjoy viewing them.         

Kaleb's Guitar

Kaleb's Guitar

Kaleb's Guitar Closeup

This painting, along with a couple of others are somewhat of  a departure for me.  I made a  3/4" plywood background. I then cut the shapes and glued them to the board. I used gel medium and modeling paste for background texture. Then I painted and finished the pictures. The shadow box frames are 1 1/2" deep.
Size: 8" x 16" x 1 1/2" Wood under acrylic, shadow box with all sides painted. Picture is sold and already hanging in a home.

This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time.  I hope you enjoy viewing them.         

Flirting Frogs

Flirting Frogs

There is a Christmas Song the says "romance can blossom any old time…" It looks like it can blossom at any old place too! The pond with a couple of lilly pads is enough to get these "Flirting Frogs" in the romantic mood. This picture was painted for a young lady who just loves frogs.

Size: 10" x 12" x 1" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted. Picture is sold and already hanging in a home.

This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time. I hope you enjoy viewing them. 

Fast Ball!

Fast Ball!

What fun a baseball game is! It really doesn't matter if it is Big League or Bitty Ball, there is no better way to spend a summer afternoon or evening than a the "'ol ball game."

Size: 8" x 12" x 1" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted. Picture is sold and is already hanging in a home.

This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time. I hope you enjoy viewing them. 

Teddy For Breeze

Teddy For Breeze

Four year old Breeze is described by mom as a "girly-girl." Mom says "She would spend all day in high heels if I would let her!" The teddy bear is a perfect fit for Breeze's room.

Size: 5" x 7" x 1 1/4" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted. This picture is not for sale and is already hanging in a home.

This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time. I hope you enjoy viewing them.         

Teddy For Breeze Painted Edge

Sorry!

Sorry!

What more can I say than Sorry! Here is a close up of a favorite table game.

Size: 5" x 7" x 1 1/4" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted. Picture is sold and is hanging in its permanent home.

This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time. I hope you enjoy viewing them.         

Farm and Generic John Deere

Farm and Generic John Deer

 I have stated before, I am not a farmer. Many of my wife's relatives are tho'.  So if I paint tractor and its green, it may not look like a John Deere tractor to a farmer,  but in my mind's eye, it is!

Size: 5" x 7" x 1 1/4" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted.  Picture is sold and is already hanging in a home.

This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time. I hope you enjoy viewing them.         

The Christmas Tree Truck

The Christmas Tree Truck

We have all seen these beautiful trucks haulin' down the road. They probably are not hauling Christmas trees, but they are lit up like Christmas trees.

Size: 5" x 7" x 1 1/4" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted. Picture is sold and is hanging in its permanent home.




This is a part of a group of special order paintings I have been working on for some time. I will be posting them as I have time. I hope you enjoy viewing them.        

Painting continues around edges

Intensity!

A study of a firefighter pulling hose line off a pumper. Much intensity and concentration is needed as they fight this ever expanding multi-alarm fire.


Size: 15" x 20" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted black, Ready to hang.





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Changing Times

The computer has completely changed our lives!

Size: 15" x 20" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted black,  Ready to hang.

Price: $150.00          Shipping: $12.00

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The Message

 

Size: 15" x 20" Acrylic, Gallery wrap with edges painted black,  Ready to hang.

Price: $175.00          Shipping: $12.00

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Wild Fire On First St. ACEO Original painting

Though the winds were thirty gusting to forty miles per hour, he decided to burn Christmas wrapping in his trash barrel anyway. This fire covered a mile in a very short period of time!

Price: $18.00          Shipping: $2.00

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Road to Elbing 2 ACEO

One of the most beautiful roads to travel is the eight miles from our house to my wife's work in tiny Elbing (population: 275). This is the second of an upcoming series.

Price: $19.50        Shipping: $2.00

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Road to Elbing ACEO

One of the most beautiful roads to travel is the eight miles from our house to my wife's work in tiny Elbing (population: 275).


Price: $19.50     Shipping: $2.00


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Round Bales ACEO

A field of round hay bales resting in the warm Kansas Sun. I love living in the midwest, its always so much fun!


Price $15.00     Shipping: $2.00


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The Farm and Art Market ACEO

Farm and art markets are a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

Price: $10.00     Shipping: $2.00

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Sur-Real City ACEO Original art card

Sur-Real City

Sometimes its fun to paint something a little different. There is a moment from my past within this ACEO painting. Note the little yellow house with its green roof. When I started studying art privately, my teacher had her studio in this house in downtown Wichita. When they tore the house down, she moved to the third floor of a building two blocks south. She had a huge studio and gallery there. Quite an improvement!

Price: $12.00     Shipping: $ $2.00

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Time to Start Painting!

                 

Me as Santa

The majority of my new canvases (about 30) are ready for paint.  I have a couple of paintings I have been finishing and I have several orders for paintings pending for Christmas…CHRISTMAS??? Is it that time already??? I also have a Several Santa Claus bookings for regular customers coming up as well. It may become a very busy time; ho, ho, ho!

Primed Professional Artist's Canvas

Stretcher Bars

Finished Canvases Ready for Paint!

Stretching Canvas and Stapling

Making stretcher bars for canvas

I have not painted much for the last several weeks. I had some shelves I decided to repurpose into the stretcher bars for canvas seen below. I had to sand off the white paint,  rip the wood the size I needed and shape the wood for the canvas. I am presently cutting canvas to the various sizes I need then I will secure it to the stretcher bars. That's for another blog. I do a couple of larger paintings almost finished and several ACEO art cards I will be adding soon. Check back often!

Sawing to length

Cutting 45 degree miters

Stacked and ready for mitered corners

Gluing the corners

Band clamp insures square corners

Staples added on both sides

Finished Stretcher Bars! 

Richard's 'Ol Rusty Truck

My friend Richard has quite a collection of old, classic, and vintage cars. Here is the first  ACEO I painted of his 19?? truck. Though he told me, I don't remember the age or make of it. 


This truck sits in a very wooded area of the property. This makes the painting kind of dark, but it looks much like this. 


Please see the description of ACEO art cards in the right column of this blog.


Price: $24.00     Shipping: Free


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Richard's 'Ol Rusty Truck 2

My friend Richard has quite a collection of old, classic, and vintage cars. Here is an ACEO of his 19?? truck. He told me, but I don't remember the age or make. It sits beside a huge barn illustrated in the painting "Richard's Barn." For this second version of Richard's 'Ol Rusty Truck, I decided to "move it" about 150 feet into the sun light next to a smaller old garage in Richard's yard. It sure was a lot easier to move it with my paint brush than to try to push it!

Please see the description of ACEO art cards in the right column of this blog.

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"Reflection"

This is a somewhat modified view looking across our road. The moon was beautiful that night as I gazed at it through the clouds. I try to create a feeling of awe of God's world. The reflection this painting was named for is not the reflection on the field. See if you can find it!

Size: 10" x 8" Gallery Wrap - Edges painted black (needs no frame) Ready to hang.

Price: $75.00     Shipping: $5.50

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"Midwest Skyscraper" Original ACEO Miniature Painting

Price: $19.50     Shipping $2.00


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"Moon Over the Ravine" ACEO Miniature Painting

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"July in Kansas!"

July in Kansas! Around here the wheat has usually ripened by the end of June and the first part of July. My wife, who grew up on a farm, said they often celebrated Independence Day harvesting. Growing up in the city, my farm experience and knowledge is limited to what I learn from in-laws and my wife’s extended family. Most of which were or are farmers. We now live in the country, where our 3 acres are surrounded by farms. We watch the farmers harvest late into the night. Or they race to get done before the storm and possible hail hits. This weather would either soak the ground so they can’t get the combines in or the hail would just totally destroy the crop by beating it flat. I empathize with them as I watch them try to make quick repairs on a combine broken down in the field. An overheated bearing can cause a fire that not only burns up a quarter million dollar combine, but a year’s worth of crop and farmer’s income.

I have great respect for the farmer and their family. It's a hard business I would not want to be in. I sure am glad they are.

Size: 10 1/8" x 20" Gallery Wrap - Edges painted as part of the picture (needs no frame) Ready to hang.


Price: $125.00     Shipping: $5.50

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"Cooling the Alcohol"

The Vinegar Works was a huge building. It was wood frame 3 stories high and a block long. It ran along the railroad tracks. Of course, they made vinegar. About noon on a hot summer day, I noticed a huge column of smoke. It was far to the North and I knew we would not make that alarm. However after the multi-alarm fire had destroyed the building, they called for firefighters to relieve those worn out from the initial alarm. I volunteered to go. You can see what I wound up doing. A huge wooden vat of alcohol, about 12 ft across and about 15 ft tall, was sitting right in the middle of the smoldering embers. The vat was also smoldering. I spent the rest of the afternoon keeping it cool.


Size: 10" x 8" Gallery Wrap edges painted. It needs no frame. Picture is wired and ready to hang. Perfect for Dad's workshop, den, family room or child's room.


This is an original hand painted acrylic on hand-stretched, double primed canvas over hand-built stretcher bars. This picture is protected with a minimum of two coats of UV resistant  high gloss varnish.

Price: $75.00     Shipping: $5.50

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Uncle Herbie' Sunset

“Uncle Herbie’s Sunset” is dedicated to my wife’s 82 year old uncle. He was killed in a truck/train collision in August 2010. The night before the funeral there was a gathering of family and friends at the church. After it was over and we were leaving, the sun was just completing it’s work. The sky had a glow like none of us had ever seen before. The next day at the funeral, the pastor spoke about the beauty of that sunset in his message. I, in my simple way, have tried to put on canvas what is in my heart and mind's eye. I don’t think any artist could come close to matching what our “master artist” created that night.

Price: $20.00     Shipping:$20.00

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"Lighting the Night"

This picture is based on a compilation of several store front fires. Note the firefighters on the right dragging in another hose line to assist. This colorful painting would add a bit of excitement in a den, library, a son, or grandson's room.

This is an original hand painted acrylic on hand-stretched, double primed canvas over commercial stretcher bars. This picture is protected with a minimum of two coats of UV high gloss varnish.

Size: 14" x 18" Frame Wrapped is ready for your frame. Wired for hanging.

Price: $125.00     Shipping $5.50

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"New Potatoes, Tomatoes and an Onion"

There is nothing better than a helping of new potatoes especially when fried with butter and chopped onion. Slice some tomatoes, add a burger and you've got an instant summer meal!

This is an original hand painted acrylic on hand-stretched, double primed canvas over hand-built stretcher bars. This picture is protected with a minimum of two coats of UV high gloss varnish.

Size: 10" x 8" Gallery Wrap (needs no frame) Ready to hang.

Price: $100.00     Shipping: $5.50

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"Fire on Old Lawrence Road"

This is the fire that really started my firefighting days. I had been on the job for several weeks. We had made calls for trash trucks, cars, and structures which were usually out by the time we arrived. I was beginning to get a little nervous waiting for that first "working" fire in which we were first crew on the scene. We rode the tailboard in those days. My partners were pointing to the smoke for my sake as if to say, “This is it! Here's your first fire!” There will be more paintings to come showing the actual fire. So stay tuned! A great picture for your recreation room, den, son or grandson's or daughter's room if they are fire buffs.

This is an original hand painted acrylic on hand-stretched, double primed canvas over hand-built stretcher bars. This picture is protected with a minimum of two coats of UV high gloss varnish.

Size: 10" x 8" Gallery Wrap (needs no frame) Ready to hang.

Price: $89.00     Shipping: $5.50

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"Ventilation!"

We were called to assist another volunteer department in a community about fifteen miles away. The house, a beautiful old stone house, was saved. There was a wood frame addition on the back. We took turns cutting through the roof. This was my view while holding the ladder for my partner. (Note my gloves on the beams of the ladder.) He had just opened the hole to let out the smoke and heat. It was a stubborn fire in a house with lots of nooks and crannies that  the fire would sneak into! It was started by someone cooking meth. More views to come, so stay tuned!

This is an original hand painted acrylic on hand-stretched, double primed canvas over hand-made stretcher bars. This picture is protected with a minimum of two coats of UV high gloss varnish.

Size: 10" x 14" Gallery Wrap (needs no frame) Ready to hang.

Price:$125.00     Shipping: $5.50        Purchase