THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Halfway down the drive, I could see my parents standing on the front porch. I parked the car, turned off the engine, and watched them for a second through the bug covered windshield - like a dream or a silent movie I knew would soon fade to black. When I opened the door, a rush of fresh air woke my stuffy road trip with a slap; I automatically gathered the maps, crinkly fast-food bags, and loose change that surrounded me, while fumbling to find the equilibrium I had lost somewhere between the getting there and arriving.

I watched Dad slowly navigate the porch walk's uneven stones with a cane. I could see small cuts on his face from shaving; the chemotherapy had left his skin papery thin. His bald head exaggerated his features - which were now caricatures of the originals. His ears and nose appeared large and doughy in contrast to his downy and delicate skull. His teeth looked fake - like Chiklets in a forced smile. His hazel eyes seemed surprised to have lost their brows. Suddenly Dad looked very small, old, and vulnerable; he was uncomfortable with his new look, and in having me see him like this for the first time.

*an excerpt from my cancer memoir entitled CAR DEALER'S DAUGHTER

THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET

I remember, as a kid, being very impressed with the 1964 live-action, animated film called "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." The combination of cartoons and real life amazed me (as much as when the 'The Wizard of Oz" turned from black and white to color). I loved the lead character, Henry Limpet - played by Don Knotts; he seemed like a cartoon himself. 

The movie takes place in World War II - before the Pearl Harbor attack. After attempting to join the U.S. Navy, Henry (a shy bookkeeper with a passion for fish) is rejected, due to his poor eyesight. Thoroughly downtrodden, he takes a walk along the Coney Island pier and accidentally falls into the water - turning into a talking fish. As the story unfolds, Limpet is commissioned by the Navy (complete with advancing rank and salary) to defeat the Nazis in The Battle of the Atlantic - finding Nazi U-boats and disrupting their underwater measurements and weapons with an intense "thrum" noise he is able to emit, now that he is a fish. He falls in love with "Lady Fish" (the complete opposite of his overbearing, human wife Bessie... who now presumes he is dead); being a good guy, Henry continues to send money home to his old biddy of a wife. I'm sure that by today's standards, Henry Limpet would be considered a loser, and the film a total flop, but I loved everything about this movie as a child; I loved that Henry's passion for fish turned into his reality, that "reality" was in cartoon form, and that the meek one became the hero.  

* this is an 18"x24" piece I recently painted of "The Incredible Mr. Limpet"

   

VET VISIT

Here's a 24"x24" painting I did for IDEXX Laboratories - as the cover art for their in-house veterinary magazine called "DX."

TO LIFE!

Here's to life - with all its struggles and all its rewards!

Here's to my mom - who gave me life, who never gave up, and who knew that life was beautiful, but in no way easy. 

"The generosity of her love made me sad at times - knowing that I had always felt safe in my bed at night, and she hadn't, simply made me sad. There's a sadness in the beauty of a spirit managing to flourish despite barren ground. It was a gift I knew I could never repay, but believing that children continue their parent's unfinished work, she assured me that living the fullest, happiest life I possibly could was all the pay back she needed."

Here's to the man me and my dog found in Payson Park, on this same date last year. 

"Done with a difficult life, he had killed himself and lay dreamless and cold the same time the earth was coming alive, the same time Brook Trout were starting to run in nearby streams, and Trout Lilies were making their splendid appearance. 

I tried to imagine the gait of a man who feels he's all out of choices - who feels everything is wrong, and there's nowhere to go but on a walk that fades to black. Did he march toward intention with the goose-steps of a soldier boldly facing the unknown? Or did he hesitate - stepping blindly on tentative night-feet while clenching a shotgun close to hip so no one would see?"

* excerpts from two short stories I wrote entitled "NOTICE THE LITTLE THINGS" and "STOLON SPRING."

HOW TO MAKE A PAINTING

STEP #1: Think and feel a whole bunch of thoughts and feelings; stare at canvas until something comes to you.

STEP #2: Often, during step #1, nothing happens for quite a while... do not be alarmed, and do not give up... something will come to you. 

STEP #3:  If you are the type who is uncomfortable sitting with yourself for long periods of time, do something productive... something will come to you.

 

STEP #4: As I said... this could take a while... fix yourself a sandwich... alcohol often helps.

STEP #5: Ah... there it is; approach canvas and paint what just came to you.

Repeat steps #1 through #5 until painting is completed... as I said, it could take a while.

AUGUSTEN STUDY

I did this portrait of Augusten Burroughs from a photo he had posted on his website. During the lulls - when portrait commissions aren't coming in - I like to keep my painting skills honed by painting interesting faces I find online. This piece measures 18"x24".

 

CELEBRITY PORTRAITS

I cast this portrait of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi out into the "Sea of Celebrity" - hoping I will reel in a big, fat painting commission on the end of my line.

*This piece measures 18"x24." I found the reference photo that I used for this painting online, and do not claim any part of it as my own.