Grand Theatre Thank You Card

Thank you card and wishlist to the Grand Theatre management and staff for countless hours of silver screen film school this past year with a tremendous selection of post-Covid retro galore. Usually I’m the only kid in class. But last night there was a three-hundred and fifty pound man who fell asleep early into Ridley Scott’s “Alien.” Needless to say, had we been aboard the Nostromo, he’d have been the first to go. Fingers crossed for the Sergio Leone trilogy...and would it kill ya to play Katsuhiro Otomo’s “Akira.”

Berryton Ranch greenhouse gutter with flue — September 30, 2011

Berryton Ranch greenhouse gutter with flue, September 30, 2011. Some of my fondest memories at the farm are reading, writing and drawing in the south side greenhouse at the Kansas cattle ranch. I converted the 10’ x 20’ limestone walled, concrete floored and curved glass ceiling sunroom into an art studio with saw horses and plywood tabletop. I surrounded myself with dense vegetation including African water lilies that bloomed once a summer. A continuous nurturing of creative pursuit — absorbing art and design books through Topeka’s interlibrary loan, plein-air landscape painting near the Wakarusa River and time to reflect while watering potted plants with handmade ceramic ware from college — blessed me with a lifelong love of artistic development I am grateful for.

THE ICE-CHEF COMETH

“The general rule of ice sculpture” says Minneapolis chainsaw carver, Trevor Pearson “is to be as aggressive as possible.” Trevor is as fast with a joke as he is with a filed-raker blade saw. “How do you know when it’s finished?” I ask. “When my arms are too tired” he says with a ‘Minnesota-Nice’ smile. “You must be flexible by innovating tools.” He points to a dolly he welded handles on to act as legs for a flat plywood table when laid down. “Order custom made tools” he says explaining a retired CNC machinist turned virtuoso Alaskan ice sculptor who threads rotary tool heads each with a unique purpose including — rosco bits, end mills, cone burrs and rotary knives. Trevor brushes crystals off the forty-inch tall ice chef after three hours of carving. He pulls off his saucer glove, shakes my hand and says “I better hit the road...”

When I think of certified Reiki Master, Crissy McGillis, in Jackie’s Wellness Spa, downtown Williston, North Dakota, I don’t think of holistic healing vibrations transmitted through a laying on of hands originating a hundred years ago by Japanese spiritual monk, Mikao Usui, meaning “Universal Life Energy.” Instead, I think of the Okinawa Karate master, Mr. Miyagi, furiously rubbing his hands together then clasping Ralph Macchio miraculously healing an illegal kick to the knee before returning for the final fight against the leader of the ruthless Cobra Kai gang, Johnny Lawrence, in the 1984 coming of age classic “The Karate Kid.” Despite my knowledge of an Eastern healing art limited to 80’s Hollywood drama; I’m excited to barter five 7” x 14” acrylic canvases painted with Reiki symbol and translation, framed with Minwax coco bean stain on 1” x 2” treated pine strips run through a table saw displayed in Crissy’s parlor, in exchange for massage sessions. I hope by means of touch, channeled energy activates natural healing processes restoring physical well-being where I’d feel good enough to take on the whole Cobra Kai gang myself. Or at the very least have Johnny Lawrence hand me the tournament trophy and say, “You’re great.”

Jen's Mask

Tattoo brush and ink design drawn from life based on a handmade Italian mask gifted from a US soldier to his daughter.

Firefighter Muralist

West Fargo (Horace suburb) mural pitch inspired by pop art giant, Roy Lichtenstein, of a 1996 yellow five-seater Freightliner FL80 (sketched at fire station) dousing the flames of the Williston, North Dakota old Methodist parsonage (sketches from curb) built in 1915 — where I resided a month upon arrival three winters ago.

Photos and commission by the first full-time salaried West Fargo Fire Chief, James Herrmann — five year Williston resident — who played a good sport and let me don jacket and helmet from 1957.

Henry Matisse Study Sketch at the Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, Kansas

HENRY MATISSE (1869-1954) — contemplating his large reclining nude oil painting in 1935. Based on a woodblock print by Paul B. Arnold born in Shansi Province, China, 1918.

At twenty-one, recovering from appendicitis, Matisse’s mother gave Henry a set of paints to keep him amused — with these he discovered what he later called a “kind of paradise.” He gave up law to study art in Paris becoming one of the most influential painters of the 20th century, as well as a brilliant theatre designer and illustrator.

This master copy sketch is achieved with water-soluble graphite pencil, angle brush and distilled water. Photoshop filters added for effect.

Jiu-Jitsu Sideline Sketches

Jiu-Jitsu practice sketches from sideline to better understand life-drawing poses. Little time is allowed to capture the gesture as the model quickly moves. A pencil scribble is immediately drawn with loose outline and action-line of spine to capture the thrust of the body in motion. Quick glances at the paper to see where you are and back up on the model are ideal. The haphazard gesture sketches are taken to the art table where guessing is done to complete the figure with a .7 mm drawing pen. Brushed india ink with a 1/4” angle brush conveys thick to thin line action. Gouache is added to color the piece separating the people from the background. The key to improved drawing from most how-to books is “draw from life.” This is a study in that mode of thought.

Leonardo Da Vinci meets Ellsworth Kelly

A Leonardo Da Vinci “Pop Car” giclee print mailed to Glasgow, Montana with a technicolor matteboard scrap collage photoshoot.

Vincent Van Gogh

Portrait illustration based on an oil painting by John Peter Russell, 1886. Mixed media — color pencil on legal paper overlaid with black drawing pen, brushed india ink, Prismacolor marker and gouache. Inspired by reading of Pulitzer Prize winning authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith’s “Van Gogh The Life.”

Sketches from Bismarck, North Dakota

I drove to Bismarck to deliver the forty illustrations for the Pop Cars art show to the University of Mary Gallery Director, Marek Djos. I spent that night sketching in a pub and the following day at the Capitol Building.