Painting - California Bathing Beauties

Here is a painting of a few of the sunbathers we found on the Monterey Peninsula in California last summer. These harbor seals were so relaxed and obviously comfortable with their torpedo shaped bodies.

This past winter's weather with multiple blizzards found me digging through photo albums for painting ideas. I found these "gals" to be cooperative models. (I am assuming they are gals).

I started this painting with a monochromatic value study of the rock formation. I wanted to capture the texture of the rocks and also the solidity of them. I built up several layers of paint using a palette knife, adding color and texture. I worked on the rocks exclusively for a number of sessions leaving the seals sketched in. When I finally got around to the seals, I switched to a paintbrush. Unfortunately, I think they look a little "thin" in comparison to the rocks. I wish I could have continued to build upon them, but had to let them dry off for my March show. I did post the actual photo upon my return from California last summer. You might find it if you dig around through my labels. I wasn't going for exactitude. I never do when I paint. So don't judge me! I believe the colors on the rocks are largely invented to separate the seal gray from the rock gray!

Big Eighties Hair

Thanks to Poetikat, today is I love the eighties day. The eighties was basically the decade of my twenties. I decided to stay with the hair theme as the eighties were notorious for big, poofy hairstyles. This was a trend I resisted (at first). The first photo of me was taken in 1984. Doug and I had just moved into our first apartment. As you can see, I still had the arse length hair and the big glasses. These were my toned down rimless frames!
We got married in 1985 and I was working in the insurance industry at time. I wanted to modernize my look a bit so I added some "poofy" layered bangs.
As you see, these bangs got poofier and poofier (thanks to hair "products") I was an aerobic dance fanatic at the time. Aerobics was so much more fun when we danced to good music. The techno stuff just isn't the same. Unfortunately I don't have photos of me in the spandex dance outfits, complete with leg warmers and Reeboks. I had a much better body in the eighties!

Finally, Doug and I are hamming it up for you just above the Golden Gate Bridge on the Fourth of July, 1987. We bought these $5.00 Corona sweatshirts from a street vendor. We didn't realize how chilly it could get in San Fran in July! I hope you like our shorty shorts!

History Through Hairstyles

For today's Sepia Saturday submission I am sharing some of my childhood looks. It is amazing what a hairstyle says about the time period.

The first photo of me was dated, Christmas, 1963. I was four years old at the time. I remember mom sending me to bed with curlers in my hair. The result was a neat, controlled coif.

This photo was taken about three years later. There was no date, but mom wanted me to be stylish with this little pixie cut for my uncle's wedding. I'm guessing the year was 1966. (It is an actual sepia photo).



When I finally had a little "say" in the matter, I wanted to grow my hair long with the part in the middle. I stayed with this look for most of my teenage years. This was my school picture around 1971. I remember the outfit. It was a vest with long double fringes.
I did get a "shag" type haircut in around 1976. I didn't like it very much. I quickly went back to the long, straight, parted in the middle look. When I first met my husband in 1983, my hair was "arse" length. I kept it long and straight until around the age of 30 when I wanted to look respectable. Hubby wants me to go back to "arse" length. I'm not sure how it would look with my fifty year old bod.

Congratulations Class of 2010!

Congrats to the graduating class of 2010! Jake wants to tell you that you are awesome!

Jake is the palest member of the Williams family. His job was to greet the visitors who came to celebrate my daughter's accomplishment. (We told him he could work on his tan.)

Jake is a very diligent worker. He endured the heat, the humidity, thunder, lightning and torrential rain. He was undaunted. His mortarboard is now a little warped. Still he remains intact, despite his ill-fitting arms.

I took off the mortarboard to reveal his amazing sculpted hair. Watch out Max Headroom!

The incredible Tres Leches cake was made for my husband's Mexican student. We attended her graduation party and ate the best homemade Mexican food ever. The cake is soaked in three different "milks", hence the name. The cake was served after an incredible meal, fruit with three chili sauces and homemade flan.

Last, but certainly not least, is my incredible daughter after graduation. (I am standing behind her). She did it! I am incredibly proud of her. She is now ready to pursue her animation dreams at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Kids, you rock.

Oh, and by the way. "My" school year is over. The college application process, scholarship process is over. I have free time again. Hoo-hoo! I might have time to blog more regularly!

Philadelphia You!

Okay. I promise I won't write too much. This is an aerial view of Philadelphia taken from above the waterworks, behind the art museum. Yeah, those steps that Rocky climbed.

What do you see in this picture?

Go Flyers!

Uncle Hugh

Lassie was not my favorite show back in the day.

I did watch the show when I was a youngster and I thought Lassie was an amazing dog.

What I did not know until years later was that the gentleman in that photo was my great uncle.

He was my grandmother's brother. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1915, he pursued acting after serving in the army and landed a few roles on Broadway. He moved to the West Coast to pursue a role in film.

Hugh Reilly was not a well known actor. He was known as Timmy's father, June Lockhart's husband, the other guy.

He acted on Broadway, off Broadway, a few well known soap operas such as the Edge of Night and Dark Shadows.

A Google search revealed a Wikipedia entry. Turns out he turned down the role of the Professor in Gilligan's Island to spend more time with his family!

I remember him as a great, warmhearted, down-to-earth gentleman. I watched him perform at the South Jersey Regional Theatre in Somers Point, New Jersey.

The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

Early years and career

Born October 30, 1915 at Newark, New Jersey, Reilly saw service in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II and pursued a theater career following the war. He made several Broadway appearances (including one with Tallulah Bankhead in Dear Charles) before heading to Hollywood for a film career in the late forties. HIs film appearances include Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949), and Bright Victory (1951). Reilly also worked many early television shows such as Kraft Television Theatre (1949), The Ford Theatre Hour (1951), and Broadway Television Theatre (1953).

Lassie

In 1957, Reilly guest starred as George Cameron in the episode "Dangerous Channel" of Barry Sullivan's short-lived CBS adventure/drama TV series, Harbourmaster

In 1958, Reilly joined the hugely successful CBS series Lassie playing Paul Martin, a farmer, husband, and adoptive father of the show's child character Timmy. Reilly debuted in the opening episode of the fifth season, "The Storm" (1958) with June Lockhart opposite him as his wife Ruth and Jon Provost as Timmy.

In 1959, veteran character actor and comedian Andy Clyde was hired to play Cully Wilson, an elderly eccentric farmer and nature lover. When Timmy was scripted into many adventures with Cully, producers felt two adult males on the show would overwhelm the audience and Reilly was consigned to fewer appearances. His character's absence was attributed to workloads in distant fields, grange meetings, or business trips away from home.

As the eleventh season approached (1964), it was evident that young teenager Provost was outgrowing his role. Producers decided to rework the show and sent the entire Martin family to Australia where Paul would teach agriculture. Lassie remained in the States as companion to a team of forestry workers; the Martins were never seen, heard, or referenced again on the show.^[1] Reilly made his last appearance on Lassie in the first episode of the tenth season, "The Wayfarers" (1964). He had made a grand total of 140 episode appearances on the show.

[] Final years

Following his stint with Lassie, Reilly was offered the role of The Professor on Gilligan's Island but declined, preferring to spend time with his family and performing in theater.^[1] He worked television off and on through the seventies (appearing in The Edge of Night) and made final appearances in the early and mid-1980s. In his last years, he often joined Lassie co-star Jon Provost at fan conventions and autograph signings.