Flashback Friday

At one time I painted a lot.  This was before the Internet, fantasy baseball and during budding families.  Sometimes I needed to get away.  I could find a corner somewhere, close a door and get a few brush strokes in.  Now, it seems harder and harder to find the time.

I've trashed some that were just plain embarrassing, some I've given away, and some I've kept.  Today's Flashback features a few that are in repository somewhere in Northlandia.  By repository I mean stashed in storage.  Some are OK, some bad, but all early examples of an untrained, home pseudo-artist.  

Must have been one of my darker moods.  By the way, I love dark moods.  It enhances my feelings.  Besides, without the dark...you know the rest.  Actually, this one isn't bad.  I'd change the light in the windows, though if I had a choice.  Maybe one candle in one window.  

"Hey, Kid, you're about to get swept out into a rip tide!"  This is a lousy one.  That kid is way too close to a big wave, and the dog wouldn't sit in water watching while his Master is about to die.  Early and lousy.  And what's with the splotches?  There is a chemistry to oil paint.  Apparently at this point I didn't have it quite down yet.

There was a large photograph in the garage at the old homestead in Seaton of the folk's first dog Sandy.  They had her posed on steps.  I think I wanted to memorialize that a bit with this painting of some dogs posed the same way.  I liked the clapboard and the open window is kind of cool, and overall the dogs are done OK, so I kind of like it.   

I liked doing houses for people.  I did a few through the years - people like an oil of their home, and even did a commission of one in Altona once.  Made a hundred bucks off that one. This looks more plein air; something you'd whip out in an hour on site rather than studio.  Don't remember much else about this one.  Probably could have been trashed.   

As you can tell I tried all types of stuff and never did do one type of painting.  Ecumenical Mike, that's what they call me at the Louve.  This one is a fairly decent early work.  I like how they call this stuff work, when it's anything but, right?  It's not like it's comparable to real work like bailing hay or driving a truck for the Three Amigos.  

I even thought at one point how it might be nice to do commission stuff for people.  It would have been nice to supplement my income a bit.  Painting houses could have been something but then it becomes work.  Once you cross that line you better be prepared for a whole different approach to facing an empty canvas.    

So, there you have it.  Some paintings from the past that come back to haunt.  Not particularly good, but it certainly shows a breadth of topics.  An artist in search of an idea.  Hmmm.  Wonder if he ever found it?