Impressionism Art Deco Vintage Art
Happy Hour I painted this when Mary Jane and I lived in Florida. There was electricity in the air at Sheppard's smorgasboard in Clearwater Beach. Sometimes people would wait for about an hour to be seated here.
The place was always packed and the band played by the waterfront where people danced. After a few drinks, I was walking sideways...maybe I had a little too much crab legs from the 'All you can eat' buffet! Good thing I have total recall of these hot and saucy days.
Crystal Cleopatra I used a lot of artistic license in portraying the legendary Cleopatra.
Here, I explored the crystalline effects that I developed after a good bit of experimentation. It was inspired by exquisite Florentine mosaics that I studied for hours in the Gilbert Collection.
The art deco stylization is more complex than traditional art deco designs which are quite streamlined---but my kind of art deco is also inspired by elaborately carved art deco bronze sculptures.
Native 'Magic mushrooms...last call for magic mushrooms!'
Well, with a basket that big up on her head, they've better be mushrooms. We don't want her to whine all day now. She does speak the native tongue you know, and some of it is foul.
I painted the entire canvas with a palette knife. I had so much fun with this technique because the buttery oil colors remained as intense as they were rich in texture. Impasto painting is a virile way to paint. That's not a knife mate, this is a knife!
