The daily dose of architecture ITALIA

From my stay in Bologna, two of the several buildings that surround the Piazza Maggiore:  watercolors, each 20x30".

These paintings are available in my gallery and on my website.  Prints are also available at this link.

The daily dose of architecture TWO OF MY FAVORITES

Looking back and selecting paintings that I'm most proud of is not only fun, but inspiring.  With several large architectural paintings currently in progress in the studio I find it helpful to remind myself of what I've done and work to see if I can improve on the past.

Union Station in DC  watercolor

Philadelphia Art Museum   watercolor

2-25-15 Penne pasta w mushrooms, leeks, and asparagus

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I wanted pasta tonight, and I wanted  to create my own dish using whatever I found in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS:

1, Penne pasta

2. Olive Oil

3. Leeks, thinly sliced crosswise and chopped fresh basil

3.Garlic finely chopped

4. Mushrooms, sliced

5. Asparagus cut into 1” pieces

6. Dry Vermouth

7 Heavy whipping cream

8. Pecans, crushed

9. Grana Padana cheese

PROCESS:

While waiting for the pasta water to boil, cook  the leeks, garlic, and mushrooms in the olive oil over moderate-high heat.  Add the asparagus about 5-7minutes later along with about a quarter cup of the wine, and cook uncovered until the wine is cooked off.  Add the Asparagus and lower the heat and cover.  A few minutes before the pasta is finished add about a quarter cup of the cream to the mushrooms and stir well.

Add the pasta to the sauce, mix well and sprinkle with the chopped nuts and top with grated cheese.

COMMENTS:

Patience and I gave this two thumbs up…something we should serve to dinner guests.

Note – forgot to mention the addition of basil (fresh or frozen) to the pan with the mushrooms and asparagus.

The daily dose of architecture MORE FRANK FURNESS

Here are two more simple, unadorned renderings of Furness' work in Philadelphia:

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art

Unitarian Church

The daily dose of architecture A FEED MILL IN ELMER NJ

This has to be one of the most fascinating commercial structures I've encountered.  Even in its curren abandoned state the marvelous texture, asymetry, and clutter is obvious.  Each side of this building is completely different from the others.  It has been the focus of my paintings on several occasions.

Pastel - ink

Mixed media

  

Pastel

The daily dose of architecture PHILADELPHIA MERCANTILE EXCHANGE

Designed by William Strickland and built in 1832, this Greek Revival structure anchors Philadelphia's Society Hill.  I love painting it, which I've done twice, as much as I do looking at it. 

Watercolor circa 1979-80

Watercolor 1986

The daily dose of ARCHITECTURE

The Wilmington Train Station designed by Frank Furness is always a joy to look at.

Wilmington Train Station  watercolor

Wilmington Train Station  watercolor

The daily dose of art DRAWING THROUGH LIFE

A life can be remembered in so many ways - I enjoy recalling moments and events stored in the drawings piled high in dusty portfolios throughout my studio.

A Porch on Van Buren Street

A long weekend retreat

ER "stuff"

The daily dose of art A SHRINKING LANDSCAPE

How low can I go?  Four by four is the smallest to date.  Somewhere in the studio I have one or two mini canvases even smaller, and if I can find them may try my hand at a mini mini.

Warm Landscape  6x6

Dunes  5x5

Moore's Place  4x4

The daily dose of art EIGHT X EIGHT

I think we will stick with the squares for a while, working our way down the scale, and then back up.
Today's fare looks at three eight by eight acrylic panels:

Autumn Field

Deep Purple

Fence Down

The daily dose of art TWELVE X TWELVE

Painting on a twelve inch square can be fun as well as challenging, especially if the intent in to portray something resembling a landscape.

PURPLE FIELD

UNTITLED

The daily dose of art LIGHT V. DARK II

The following pastels all share a common theme - a narrow/focal source of light illuminating the main subject of the painting.

Star light

In the Light

Moonshine

The daily dose of art LIGHT V. DARK

A theme I have repeatedly turned to in my paintings is the dramatic impact of light falling on a darkened background.  This can be seen in many of my acrylics on canvas or panel.  A variation of this is the narrowly defined ray of light, usually limited to works in pastel.

Today I've selected works on canvas.

Sunlight

Windows 17

Behind the Storm

The daily dose of art THE JOY OF OIL PASTELS

Several years ago I came across a box of oil pastels I purchased from the estate of a Wilmington illustrator some 30 years earlier.  On a whim, I decided to see what I could do with them, and the result was a series of paintings done on previously abandoned clay mono types.  For some reason, as pleased as I was with the results, I've never gone back to them.  Maybe some day.....

Purple on Purple

                          

 Distant Light  30x15

SW Series #2  12x12"

FOOD FOR THE SOUL AS WELL AS THE BODY

Now you can get good food for your soul as well as for your body at Paducah’s premiere grocery store, The Midtown Market.

HAVE I TOLD YOU TODAY THAT I LOVE YOU is richly illustrated with some of my personal favorite pieces of my art. The words that were originally addressed to my children are meaningful to adults of all ages. It is affordable at just $21.95. Glance through a copy next time you are shopping for broccoli rabe or prosciutto.

If you don’t live in or around Paducah, the book is also available on my website.

The daily dose of art SUNDAY STRANGENESS

Among all of the landscapes, barns, and urban architecture are a series of rather strange pieces of art that I must take responsibility for.  They can be found tucked away, out of sight, in various hidden corners in my studio.  Although I cannot "explain" them, and have serious doubts about their validity, I can't bring myself to toss them out.  Instead I keep them around as a reminder for I don't know what.

The daily dose of art POPPIES, POPPIES, AND MORE POPPIES

In the very late 1970s I had a brief love affair with flowers that resulted in the following three paintings.

The daily dose of art BLACK & WHITE WITH A TOUCH OF COLOR

I started to write - "one of my favorite"...but stopped because I realize I say that about everything.  How can something be my favorite if everything is my favorite?  Why am I spending my time writing this? 

I find great pleasure in looking at black and white drawings with just a bit of local color, and more pleasure in creating them.  (I think I should have stuck with the "my favorite" line.)

Union Street  Wilmington DE

Beacon Hill  Boston

Society Hill  Philadelphia

The daily dose of art, a.k.a. NONSENSE. THE MIGHTY DOT

I don't know whether to be amazed or embarrassed by the amount of "mind-time" I once spent on that mundane mark we make on paper called the "dot".  Maybe simple minds only require simple things to keep them occupied.

Here are my efforts to capture the incredible range of dothood:

Nonsense in...nonsense out

The daily dose of art 3 VERSIONS OF THE SAME PAINTING

Sometimes an image gets stuck in my head, and before it leaves I've returned to it repeatedly for inspiration.  I don't remember the order in which the following paintings were done, but clearly they all focus on the same subject.

Left Alone  pastel and ink

Sad  Oil pastel

Empty Sentinel  acrylic

There is no reason to think I won't return to this at least one more time.