Now

Artists I'm often looking at now...

Then

Before I went to art school I had already done a tremendous amount of reading on artists and their art. It is amazing how one's tastes change. All in all I still find elements of my first favorites showing up in my work. Although my tastes have deepened and changed over the years I still admire the work of those early heroes.

Just Thought You Needed To See This

My favorite Halloween costume...several years ago as a midget merchant marine sailor!

Robin

The writer at her desk...(taking a break to pose fetchingly)

Mel Spillman

Congratulations to Mel on the Koeppel interview in the Commercial Appeal, April 7, 2006.
I've always loved Pier Angeli. Who can resist such a tragic figure with eyes like that?

Click Mel Spillman above to link to the article!

Knowles' Meer Review

Well, no sooner do I complain about Carol Knowles' reviews than she actually writes a decent one. This one is of Kurt Meer's show at L. Ross Gallery. I have to say, I've never liked Kurt's work. He's very talented, technically, but his work is so derivative! Anyway, Knowles loved it of course and I'm sure he's laughing all the way to the bank.
Even though this review was much more serious and more informative, I never trust a critic's judgement who loves everything.

Dwayne Butcher Review

Congratulations, Dwayne on the write up in the Memphis Flyer. Check it out in issue #899, May,18-May, 24, 2006.

Carol Knowles wrote a very positive review (which the show deserves) but I wish that she would take art and the artists she covers a bit more seriously. Phrases like "...and asks us to soar as fast and as high as we can," are so sugary, insipid, and pandering that they do a serious painter like Butcher a disservice. I'm not saying Dwayne doesn't have a sense of humor about his work---he may or may not---but Knowles should be able to convey the spirit of the work and the artist's point of view without light headed phrases.

I recall a review in the defunct Gamut, where she spent a good two paragraphs describing how she'd like to climb inside one of David Hall's collages and,"... dissolve into the corals and taupes that color..." etc, etc.

It's not only Carol though. A local writer named Beam, here in St. Augustine, interviewed me before my show last February and used many painful phrases like,"...colors that dance unbiddenn across the canvas..." Ugh!


I always appreciate a good review, especially of my own work, but is it too much to ask that they be intelligently written as well?

Anyway, go see Supermandamnfool !

Eleven Hours to Memphis...Eleven Hours Back

This last weekend I had to go up to Memphis to retrieve the rest of the paintings from the Material show last January. Dale and Kristin were nice enough to hold onto them for me all this time.
So, Robin decided to take a couple of days off and we made a very short trip of it! We stayed with Amanda and Paul and Virginia and Victor! Even though we did not have much time at all it was great to see everyone! Finally got to sit down and talk with Dwayne "Memphis' Own" Butcher and his fiancee and I was able to trade Emily one of my paintings for a really nice piece from her last show @ Automatic Slim's.

I think my next trip before, Vermont, will be back to TX to see Bri and Aubrey we want to visit while Robin's mom is there and we still need to get up to Eureka Springs---it's been forever since we've visited my folks there.

!!!People on the great list who've visited us here in FL!!!

Mom and Lew, Bri and Aubrey, Bob and Deb

!!People on the good list who say they will visit us soon!!

Dale and Kristin, Dwayne and Gadsby, Amanda and Paul, Emily, Sioban and John

The rest of you get busy planning your trip---you know who you are!

Still Working...

Still working from the drawings I did in Texas...
this one's 48"x50", My (Blue) Lord.