Elect Joe

  Bringing new thoughts in my sketchbook into the sight of my eyes is often fun and a refreshing change from the tedious palette and brushwork I do everyday.    This is one of my fun sketches that I've done with the feel of our election process.



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What Has Worked;

Hut for a Blue Tractor and a Red Grass-Cutter

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     Many of these farm structures that I live around out here in Central Virginia near Lovingston are made from wood that has been recycled from earlier farm buildings.   I am almost certain that a lot if it may just go back to the early days of European settlers locating here in Schuyler.   One can just take a quick look and even without carbon-dating one can see that the wood is old and weathered by the elements.   It is very heavy older hardwood that these folks used in making their farm structures.   One can also see how the buildings were shaped for the needs of the farm at a time and then torn down but not discarded but reused again for another purpose..   The sizes of the buildings are small.   They may house one farm implement or two but they are not like those northern Atlantic barns that have lofts and large areas for animals, these buildings are built to suite a single purpose and generally aren'...
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Concepts; Draw, Draw, Draw

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Another day worth living and appreciating all those who continue to make it possible for me to be free and enjoy my life in all it's expressions. Much is done in my life as an artist and I often hear artist relate to the fact that there ability could thrive as it does without a good basis in drawing. And so I have taken on drawing as all so important part of my life working in art, as well as the business end which is often overlooked; I work with my gallery in taking on work that allows them to steer me in one direction or another. Because today I can put faith in another's outside point of view and take it for what it's worth...either taking it up or not, it's still helpful to listen to it and then decide if it's doable or not. But often ideas of mine stem from my idle drawings which come from deep within. It's all good, I enjoy myself whether I'm working on someone else's ideas or some of my own. I put as much quality as I can into either ...
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The Guadalajara Restaurant To Come Down

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A staple for any of us who lived in the downtown Charlottesville area during the past two decades has been the restaurant "Guadalajara". It was a hamburger joint run by some drug happy folks who would be glad to give you a free burger for buying something not on the menu. They gave away their profits I think, I don't know this to be fact though but it sure seemed like they ate up all their profits to me. The restaurant went under in short order (sorry about the pun but..), and this group of gangling seemingly Mexican folks took over the place. They decorated it up with some funky artwork and a new color scheme taken from the colors of the Mexican flag, then on top of that they named it after a Mexican town. Fancy that! After visiting it and enjoying the huge cocktails they sold I actually found myself enjoying the food. They weren't much on spices but they did fill the plate in (what was to me) unique and satisfying way. Tacos, Enchiladas and burritos wer...
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Scottsville's Smaller Shops

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A small town nearby is Scottsville, it was the main avenue to Richmond via longboat in the days of Jefferson. The place is struggling to survive now a days with a advent of superhighways and fast moving cars. People drive right through the place and cars seldom stop into the businesses located in that small town. Its only twenty miles south of Charlottesville on Rt 20. The town possesses a literary coffee shop, an Italian restaurant and other businesses of interest to a visitor from the outter reaches of the Universe. I liked this little image I put into paint of the hodgepodge of small stores located near the city hall (the last building on the right hand side). Its really a charming town.
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Ryan's Passing

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With the passing of a good student of mine in a rather sudden and unexpected manner, my life is on a pause cycle for the moment. I'm assessing the life I have and I see where the gifts are and how the gifts are ongoing in this process of what we call Recovery. I'm not sure how or why but life does go on no matter what, and we are only a small part of a group of people with whom we interact. Life does continue with us or without. But the people we touch do take the time to remember us if we and when we leave them. This I know. So it is that I remember a student I had named Ryan. I will occasionally stop and think well of he and I. People live, people die and people move on, but while we are here we can try to make a good impact on our friends, fellow travelers, students and co-workers, I think I enjoy letting on what has worked best for me in life's activities with my students perhaps best of all. But it comes in as a close second to making a painting onsite...
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