The Handy Pocket Desk

I’ve got one and you may too. Especially if you’re a gent and in the habit of wearing shirts with breast pockets. For me it all started when I was probably in my mid twenties. I was cowboying at the time and I noticed some of my older riding mates carried a notebook and pen or more likely a stub of a pencil in one of their breast shirt pockets, typically the one on the left if they were right handed, and often a can of PA in their right shirt pocket. In case you are wondering, PA is short for Prince Albert which is a smoking tobacco.

The typical notebook that was in fashion at the time had a brightly colored flip cover and was spiral bound with ruled pages. They were, and still are, widely available. The spiral was particularly handy because one could tuck a pen in there or a short, yellow, number two pencil. A pencil was the instrument of choice for many reasons but mainly because during the winter it wouldn't freeze up when removed from the shirt pocket. I noticed these older hands would often jot things down in their notebooks and there were any number of sheaves of loose paper stuffed in them. In order to keep it all held together, it was common to use a wide thick rubber band. 

My curiosity finally got the better of me and one day I asked the foreman, who I highly admired and aspired to be like, what all he kept in his notebook. He looked down at his pocket and removed the tattered little bundle. Holding it out in his grizzled hand he looked up at me and said that it was his “pocket desk”. He went on to explain that it was really a handy place to keep receipts, jot down unfamiliar brands, tally numbers, business cards for saddle makers and any other important information he needed to remember like the phone number for the vet and his wife’s birthday or their anniversary. Right then and there I decided next time I went to town I would pick one up.

Today I favor the Moleskin Pocket Notebook. My current one is rather tattered and I really should consider getting a new one but this one still has a few blank pages in it and I'm not ready to transfer the important notes I have collected in it. As an artist today, I no longer use mine to record brands and the vet’s number but more for sketching out an idea when nothing else is handy, a fellow artist’s website address, prescription refill numbers, or something I need to remember to do and of course, receipts. It does require a bit of housekeeping from time to time however, as just the other day I found a missing gas receipt from our Harley ride to Idaho last summer. That made the bookkeeper happy. 

Of course for those who almost live in their pickup trucks there's the handy dash desk . We'll take a look at that next time. Thanks for tuning in and do stop by if you get a chance. 

Arches National Park, Utah

Spent a great weekend in Arches National Park in Uah. The weather was beautiful with highs around 70 degrees and lows in the low 40's. Skies were a cobalt blue above and Edward Abbey red rock country below. Fantastic.

It has become  an annual tradition to go to Arches the last weekend of October. So far we haven't been let down with the weather, good times and a few good paintings. Over the years we have managed to take in most of the popular arches that are accessible without a back country permit. Although we didn't go to any arches this trip, the general red rock terrain was fantastic.

Several nice paintings will come from this. I tried to do a little plein air painting but found it difficult for some reason, probably because I was trying to do the painting with a new set of gouache colors which I have never used before. My limted experience with this new medium was evident and I gave up in disgust. I feel the medium is promising and I look forward to using it but I need to experiment with it some before I just step up to the challenge of plein air painting. I should have reverted to my trusty experience with watercolor but I had lost the enthusiasm. 

  

We had some exceptional Dutch Oven cooked meals. I think the biscuits and gravy with thick cut bacon and scrambled eggs were my favorite. Or it could have been the cinnamon rolls, eggs and bacon too. Or maybe the enchiladas  or the apple pecan pie. I don't know. It was all good. We'll be back. Looking forward to next year and some experience with my gouache paints.

Sunday Afternoon

Had the day off and thought we should go for a drive and find a painting to do. Turns out I had one to do right off of our front deck. These bird feeders have been begging to be painted for some time and to day was the day. I used a beautiful walnut painting box from Open Box M that I keep stored in a wonderful leather bag I got courstesy of my sisiter Mary. Quality stuff here and a fine afternoon.

It was a good day.

Red Fish Lake

If you look back a couple of posts you'll find where I went with my wife and another couple on an absolutely wonderful motorcycle ride up into the Sawtooth Recreational Area in Idaho this summer. As is always the case I'm on the lookout for material that will make a nice painting. Such was the case when we ventured down the road to checkout the Red Fish Lake Lodge. On the way we came across a turnout on the dirt road with this magnificent view. It had been raining off and on in the area for a couple of days but this particular morning everything was as still as could be. The mirror reflection of this portion of the Sawtooth Mountains in the water was so soothing and calming. We could have stayed there all day. Unfortunately our time was limited. We had places to go, people to see and things to do. Fortunately I think I captured the feeling quite nicely in this 16 x 32 oil painting I just finished. The painting is available from my gallery/studio, unframed for $500. If you are interested, contact me. Thanks for stopping by.

Old Hippies

Many of us come from an era in societies history when "hippies" were the new outrage. Ah yes, the 60's. Well some haven't outgrown the genre. I just finished this piece for a client who still believes in Love, Peace and Happiness...Make Love, Not War...Flower Children, etc.

Prints and note cards are available from the world headquarters of Simpson Gallery here in Montrose, Colorado. Contact me if you are interested. Peace!

An Old Smoking Stand

Been looking for an old smoking stand like I remember my grandpa had for his cigars back in the day. The one he actually had was similar to this one but the ash tray part had a glass tray with a rubber Firestone tire around it...or it may have been a Goodyear.  Don't remember which exactly. For some reason I thought it was a Firestone tire. I've found some small versions with Goodyear tires around them but not the Firestone.

ANYWAY...this is the closest I've been able to come up with. This one I got yesterday in Abilene, KS in an antique store. Supposedly it came out of an old hotel there. Thought it was pretty cool so I tried it out on the bench out front and bought it. Now I Just have to figure out how to bungy it onto the Harley so I can get it home. Thought maybe Kathy could just hold it but she threatened to whack me with it on the helmet so I guess that won't work. I'll figure something out.

We're headed home in the AM. If you tried the video link in the previous post and it didn't work, it should now.

Later. Thanks for stopping by.

On the Road Again

Here's a video link that says it better than I can type. Enjoy. Wish you were here. http://youtu.be/st2qRbuWenM

Sturgis

Yup! It's that time of year again. Maybe you’ve noticed all of the motorcycles on the road the last couple of days. I’ve been hearing them go by the shop and it has been driving me nuts. Then it dawned on me…Sturgis. This time of year motorcyclists of all kinds head to Sturgis, SD for the biggest motorcycle rally on earth.

Although the rally doesn't officially start until Monday and will last through the weekend, many bikers have discovered, as I did, that showing up the week before or so is a good idea. We made that ride a couple of years ago and that’s what we did. During rally week as many as 500,000 bikers clog the roads, gas stations, restaurants, motels, campgrounds and scenic rides in the Black Hills. The week before is less congested with maybe only one or two hundred thousand motorcycles.

It’s gotten so big that the rally is no longer just contained in Sturgis, SD. All of the towns within a hundred mile radius will hold mini-rallies and draw several thousand bikes to each of their own events. We discovered that when we went. We opted to stay at the Rocket Motel in Custer, SD some 80 miles away and by the Friday before the rally was to officially start, the officials in Custer had blocked off a 5 or 6 block stretch of their downtown area for motorcycles only, and it was full when we rode out of town.

By arriving a week early, we were still able to get the feel of the big rally without all of the congestion since the vendors have all figured it out and were setting up already and business was brisk. Many of the traditional shop keepers in Sturgis go so far as to empty their store fronts and rent them out to temporary vendors. I’ve been told the store owners can make enough in rent for those two weeks to pay for their overhead for the entire year. I talked to one guy from New York who works all year making leather goods. He comes to Sturgis, rents one of the store fronts and makes enough to carry him for the rest of the year. It’s crazy.

I spent one whole day on Main Street just taking photographs of all the characters. I’ve done several paintings from the photos and they have been very popular. I suppose I’ll get back there one of these years just experience it again but for now, I’ve got my T-shirt and I can say I’ve been there, done that.

In the meantime I’ve got other places to go, people to see and things to do. Thanks for tuning in and stop by when you get a chance.

I Could Do That!!!

Had to run up to Grand Junction on Saturday to the Harley dealer and get a few things. I pulled up and parked next to another bike and as my wife Kathy got off of the back of our bike I looked over at the neighboring motorcycle and the guy who was rummaging through some stuff in a pack on the back of his bike. I climbed off my Harley and couldn’t help but notice that this other fella and his bike looked like they had come a long ways.


You can always tell the “long riders”. They have a certain “well worn” look to them that those out for the short ride lack. He was about my age, maybe a little younger. I asked him where he had ridden from. He looked up from his tour pack and with a broad grin said he had started in South Carolina where a friend from Florida had met him. Together they had ridden up to Maine where the other guy had to turn around and go back. This gent I was chatting with said he decided to continue on and rode into Canada and up into New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador. It was there that he got a call from a friend of his here in Colorado whose riding partner wasn’t able to join him on a ride and asked my new found friend if he’d care to come out West. He said sure and was telling me about their plans when I recommended a good campground up on the Flaming Gorge and another place or two on their route up to Yellowstone. So it goes, passing tips to fellow riders in a parking lot.

We took care of our business and on the ride home I got to thinking about this guy and where all he’d been and was going this summer and I thought to myself, “you know, I could do that”. What a great way to spend the summer, riding around on your motorcycle, stopping here and there to maybe do a little watercolor sketch, meeting some folks, visiting new places…yea, I could do that.

I know, you’re probably saying “you already do that” and yes you’re right…I do but I have time restrictions and limitations that…well, are getting bothersome. Besides…New Brunswick? Newfoundland and Labrador? I’ve never been there. Wow! That’d sure be cool.

Next summer I’ll start my own great adventure. We have a ride to Alaska planned. In fact this time next year, I’ll be sending you these columns from somewhere up North as I poke along, seeing some new country, meeting some new folks and doing some watercolors along the way as I get the chance. Yea, I’ll be doing that.

Here's a pic of our camp in Stanley, Idaho when we rode up there over the 4th of July week this year.

The overhead canopy you see was furnished and already in place. We didn't bring it but it was nice to have. Stanley is in the Sawtooth Recreation Area so it had some altitude which was welcome because of the cooler temps. We were also lucky enough to get a few showers out of the deal...those that come out of the sky as well as those that were in the lodge.

This is a picture of an old dog who was a resident of the place. He knew he wasn't allowed in the restaurant so that's as far as he'd go. Pretty mellow.

That's the back door of the place. He actually belongs to some neighbors down the road but he prefers to live here...so here he is.

The Sawtooth Mountains are absolutely beautiful as this photo will attest to.

This view was around the corner from where we were staying. Here's more on that ride. This is an article I wrote for the local newspaper, which I do on a weekly basis.

No Reservations

You might know of the TV show by this title that features Anthony Bourdain traveling about, but this isn’t about him. It’s about me and my traveling companions. I write this to you from Stanely, Idaho. Yup, we’re on the road again, on the Harley, seeing what there is to see in this great land of ours.

In the past, we’ve always set an agenda knowing where we’ll spend each night for the duration of the trip. You know, call ahead and make reservations, start each day knowing we had to be at a certain place that night. This time we decided to do it a little different. Part of the problem with having a schedule all planned out is that there are unexpected things along the way that we would encounter but had to keep moving on because we needed to be somewhere that night. Not this trip.

We left Saturday morning with a general direction and intended route but decide that we would look for a place to camp when the end of the day came, wherever that was. I write this on Monday evening and so far so good. I will admit however that last evening was a bit of a challenge in locating a place to camp but it turned out fine. Along about late afternoon we were in Ashton, Idaho and it was quite hot. The first place we found didn’t look real promising. The fella came out and asked if he could help us and I asked him if he had a place where we could pitch a couple of tents in the shade and if there was a shower available. His reply was “Shade?” We decided to move on. Eventually, after checking a couple of other options we found a place 30 miles or so farther down the road. Turned out, it was fine.

Tonight finds us in Stanley, Idaho and a quick search on Google turned up the Elk Mountain resort and here we are. We got lucky again. Nice grassy spot right near the fire ring, and next to a canopied area with picnic tables. I think we’ll stay here for at least a couple of days and use this as a base camp while we tour the Sawtooth Mountains and it’s attractions. We were a bit concerned being this is the 4th of July Holiday week but the fella said for $17 a night we could stay as long as we liked. Said he’d send his wife around this evening or in the morning to collect the rent. Sounded good to us.


Here is a follow up column the next week when I got back.

Sometimes It All Works Out Just Fine

If you’ve been following along, you’ll recall last week I left you in Stanley, Idaho in the middle of the Sawtooth Recreation area. What a place. Stunning! I was in the middle of a “no reservations” road trip on the Harley.

We took one day and rode from Stanley down to Boise for some sightseeing and a little Basque food. I had no idea it got so hot in Boise. The high for the previous day had been 113. The day we were there it was hitting 99 degrees in the late morning with 90% humidity. The ambient air temperature gauge on the Harley down there on pavement, in traffic, waiting for lights to change, was pegged at 120 degrees. It was all we could take. We got out of there with just a visit to the Harley dealer and headed back to the mountains. Along the way we stopped along the Payette River and literally got soaked. That sure felt good.

The next day we left Stanley and decided to follow the Salmon River north a ways. We climbed the Chief Joseph pass and turned off into Montana and across the Big Hole Valley, headed toward Dillon. I have to say that the Big Hole was a complete surprise. I had heard about it, but I wasn’t prepared for the reality. A big sky valley that was an ocean of grass as far as you could see. I couldn’t believe it. Fantastic!

It was getting late in the day when we arrived in Dillon so we hunted up the KAO and they had room for a couple of tents on a large shaded grassy area near the entrance. Nice couple who own it. Bob asked us to watch for the “Rainbow People” who were in the area and to let him know if they showed up. They weren’t welcome. Sure enough, one slipped into the place and he ran him off. The next day we continued our ride south, headed home.

We spent the 4th of July evening in Alpine, Wyoming where we scored a campsite right next to where they were going to set off the fireworks later. The last night we camped in the pines, high above Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Spent the evening around the camp fire (no restrictions there yet) with a good cigar and a fine whiskey reminiscing over our trip. A fitting end to a great ride.

All in all, our “no reservations” agenda worked out just fine. I got lots of photos and video to paint from this winter. Every time we needed something, it turned up. I think our relaxed schedule made for one of the best rides I’ve ever taken. We’ll do that again.

I've got some video of the trip and as soon as I get it edited I'll post it up.

 Thanks for stopping by.


Catching up

It's hard to know where to start, it's been so long since I posted anything. I see that I left you good folks in Battlemountain, NV on my way to Petaluma, CA for a screen printing and gilding workshop I attended at Letterhead Sign Supply. In short I will say that it was a great class. Ron and Kristi were great hosts and I came away with some fantastic knowledge that I have yet to use but am saving for when the need arises. I'll put some photos and video together on that little trip and get it posted.

When I came back I had a job for some sandblasted signs to do for Cresto Ranch, an affiliate facility of Dunton Hot Springs here in Colorado. Go to www.duntonhotsprings.com for more information on these two places. here is a shot of three of the six signs I did for them.

These were sandblasted out of cedar. I then stained the background and brushed some 1-shot color on the raised border and lettering. They wanted an old weathered look to them which I believe I achieved. I was down there last week and saw them in place and they fit in just perfect with the tent sites and natural landscape.

I've been busy here in the shop with lots of framing. Art sales have been slow but just today sold two oils. Maybe the drought has been broken.

Over the fourth of July week I managed to get away for 8 days and took the Harley up into the Sawtooth Range in Idaho. What a great trip that was. More to come from that as I get photos and video put together.

I know there isn't much detail in this but I thought I ought to get something posted before too much time passed. I'll cover these topics in more depth as I can. It'll give you something to look forward to and now that I've tipped my hand I feel somewhat committed to get it done. I'll try to be more diligent. Stay tuned.

The Owl Club

We, my wife Kathy and I, are on our way to Petaluma, CA. where I'll be attending a workshop to learn how to do screen printing to back up gold leaf on glass, decorative clue chipping on glass and etching glass with sand blasting. While I'm in class, Kathy will be going to the coast, Bodega Bay and inland to Sanoma to do some photography for me...yea, I know...tough duty.

We've spent the first night at Battle Mountain, NV. We stayed here 30 years ago when we moved back to Colorado from California. Not much has changed.

This little video is at the Owl Club Restaurant and Casino. Thought you might find it interesting.

http://youtu.be/XzLknk8sOSs

Snowy Day in April

Here's the view outside of the studio/gallery window this morning. I can't believe it. Sure was a surprise to wake up to this morning. I guess I'll just spend some quality time in front of the easel.

This is a little piece I just finished up yesterday. It's all gilded in reverse (on the backside of the glass) with 23kt gold. The legs of the "A" are inlaid with abalone shell and the colors are painted on the back of the glass as well. A nice addition to my collection.

Earlier this morning I spent some time "tagging" all of my posts in this blog. In otherwords, now when you are looking at a post, down at the bottom you can see the corresponding tags. If the post has a tag of "paintings" you can click on that tag and all of the posts about or with paintings will be shown. The same goes for other tags. A tag of "motorcycle travels" will give you all of the posts of my motorcycle travels.

I haven't done much in the way of "fine art" painting lately. Can't really say why except that I've been busy with frame making and gilding letters on glass. Those distractions only go so far in satisying the creative urge.

Painting is my true calling and I'm begining to feel the need to give in to it. I've got a couple of pieces that I was working on last fall that I just put aside before they were finished. Time to bring them out and get to work again.

I've been followint the plein air painting convention on Facebook and I must say that it has sure got my juices flowing again. Click here for a look at the activities. I belong to a couple of Plein Air painting groups and unfortunately I haven't been very active with them. There are several plein air painting events that are coming up this summer that I'd really like to go do but it is difficult to justify when art sales have been so slow. Of course if I remove the monetary motivation then there is no excuse not to go. Maybe I'll have to revisit the invitations I've received.

In the meantime, I think I'll refill my coffee cup and squeeze some paint out on the palette.

I'll be in touch. Thanks for stopping by.

Arches National Park

This is a plein air watercolor I painted at the campground in Arches N.P. in Utah last fall. I just love the red rock features and the complimentary green. This old snag was casting it's shadow loosely on the red rock behind it one morning and I couldn't resist the painting. After a round of dutch oven cinammon rolls with coofee cup in hand I settled in to capture great little scene. If this is something you might be interested in it is at auction here.

This is another one I did later in the day. It was also painted from the campground if you are familiar with the area. The hoodoos or goblins as they are sometimes called were great shapes and color in contrast to the silvery sage and other ground cover. It is also at auction here.


I have several more paintings at auction. Please browse through them and if you have any questions about them, let me know. Thanks for stopping by.

The Art of Being an Artist

I’m telling you right here and now, it isn’t easy…being an artist. It used to be that one could get away with just painting good pictures but that has changed dramatically over the years. Painting the picture is the easy part. It’s everything else that goes with it that is becoming a real challenge.


I see two factors that are causing the most grief. The first is the competition. There are a lot of really good artists out there, creating some really good art, not to mention all of the marginal artists, creating marginal art. I’ll let you draw your own distinction between the two. I’m not going there.

The second factor contributing to this angst is technology, specifically computers and the internet. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for it. The problem, as I see it, is that those who have grown up with it, and have embraced it as a way of life, expect us all to think and operate on the same level in order to be successful. I don’t know. Maybe they are right but I’ll tell you it is exhausting trying to keep up.

Those who think they are “in the know”…and who knows…maybe they are right, tell you that to compete in today’s marketplace, you need to expose what you do in all the right places and in the right way. Here’s what I’m talking about.

I do a painting and hang it in my gallery. All of the career coaches and experts say you need to keep a regular and interesting presence on Facebook too. You also need to keep a regular and interesting presence on your “blog”. Keep your website current. Post pictures of your art. Every time you do a new piece, get it on the ‘net. Tell the story. Keep up your presence.

Now they are telling us that we need to create videos of the creative process. People want to see what we are doing and how we do it. People want to know. Get it on Youtube. It’s the next big trend…and it’s true. I spend way too much time watching videos on Youtube of “what and how” others in my trade are doing. I suppose that it beats watching what’s on TV, which is time waster, but that’s a topic for another time.

The problem is that by the time I try to do all of what it takes to just keep up, I haven’t much time left for what I do…paint pictures, make frames and lay a little gold. They say “there’s no rest for the wicked and the righteous don’t need any” so I guess I better quit whining and get busy. Thanks for stopping by. See you downtown.

Art Nouveau On Glass

This is a test piece I just finished. 23kt gold for the word "leaf". I used 1-shot Lettering Enamel for the colors and design. The reason it is a test piece is because I will use this same lettering and design as part of  larger lettering and a design on the windows of my shop van pictured below. The reason I choose to use an "Art Nouveau" look is because of the lines of the glass and body shape of the van. The free flowing look and curves of the art nouveau period will fit well even if the van is of a modern era. If the van had been more boxy in design and look then a differrent design for the lettering would've been more appropriate.

Looking at the van, I think you can see what I mean. I placed the sample lettering against a piece of grey mat board to simulate the tinted windows of the van. Overall I'm pleased with the look. This lettering and design was done on the front surface of the glass as opposed to the reverse side of the glass when it is clear. The technique is somewhat different as is the resulting look but because the windows are tinted I had no other option than to "surface gild" the lettering. Consequently, with both pieces of glass fully lettered by hand and included 23kt gold, and on both sides, there will be no more trips through the car wash. I'll be washing this piece of art by hand. I think the shameless self promotion of this lettering will pop nicely against the dark glass and color of the van as I travel about. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I should add that this is all done by hand.

The Long Ride North

http://youtu.be/4xBXwVO4EkA

Here's a link to a video of our first planning session for the Long Ride North.

In June of 2014 I will turn 66 years old. At that time, my wife and I, and others, will leave on our Harleys and ride in a northerly direction for 15 days and then turn around and head back home. We’ll be gone for a month. So far we have four of us on three Harleys.


We started talking about this last summer in a rather casual manner, wondering how far we could get and what we might see along the way. All winter long this has been gnawing at me, so I booked a room at the Box Canyon Lodge in Ouray, CO (highly recommended by the way) and this past weekend we met with some of our traveling companions, got the maps out and plotted a possible direction. By the end of this initial session we had developed a route, a little over 7000 miles, and dubbed the upcoming adventure, The Long Ride North. It is now official, complete with T-shirts in the making and a resulting DVD and book filled with paintings and photos. WooHoo!

Turns out it is quite likely we’ll to get to Alaska. The plan is for me to document our travels by video and daily blogging as we go, so all of you good folks and others can follow along on this great adventure. When we return, I’ll edit and compile all the video into a releasable DVD. I’ll also edit and compile all of the daily blog posts, add after thoughts and anything else that won’t fit into the blog, go through all of the photos taken, include watercolor sketches done on the ride and compile it all into a book. Whew!

Sounds ambitious. Of course many others have made the ride before us and most without the fanfare we are planning on but that was their trip and this one is ours. It may be the trip of a life time for me…or, it could just be the jumping off point for a new career. I kind of like the idea of that.

While the idea has been rattling around in the back of my mind ever since brother-in-law Steve and his wife Loann made the ride a couple of years ago, it became more than a passing interest after watching the DVD set of Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor who rode their motorcycles around the world in The Long Way Round. Of course they were gone for three months and traveled almost 20,000 miles and they had sponsors and were much younger than yours truly.

Hmmm, sponsors. I hadn’t thought of that until now. What a great idea. I wonder if AARP would be interested? Sounds like a little fund raising is in order. I’ll have to look into this. I'll put this on the list of things to do, which is growing almost daily.

What we have planned for this trip is a little out of the usual because of the video and blogging to be included. This alone requires far more planning than I had realized.  Thin I'll use this summer's rides as practice.

Stay tuned folks and thanks for stopping by.

March First Friday Art Walk

It's approaching that time of month again. Each first Friday of the month we have an art stroll here in Montrose. It's a great opportunity for folks to get out and about and see what the local artists and artisens have been up to.

This Friday, from 6 to 8 I will be offerring this fullsheet framed watercolor and ALL other watercolors in the gallery at a 30% discount off of the retail pricing. Some great buys to be had if you are in the market for a Mike Simpson watercolor. For those of you who aren't in the neighborhood and/or not able to attend, check out my website at www.mikesimpsonart.com to see what else I have and you can search through the posting on this blog to see more. Please contact me if you have any interests or questions and I'll give you the scoop.

Spring Cleaning

I came across this 10x8 oilpainting I did of Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah. It's a bit of a hike to get to the arch but well worth it. I find Arches N.P. and the surrounding area of Moab to be a great place for dramatic and colorful subject matter. This little painting goes to auction for a very reasonable starting price. If you are interested click here.

This is a little 6x8 oil painting I did of a scene in the Sonoran desert of Arizona. The low, early evening desert light makes for some wonderful pastel colors. Nice quality brush strokes enhance this little painting. It also is going to auction here.

...and finally I have this little 7x10 watercolor I painted en plein air (on location). There is a little red roofed gazebo in one of our town parks that is a very restful place to visit. I have painted at this spot many times. Often, the geese in the pond will come up and investigate what I'm doing, quacking their approval or disgust depending on their attitude at the time. This little watercolor will also be for sale here.
The starting prices for these little gems is very reasonable at only $9.99 so if you are interested, there is little excuse not to pick one up. Good luck on the bidding and I hope you get the one you want. Thanks for stopping by.

More Gold

Just finished up this reversed glass 23kt gold leafed framed sign to go in the front window of the shop. I did this all by hand...no computers involved here. I'm luvin' it.

Headed Home

All good things must come to an end. I left Bakersfield this AM and got as far as Beaver, UT. Good progress considering the time I left and a good place to call it quits for the night. Windy, snow, getting dark with conditions deteriorating rapidly. Got a room and am comfortably writing this with assistance from an adult beverage. Long drive but it went quickly as my mind was filled with what I experienced over the last several days. Lots of good information and ideas. Looking forward to getting home and putting some of it to use.

28th Conclave of Gilders

Here's a short video of what we're doing in Bakersfield, CA. A bunch of really talented people and a wealth of knowledge being shared.

http://youtu.be/2JupFOIfqA4

Hollywood California

Visited son Jim in Hollywood. He's got a great office in a great old classic building right across from the famous Egyptian theater. This photo is looking down the hall.

Another photo of where we had lunch at Musso and Frank's in Hollywood. You should look it up. Pure classic.

Lastly a link to a video I took out on Hollywood Blvd.
http://youtu.be/Zkm04bKnA_o

Downtown Southern California

Video Recap of today's events.
http://youtu.be/W83bB8lgMeg

Here's a shot of a dream view from the living room of a client who bought a painting. That's overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Thanks Julie.

Baker Video

http://youtu.be/sxA41gsYVBU

Here's a link to the video I was trying to post last night.

On the Road

I was going to try to post a video with this blog but am having trouble attaching it. Instead I'll show you a still photo of I-70 cutting through the San Rafael Swell in Utah.

Made it to Baker, CA an hour or so past Las Vegas, NV. Staying in the Wills Fargo motel. Reminds me of a motel I stayed at in Taos, NM one time. I'm having to post this on my phone as there is no WiFi. I' ll try to figure out the video. More tomorrow.

First Friday Art Walk

Had a successful First Friday Art Walk the other night selling a couple of paintings. It was nice to see the turnout. A little wine and cheese made for a nice evening. Always good to chat it up with the folks.

Been busy with gilding frames in 23 kt gold. Struggling a bit with some gesso and clay problems still. Might have to adjust the recipes and do some experimenting. It is so dry here in Western Colorado it makes it difficult at times with the corners cracking. Very frustrating.

Headed to California this week. Stopping in orange, CA to see my cousin Jim who is dying of cancer. They've called hospice in so he must be getting close to leaving this world. He's been like a brother so it'll be a bit difficult.

Then I'm off to Hollywood to see son Jim who is a film maker there. He's just opened a new studio so I'm looking forward to seeing him and his new facilities.

On Thursday I head over to Bakersfield, CA for a conclave. This is an invitational meeting of gilders that I am fortunate to have been asked to come. Should be some of the best in the nation there. Small group, maybe 30 in attendance. I missed it last year due to my Mother having a heart attack the day before I was to leave. So far so good. I will be anxious to meet up with some of the legends in gold leaf glass lettering.

I'll be ack in the shop on Wednesday, February 13.

I'll report as I go along. Thanks for stopping by.

It's Simply a Matter of Time

Don’t be expecting some apocalyptical prophesies here. I’ll leave that to those more qualified. I’m just thinking that sooner or later we’ll emerge from this cold grip that Old Man Winter has had on us these past weeks. While I realize that a low of 9 degrees this morning is a 20 degree improvement over last week I still think it’s cold.


I suppose since I brought it up, we ought to take a look at this phenomenon called “time”. I looked it up in my paperback Webster College Dictionary and one of the definitions it gives for time is “the period during which something exists or happens”. That’s pretty good.

In practical terms, we can say that it takes a certain amount of time to go somewhere, or do something. It takes a certain amount of time for something to happen too, like write this column or eat breakfast, paint a painting or make a picture frame. It’s probably a good thing we have this invention called time or everything would be happening all at once and that’d be really hard to deal with. We all spend our time doing something, even if it’s doing nothing which can be a worthwhile pursuit sometimes.

It’s been said that time waits for no man, and that time marches on. We’ve all got a certain amount of time. We just don’t know how much we have, unfortunately. If we did, I bet we’d use it differently. What we choose to do with our time is what separates us. I saw a video the other day in which Alan Watts, a British philosopher, makes a good point of “doing what we’d like to do” with the limited amount of time we have. He says it’s really stupid to spend our time doing something we dislike just so we can make some money to continue doing what we dislike. Point taken.

While I think that is an admirable outlook, I also think that sometimes life gets in the way and we do what we have to do to make things work out. The important part is that we really need to take the “time” to enjoy some of what makes life worth living. Stop and smell the roses, sort of thing. Pretty heady stuff for so early in the morning so let’s move on.

I’ve been spending a little of my allotted time lately looking at the map. As you know, I like to get out and about a bit and it’s been awhile. Cabin fever is settling in. Lots of choices out there and I’m getting a list made. Stay tuned. Thanks for spending some of your precious time with me. I appreciate it.

Thawing Out

Yes, it's been a little chilly around these parts. The other night we had -12 degrees...that's below zero folks.

 I haven't been in cold like that since I left Wyoming several years ago. Fortunately I have a nice warm shop to work in these days. I've got a number of frames to gild with 23kt gold which is exactly what I like doing. That and gilding on glass...and making paintings... OK. I like everything I am doing. Feeling really blessed to be in that position.

I was going to upload a photo I took of the thermometer outside the other morning but for some reason it's not working. I'll keep trying and show you the proof. We're in a bit of a warmup right now as last night's temp was only 5 degrees above zero. I think we've got it whipped now.

There we go. I checked on the blogger help page and they said they were aware of the issue and it only affects the Internet Explorer browser so I just fired up the iPad and here we are...no problem.

This is a seies of frame I'm working on in my cozy warm shop. Luv the gold.

This is a new to me (used) Dodge van I recently bought to use as a shop/delivery vehicle. I really like all of the glass. This will be great for some gold leafed lettering. After getting the transmission rebuilt it has turned out to be a great little van. Good mileage and lots of room inside...did I mention all the glass? Can't wait for it to warm up enough to get the windows lettered. Wish I had a heated shop with an overhead door I could just pull into. Maybe I can do it at the gilders conclave I'll be going to next month in California. Should be warm enough there.

Happy New Year

Well, it appears we've been saved from plunging over the cliff. Life can now go on. Idiots.

I managed to get through the Christmas rush...just as I suspected I would...just as I have for the past 26 Christmas rushes. It's always nice to take a couple of days off afterward to regroup and recharge. Hanging out at the shop the last couple of days with some time on my hands led me looking around and realizing it was a mess. I've got 26 years worth of stuff accumulating in various piles here and there. I got a new vinyl cutter a couple of days ago and realized I had no place to set it up.

Thus began the clean up. I filled one dumpster with stuff and probably have enough for another one. What a great feeling to purge all of these little treasures I've been hanging on to, thinking I would use them some day...which of course I didn't. Sure enough though, I'll get a job next week for which I cold use that piece of cork I've been saving for the past 12 years.

I'm pretty excited about this vinyl cutter I got. I'll use it primarily to cut sandblasting masks. Oh! I forgot to tell you. I got a sandblaster too. I'll be using it to etch glass. Exciting stuff coming. Lots of gold leafing, glass etching and lettering on tap for the new year. Who knows. Might even get some painting done too.

Current plans are to go to Telluride at least one day a week. I've got a designer up there who is interested in working with me. I can deliver/pickup framing jobs and maybe land a little gold leafing job or two from some of the business who want to make their signage and or windows stand out.

"Clink"! Here's hoping you're as excited about the New Year as I am. Great times are ahead.