Sunday, September 18, 2011

Jersey Salt


Here's a painting I'm working on for Shazza's Sister Show. I am using her wonderful photography for inspiration. The sky is a little trippy but I like it.

This is definitely the landscape of my childhood as we were surrounded by the salt marsh. We used to call it the meadows. I used to play in it, sinking into the oozy mud while I hunted for terrapins and salamanders. When I was a pre-teen, I used to ride a painted Chincoteague pony down the sandy road to the Seaview docks. During the summer I set my crab traps over the Patcong Creek bridge and waited for my prey. As I got a bit older the sandy marsh roads led to "smoking" spots. When the marsh froze you could walk on the footpaths away from civilization. Small fires were built. Beer cans dropped by underage drinkers littered the ground.

It wasn't until I moved away that I realized the beauty of the salt marsh. I am glad that it is now protected. The osprey have returned. The place holds all sorts of memories for me. Some pleasant, some terrifying. I remember the smell of low tide.

As I look at it on my monitor it looks different than the painting. I added some new purple to the sky and now I realize that I should not have. I was trying to go for complementary color drama. I have to clean up a few stray marks here and there.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Flood Zone

Well the weather gods are at it again. A stalled weather system funneled 7-8 inches of rain through central Pennsylvania over the last couple of days.

I did get an unexpected day off. Luckily my house is not in a flood plain. I did cross through a boundary and I drove through a water covered road last night. Normally I wouldn't do it, but the little VW ahead of me went through so I thought my bitchen mini-van would make it.

Hershey Park is underwater. Unfortunately they had to euthanize two buffalo (American bison) that were caught in a flash flood.

Major interstates are closed including I-81 and the Pennsylvania turnpike. It is pretty serious. This stalled weather system is causing more damage than Hurricane Irene last week.

The good news is that I spent the day painting. I have the preserved farmland trust exhibit coming up.

I hope everyone is staying dry.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

If you need another reason to boycott McDonald's


Captured from a friend. I knew there was something about McDonald's food.
If you need another reason to not eat this shit, here it is.

Sorry, I've not been posting. First couple of weeks of school with all new classes! I'm a bit busy but I love you all.