Friday's the Last.......

I am getting a lot of use from the free recycled shelf.  Every item has a story and I will spare you most of them.  The sugar bowl was painted with gold trim by one of my wife's relatives who did china painting.  She gave us the sugar and creamer as a wedding present back in 1984.  I can not believe how perfect the gold bands are painted on them. The woman taught china painting to many people including one of my former art students.  That student paints sinks and toilets with wildlife scenes or other decorations and ships them everywhere.

I am sliding into a "down on the farm" theme now as I noticed things to photograph last night.  Most things were paintings that had barns in them. I painted this many years ago in oil and I still like it.  The starkness makes it seem more like an abstract painting of flat shapes showing textures caused by weathering.

Two prints sitting in the gallery are of a painting I did quite a while back.  The barn is a Minnesota barn that I pulled from a photo out of Minnesota Sunday newspaper.  It was a black and white photo and I translated it into color.  I think the two cows are the only cows I have ever painted even though cows seem to be popular right now in the art world.

The larger original barn painting hangs in the gallery back with the  company of other works.  The boys are in pastel portrait form from when the graduated in high school.  Andy at the top and Aaron is at the bottom.  Andy turned 40 the other day and Aaron turned 37 a week ago. If you know things about me much you know that my wife did the portraits.  That is her thing. She painted them in individual portraits when we were first married.  They were wearing their matching pinstriped suits that they wore at the wedding.

Yes, it is more of a silo and shed scene.  It hangs in a home in California. It was purchased a few years back.

Another red barn which is a smaller prairie style barn. It reminds me of a scene that could be seen in Iowa but it always reminds me of Nebraska.

Having been a farm boy I think it strange that neither my son nor my grandson will never know what the family farm life was like.   My dad and mom sold their farm and moved to town in 1974.  Andy was born that next year.  I do know that Andy and Aaron both remembers his grandpa as always wearing his tractor pants.

I am in the special education room today tending to needs of students with questions. I am glad it is Friday and look forward to the weekend. We are going to be stocking up for the next snow storm that is impending.  Everyone take care and thanks for stopping by today.