Audrey Hepburn, 16x20 Collage

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Audrey Hepburn was one of the most elegant and appealing women who ever graced the Silver Screen. Much of this collage is made up of torn pages with scenes from her movies. I must say, it's not that easy to make eyes from little pieces of paper--not that I'm complaining. I'm pretty proud of this portrait.

Detail

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The Alaskan, 7x5

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There are so many interesting characters in Alaska. This man was a Llama Keeper, and he had an air of mystery about him. I mean, really? Llama keeper in Alaska?

I took a photo of the man in the year when we drove around the United States. From Seattle we went to Alaska and stayed with my cousins Bill and Louise. It was another world. Visiting glaciers, Iditarod dogs, camping in Seward, picking blueberries in Denali Park. Very different from the Space Coast of Florida. I had to sleep in a sleep mask because it was still daylight at midnight. That will seriously mess you up.

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Alligators May Be Present, 6x8 Oil on Canvas, Ballard Park, Melbourne, Florida, Tropical Scene

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My friend Mary and I braved the heat to paint in plein aire at a favorite park, where signs proclaimed, "Alligators May Be Present." I thought that would be a perfect title. I do think it would be more efficient to just have signs say, "Do Not Feed the Alligators Under Peril of Attack." I say this because so many people who move here seem to leave their brains at the Florida-Georgia Line (and I'm not talking about the country singers), and they think it's cute to feed the gators (and I'm not talking about the football team). 

Just because a reptile moves slowly and has a toothy smile does not mean it won't enjoy a big chomp of human, and it can run very fast when motivated.

And don't even get me started on the woman who fed dog food to bears in an Orlando suburb!

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Love in Paris, 8x10 Oil Painting on Canvas Panel

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We were stuck in traffic on the Seine and I looked out the window and saw this couple kissing. Actually, she was kissing him on the nose. What could be more romantic than a kiss in Paris, even if it's on the nose? 

I had Valentine's Day in mind when I painted this. As a gift, may I point out that it's not fattening and it won't wilt.

The same day I was painting this, someone forwarded one of those emails with interesting photos. Included was the picture below, which fit right in with my painting:

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Night Bloomers, Flower Art, 8x10 Original Oil Painting

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It is so hard to get photos of these flowers, because I have to keep an eye out to catch them blooming. The leaves that they spring from look very unsubstantial. They are white so that they can attract the sphinx moth, their pollinator. 

Cereus supposedly blooms in the summer, but mine just recently bloomed because Florida's winter is freakishly hot this year. We make lots of jokes about it, but it is not natural and I don't appreciate having to pull weeds in the off-season. 

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Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Board

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What is it about chickens? We all paint them, and many kitchens are decorated with them. They do have personalities, just look at their confident walks. There was a very funny record years ago with chickens singing "In the Mood." Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck CLUCKKKK...

I know my friend the musical genius Bobby Braddock counted every one of those clucks to be sure I got it right.

Washday in Venice, 6x6 Original Oil on Canvas

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Venice is such an amazing place, one forgets that it is inhabited by real people who have the same mundane chores as everyone else. No matter how much beauty is in the surroundings, the wash still has to be done.

When we walked down residential streets and noticed the ornate and ancient doors, we burned with curiosity about what was behind them.

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Street in Venice, 8x10 Oil on Canvas, after John Singer Sargent

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I'm still on a Venice kick. I copied this Sargent painting because I liked its mysterious air and because I felt I could learn from it. The two characters on the right look a bit shifty, if you ask me. Sargent spent a lot of time in Venice, as any artist should. It is a completely unique place now as it was then, Old-Worldly beautiful.

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