Picolino's Jester

On Sunday we went to lunch @ Picolinos, an Italian restaurant in my neighborhood.  While dining there I noticed a picture of a jester next to us.  I was inspired by its harlequin pattern, and thought I would give it a try. I had a piece of canvas and used my daughter's water colors for this piece.

Eleven

What do you give your wife for your 11th wedding anniversary?   Yeah, I had a hard time with this one.  If your wife is anything like mine, she has more jewelry and handbags that she will ever be able to use in a lifetime.  So, I have been thinking for a while about a dark grey wall with a bright green tree sprayed on it.  I transferred the idea to a canvas. I have also been playing around with this Faux Bois technique.  So I thought I would combine the two and came up with this idea.  I put the 11 on the tree like one would carve the initials of there lover in a tree to symbolize there everlasting love.  So,  this was my gift to my wife for putting up with me for 11years.  OH, and jewelry....

Annies Organic Rabbit

recently I was interested in a painting technique called Faux Bois (from the French for false wood) refers to the artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media.  I have been thinking of how I could use this in an interesting way. I raided the Garage for this project. It consists of the following

3 Parts House Paint
1 Part Graffiti
1 Part Martha Stewart - Faux Bois Kit
1 Part Annie's Organic Bunnies -One of Lulu's favorite snacks.

Magnolia Seed Pod

I painted this painting as a gift to my wife several years ago.  Every time we would go for a walk and pass by a Magnolia tree my wife would want to stop and look for and collect a seed pod.  Often I would have to pick the perfect one out of a tree.  I was getting tired of all the seed pods lying around the house.  So, I thought of the perfect solution.  I would paint a picture of one of my wife's favorite things and eliminate the pod hunting and gathering.  Not one of my favorites, but my wife greatly appreciated it.

Girl With the Giraffe

 I was inspired by a trip my wife and I took to the San Diego Wild Animal Park when we lived in San Diego.  They have an area where you an feed the giraffes.  I was also thinking of a Scripture from Genesis 1:28 "Further, God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.”"  With those inspirations I thought that a little girl being able to feed a giraffe an apple as part of her day, seemed like paradise.

I painted this painting years before I had a daughter.  One of my daughter favorite animals if the giraffe, or "raffe", as she calls them.  My favorite part of this painting is the Girls shoes, and the sky.