#6 Good Witch

Once we got beyond the annual contest to see who could bag the most candy, aka Halloween, we got way into throwing eggs at passing cars and blowing up rolls of toilet paper with cherry bombs on neighbors lawns. I do not know why we did this - I should ask my brothers and our neighbor Steve who actually initiated a lot of the most brilliant ideas (we were perfect angels before he moved to the neighborhood). There must have been a point to it all, but I'll be darned if I can remember. Though I do remember being a little confused by one neighbor who was handing out Goldwater balloons instead of candy one year.

In the meantime I've since become a good witch, which means when Halloween rolls around I am confronted with a major struggle. On the one hand I have to fight really hard against a temptation to go out and do something way cool like put a lit cherry bomb in someone's garbage can and watch the lid blow 100 feet into the air. Even thinking about it gives me goose bumps! On the other hand it's also a time of much angst because if you believe in karma as I do, I've got to believe that one of these days I'm going to walk out my front door and see a billion pieces of toilet paper scattered all over my front yard!

Good Witch, 8" x 8" watercolor • Framed to 12" x 12" • $200

Roaming home

My drafting table is in one of the windows facing the street so I get a birds eye view of the just about everything happening in the area including the gaggle of kids that meander by in the morning on their way to school, and again on their way back afterwards.  There's not a lot of action out there these days with the weather turning sour, but once in a while when it feels like spring, there will be a flow of these little ankle biters moving sporadically, and certainly not in a line, on the sidewalk under the supervision of one very patient parent.  The kids are so easily distracted that it reminds me of watching a mother hen try to coral a flock of chicks through an obstacle course with a billion little edibles to distract them. These kids like all kids find a billion little things to be interested in when they're allowed to roam a bit, even if it is limited compared to what my kids and I were allowed not so long ago. I can't hear the chatter with the windows closed, but I can imagine there is some pretty important stuff going on down there.

Roaming Home • 7" x 7" watercolor • Framed to 12" x 12" • $200

Treats

US Route One is the main street through Wiscassett, Maine.  There is no other way to get from the southern coast to the mid coast because there is no other bridge within 100 miles on which to get over the Sheepscott River. We locals avoid it like the plague during the summer because the traffic is backed up for five miles north and south, from Memorial Day until Labor Day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The cause of the clog is a little shack on the side of the road at the edge of town called Red's Eats. It's supposed to have the best lobster roll in the state. Of course we locals know that there are 50 other places like Red's that sit on the ocean in a far more picturesque setting and charge either the same price or less for their lobster roll!  C'mon people, you've got to know this is a tourist trap! But they don't, and people will sit an extra hour in traffic, spend another half hour looking for a place to park, stand in line in the hot sun for another hour, and eat their dust-covered, exhaust-infused lobster roll anyway.

In the meantime, there's also a charming little place on US Route One right in the middle of Wiscassett called Treats. It's a cafe that serves terrific pasteries and egg sandwiches for breakfast, delicious lunches, and the best coffee in the state of Maine - Carrabassett Coffee. It has all kinds of goodies including cheeses, fresh-baked-on-the premises bread and rolls, great wine, etc. Seating is one big farmhouse table. You're forced to chat with your neighbors!

My partner Tom and I FINALLY got there ourselves last Sunday and had a wonderful sandwich and cup of coffee. I thought I'd whip out a little sketch of the place to share with all of you. It's really worth stopping by especially now with all of the foliage in full bloom.

Treats •  8" x 8" watercolor • SOLD

#3 Lunar Affect

Unfortunately we can't blame our lunatic behavior on the moon - there's no scientific evidence that the moon affects our behavior one iota. I find this rather disappointing and somewhat disturbing, and I actually have to disagree. If we feel we are affected by the moon then we are! It's the placebo affect in effect.


Lunar Affect • 8" x 8" acrylic on archival watercolor paper • Framed to 12" x 12" • $200

Moon

The moon confounds me.

On the one hand scientists define the moon as  a "terrestrial planet" (because it's composed of rock and metal), as opposed to a "gas giant" like Jupiter and Saturn (composed mainly of hydrogen and helium), or an "ice giant" like Uranus and Neptune (largely composed of ices such as water, ammonia and methane).

On the other hand, when I look up at the moon - like I did last night - I always wonder what my ancestors must have thought it was. I think the moon prompts me into a cellular memory - an exhilarating feeling of wonderment and maybe a little fear - of witnessing something that I can't explain.

Moon  • 8 X 8 • Acrylic on archival watercolor paper • Framed to 12" x 12" • $200

Crows

I've been renting this apartment on Munjoy Hill for over ten years. Just about every morning I am awakened by crows right outside my window. I used to think it was a sign of some sort, but found out from a fellow crow-lover, that there is a woman who feeds them the next street over. This particular morning however, it occurs to me that the crows I hear every morning might be the same ones that woke me up my first morning here. But do they live that long? As it turns out, the oldest crow on record was 29 and a half years old - Onario, Canada. The second oldest was 14 years, seven months. So it is possible and quite frankly, I really don't know what to think about that!

Caught in the act on my neighbor's chimney.

Can't let go

Okay - here we go. My first official blog post. I figured I'd paint something fallish, but I guess I'm having a hard time letting go of the summer of 2010 - it was perfect here in Maine.

Can't Let Go • 8" X 8" • Acrylic on archival watercolor paper • Framed to 12" x 12" • $200

Not quite yet

At some point I will begin posting observations of the world I live in. The posts will be words, sketches, paintings, photos, whatever.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my artwork.

Painting available at Gold/Smith Gallery • Sugarloaf Mountain • $1200 framed