South Philly Girl, January

graphite on paper
6.75"x7.5"
sold

I was intrigued with the alert pose of this child, watching some aspect of the Mummers parade.

Working in graphite this past week has made me realize how much I miss drawing. I'd like to spend at least one day a week drawing from now on- in a way it clears my head and is a nice change from the goop of paint- and then painting is nicer to come back to after a break. My brushes have arrived so I'll get out the palette.

Study of a Waitress

graphite on paper
7"x7"
sold

Out of brushes, I spent the day on a study for a painting. This woman is a waitress at Philadelphia's busy Reading Terminal Market, pausing to write down an order midst a constant stream of people.

My brushes have been getting more and more fudgy, so I threw them all away after my last painting. Shortly after that my camera died. No camera, no brushes- I took this as a sign to take a break from art for a few days.  The camera I ordered arrived yesterday, but I'm still waiting for the brushes.

I've been using Utrecht series 214 and 215 brights and rounds since...well, since the 80s. I love them- well, I HAVE loved them- like a second set of fingers, until the Utrecht representative told me over the phone that they are "not making them anymore". I've ordered some 239s, and I sure hope they'll work well- does anyone care to share what their favorite brush is? I'd love to hear!

Lone Mummer on Broad Street

oil on panel
7"x7"
bid

I could subtitle this "Man in a Dress". I'm finished with my paintings that are based on the Philadelphia 2012 Mummer's Parade. This one caused me some grief, but I'm not unhappy with the end result.

I'm planning on beginning a series of paintings without figures- simple street scenes in my hometown of Perkasie that I finish up in a day or two at most.

Dancing in the Light, Art Museum Steps

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oil on panel
6"x6"
sold
Here is a girl dancing in delight at being allowed to play on the art museum steps while her caregivers wait patiently. I like painting detailed subjects on small panels because it encourages me to simplify.

City Child

oil on board
7"x7"
purchase

A little blond-haired waifish girl on a crowded city sidewalk struck my fancy.

Parade Watchers

oil on board

6"x6.5"

purchase

This little girl is full of anticipation as the Mummers Parade draws near. To me, a parade is a metaphor for the way we all get caught up in the busyness, flashiness and constant motion of modern life. Time for a poem to drive my point home!

The Parade

By Billy Collins

How exhilarating it was to march

along the great boulevards

in the sunflash of trumpets

and under all the waving flags—

the flag of ambition, the flag of love.

So many of us streaming along—

all of humanity, really—

moving in perfect step,

yet each lost in the room of a private dream.

How stimulating the scenery of the world,

the rows of roadside trees,

the huge curtain of the sky.

How endless it seemed until we veered

off the broad turnpike

into a pasture of high grass,

headed toward the dizzying cliffs of mortality.

Generation after generation,

we keep shouldering forward

until we step off the lip into space.

And I should not have to remind you

that little time is given here

to rest on a wayside bench,

to stop and bend to the wildflowers,

or to study a bird on a branch—

not when the young

are always shoving from behind,

not when the old keep tugging us forward,

pulling on our arms with all their feeble strength.