Sitting on a CLUE

Acrylic polymer emulsion on gessoed hardboard, 12 x 12"

Created- December 9-15, 2007, #141.

Just in time for Christmas, I bring you what I would have liked to see appear under our tree as a 10 year old. I spotted this Gumby & Pokey bendables in a gift shop in Cape-Breton, NS a few years back. I regretted not buying them at the time. With a credit card, you are only a click away to your heart's content, so I was able to order this dynamic duo on-line in their 50th anniversary packaging. Gumby was created by Art Clokey in 1955. He made his television debut on The Howdy Doody Show in 1956 and that same year had his own NBC Saturday morning TV series. The bendable toys were introduced in 1964. I remember watching many episodes in reruns during my childhood years. This painting is all about visual impact, color and surfaces. Never have there been so much lettering in one painting. My favorite part is the area surrounding the marble, which I decided to add after I had already started the painting.

Interesting TRIVIA-

-The Checkered Game of Life was invented in 1860 by Milton Bradley and the modern version was introduced for it's centennial year in 1960.

-Clue was invented in Great Britain in 1948. Outside of North America, it is known as Cluedo.
-It takes 1440 still-frame pictures to make 1 minute of clay animation. re: Gumby

-Click on this link to go down memory lane for a 1960's commercial of 'The game of Life" .

-private collection

"Comfort & Joy" group show at the Fog Forest Gallery

The last four postings on this Blog, Study for Summer of '69 (sold), June Blooms in a Red Glass (sold), Cat's Eyes on Cat's Eye (sold) and Cherries in Colander (sold) are on display in a group show entitled, Comfort & Joy at the Fog Forest Gallery, in Sackville New Brunswick until the end of December. The Fog Forest Gallery is located at 14 Bridge Street in beautiful Sackville,NB.

Cherries in Colander

Acrylic on gessoed hardboard, 6 x 6"

Painted- Oct. - Dec. 8, 2007, #140.

These type of Bing cherries, with a shiny skin, deep saturated color have a very meaty & juicy interior. Along with cultivated blueberries, are my favorite small fruits. During the month of June, we vacationed in beautiful British Columbia. During this period they were in season in the Okanagan Valley. We often stopped at road-side vendors or country store to buy some. When we got back home, Costco were selling them, I think in 5 lbs clear containers. Anyway, during this period I ended up eating many, many pounds.

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Visually, they also seem to be "objet de désir" for other Blog artists as well. Michael Naples, Jelaine Faunce, Mick McGinty, M. Collier, Otto Lange, Justin Claytor, John Beder, Terry Wagner, Paul Wolber and the incomparable Neil Hollingsworth & Linda Lucas Hardy are but a few who have examined these type of cherries and other varieties in which there are about one hundred. In my version, they are in our backyard in a small colander, sitting there in a large white serving bowl, waiting for me to eat them....YUM!

-private collection

Cat's Eyes on Cat's Eye

Acrylic polymer emulsion on gessoed hardboard, 12 x 12"

Painted - Nov. 19 - Dec. 5, 2007, #139.

This painting is part of an on-going series that celebrates authors in a visual way. In the past, I've explored imagery with books by noted Canadian authors as Carol Shields and Yann Martel. I read Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood in 1989, and it remains one of my favorite books. This work of fiction tells the story of painter Elaine Risley who is returning to Toronto for a retrospective of her work, the city where she was born and fled after her first divorce. She becomes obsessed with events from her childhood, adolescence, past relationships with men, friends and family she left behind. It is a brilliant introspective novel filled with humor, compassion and wisdom.

The cover art was done to reflect one of the paintings (Unified Field Theory) that is part of her show as described in the book . This illustration is by Jamie Bennet. The figure on the book cover is the Virgin of Lost Things. She holds an over sized cat's eye marble at her heart level. The title for this painting actually came to me before I actually did the photo study for the painting, here again it's a play with words.

Margaret Atwood is regarded both by the public and critics as one of Canada's literary treasures. She has been awarded the Man Booker prize for her novel The Blind Assassin, the Giller prize for Alias Grace and the Governor General Award for Handmaid's Tale. Cat's Eye was a finalist for both the Governor General and the Man Booker prize. Mrs. Atwood lives in Toronto.

-private collection