X-Large 36x60
No Laptops, No Cell Phones, No Problems
36x60 Oil on Canvas
The above is a working title. If I think of something better, I reserve the right to change it. 😁
alternate title: "Oh Look, We Missed the Last Boat to Givafukistan"
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Many thanks to IG: @kunack.us for allowing me to use their photo as a reference.
A Boy and His Boston (Be the Person Your Dog Thinks You Are)
36x60 Oil on Canvas
from my instagram post:
As has previously been established, I love dogs more than Scrooge McDuck loves money ... or more than Batman loves gadgets ... or even more than Shaggy & Scooby love Scooby Snacks ... (I could do this all day) ... so i was immediately drawn to this photo.
I also loved the Norman Rockwell-esque-ness of the image. Sentimental? Who, me? Pffft.
I decided to go big on this one ... 36" x 60". I really enjoy working large, though, I'm going to need a bigger table for varnishing. Oh ... and a bigger easel. And probably a bigger storage room to hold all my unsold paintings. 🙃 #artistproblems
Many, many thanks to @anonymousphotoproject for allowing me to use this magnificent found photo as a reference. 🙏
Large 36x36
A Day at the Museum with Dad (AKA Mom Needed a Break)
36x36 oil on canvas. Black frame.
from my instagram post:
When I first saw this reference photo, it reminded me of my dad, taking me and my brothers to museums when we were little. Mom generally didn't go. (Probably for reasons of sanity.)
I remember the first time we went to the Franklin Institute. It has a giant beating heart that you can walk thru. I learned so much from that exhibit! For example, I learned that I'm terrified of giant beating hearts!
(Google it. It's ghastly.)
The giant beating heart also acts as an experiment: It can tell you whether or not you have claustrophobia. Turns out, I do. Though whether or not I already had claustrophobia, or developed it by being inside an enclosed space with the theme song from Jaws playing loudly through speakers, science will never know. (Chicken/egg.)
I just wanted to enjoy a day at a museum without having a panic attack and being forced to face my own mortality ... was that too much to ask?
At the end of the day, my dad allowed me and my two brothers to each buy one thing from the gift shop. This, in turn, allowed the Franklin Institute to buy a whole new wing of exhibits.
Many thanks to @negative_recovery_project for allowing me to use their photo as a reference! 🙏💙
Large 24x36
First Rule of Summer Camp: There Are No Rules at Summer Camp
24x36 oil on cradled panel
original reference photo by Toni Frissel Library of Congress
When Your Husband Asks If You've Been Drinking
24x36 oil on cradled panel
Alternate Title:
That Friend Who Shares Your Wicked Sense of Humor: Priceless
Mutton Chops (Who Wore It Best, Martin VanBuren or This Guy?)
24x36 oil on panel
from my instagram post:
Sure, you can laugh now, but those mutton chops would have been smokin' hawt in Victorian England.
Who wore it best:
Martin Van Buren
Elvis Presley
Or this guy
I'm going with this guy.
My thanks to @houseofmirthphotos for allowing me to use their found photo as reference. House of Mirth Photos is a buyer and seller of vintage snapshots and photo albums for over 20 years. Follow them on Instagram, check out their website houseofmirthphotos.com or visit their gallery in Easthampton, Mass.
Sister Toss (The Game That's Only Fun if You're Not the Sister)
Sister Toss 24x36 oil on panel.
***
Many thanks to @anonymousphotoproject for allowing me to use their photo as a reference. "The Anonymous Project is dedicated to collecting and preserving mid-century colour slides from around the world. Started in 2017 by filmmaker Lee Shulman, the project brings to light Kodachrome memories of found amateur photographs, taken from the 1950s through to the 1980s."
Coney Island Cowboys
36x24 oil on board. Black Floater Frame
This painting is currently (Sept 18th - Oct 24th 2021) being shown at The Teresa Haag Studio & Gallery 2nd Anniversary Show in Phoenixville,PA.
https://www.teresahaag.com/anniversaryshow
Along with work from 6 other artists.
Original Instagram post:
"Coney Island Cowboys"
While scouring the interwebz for early color photos, I came across this image, and HAD to paint it. The structure in the background is the Parachute ride on Coney Island. My grandfathee used to paint that thing!
Back in the late 40s to early 60s, Grandpa had a painting contracting business, and one of his clients was the Steeplechase Park, (amusement park on Coney Island, New York). After school, my dad often helped paint all the buildings and rides in the park.
And they DEFINITELY used all the latest government regulated safety equipment.
And since there WAS NO government regulated safety equipment, Grandpa saved a lot of money. Yanno ... On safety equipment. (And thank goodness, because those race horses and card games weren't going to bet on themselves).
The original reference photo was used with permission from the Ruth Orkin Photo Archive. Many thanks to @ruthorkinphoto The photo was taken on Coney Island during the making of the film “Little Fugitive” (1953) which Orkin made with her husband Morris Engel. Ms. Orkin was an inspiring woman and an award-winning photojournalist & filmmaker. She worked for all the major magazines in 1940s (impressive). According to Google, she'd be 100 years old this year. Check out the original photo (and others) on her site:
OrkinPhoto.com
#coneyisland #newyork #earlycolorphoto #vintagephoto #oilpainting
Group Therapy
24x36 Oil on panel. Black Floater Frame.
This painting is currently (Sept 18th - Oct 24th 2021) being shown at The Teresa Haag Studio & Gallery 2nd Anniversary Show in Phoenixville, PA. https://www.teresahaag.com/anniversaryshow Along with work from 6 other artists.
From original Instagram post:
I've never met 'em ... but I KNOW these ladies.
What I love about painting these vintage photos is that they show us we are all connected through the thread of the past. And we're part of something continuous. They remind us that life is fleeting, but we can seize moments and feelings to keep what's vital from being lost.
(The content of the above paragraph has been bastardized/paraphrased/stolen and repurposed from the movie ~ "The Dig")
Many thanks to @Houseofmirthphotos for allowing me to use her photo as a reference.
#vintagephoto #vintage #vintagesyle #vintagefashion #oldphotos #foundphotos
#oilpainting #originalartforsale #art #womenartists
Medium 16x20, 18x18, 16x24
When Men Are Left Unsupervised
16x20 Oil on Panel. Black Floater Frame.
Many thanks to @secretlifeofnell for allowing me to use their photo as a reference!
I'm Telling Mom
16x20 Oil on Panel. Black Floater Frame.
Alternate title: Hello, 911? My Brothers Stole My Doll and They Won't Give Her Back
From my instagram post:
Hello, 911? My Brothers Stole My Doll and They Won't Give Her Back
16x20 oil on cradled panel
I know! It's a long title! I'm really bad at this, you guys.
Please submit better titles in comments. Winner gets ... um ... to name this painting. 😁 And also, my everlasting gratitude. 🙏
Many thanks to @secretlifeofnell for allowing me to use their photo as a reference!
Vodka. Happy Water for Fun People
24x16 oil over Lefranc & Bourgeois Flashe Vinyl Paint on cradled panel
When We Only Had One Pair of Shoes
18x18 oil over Lefranc & Bourgeois Flashe Vinyl Paint on cradled panel
Bob's Fancy Outdoor Kitchen
18x18 oil on panel.
from my instagram post:
His hot dogs bring all the girls to the yard.
Many thanks to FB: The Anonymous Photo Project
When Your BFF Is On Her Way to Start Some Shit
16x24 oil over Lefranc & Bourgeois Flashe Vinyl Paint on cradled panel
Fragile Like a Bomb
20x16 Oil on Canvas. Black Floater Frame.
From original Instagram post:
I almost called this one “No, She Will NOT Make You a Sandwich”, but my husband didn’t know what I was talking about. Which I guess is a good thing, since the phrase, “shut up and make me a sandwich” is something misogynist trolls say on the Internet, when a woman has an opinion.
The title “Fragile Like a Bomb” comes from the phrase: “Not fragile like a flower, fragile like a bomb.” By Frida Kahlo. At least, I think this was a Kahlo quote. I asked, but Google wasn't quite sure. It might have been RBG. I was unable to confirm because Google sent me down a rabbit hole of "strong women" memes, which I have lots of opinions about. Now, I can’t finish writing my thoughts about this painting, because I have to go pick a fight with a misogynist troll on twitter. Thanks a lot, Google.
The original image is a “found photo” in the collection of @houseofmirthphoto on Instagram. Many thanks to them for allowing me to paint their photo. The original was in black and white (which I love), but I decided to give this colorful lady some color.
Later in the Evening
18x24 oil on cradled panel
Many thanks to @secretlifeofnell for allowing me to use their photo for reference.
Small Retro, plus TV characters 5x7, 6x6, 8x8, 10x10, 12x7
A Smidge: The Exact Amount Of Soda To Add To Whiskey
8x8 oil on linen board, black floater frame
smidge /smij/ noun informal a very small amount or part
I think the title says it all.
Many thanks to IG: @secretlifeofnell for allowing me to use their found photo as reference!
The Corner Store
10x10 oil on panel, black floater frame
Did everyone grow up near a corner store? It seems like there’s always a corner store. How else would you get your Bazooka bubblegum?
Don’t get me started on Bazooka, which was about as chewy as a Chevy Chevette was fast, which is to say, the opposite of chewy.
Although really, Mary Jane candies had to be the worst. What they lacked in chewiness, they made up for in ghastly flavor. They really put the ASS in Molasses.
It was the kind of candy you’d eat if you wanted to remove a tooth filling without going to a dentist.
Damn near child abuse.
Many thanks to IG: @anonymousphotoproject for allowing me to use their found photo as reference!
Tiny Dictator And Servant
6x6 oil on panel
Life with a toddler, summed up in one image.
Alternate title: “The Turdler: A toddler who, when they have a poopy diaper, won’t let u change them.”
I once saw a meme that said having toddlers was like “raising a heavily caffeinated chimp allergic to sleep.” So while my husband and I never had children, my guess is, parenting is 90% chasing your kid around and 10% wishing they would just go away.
But what do we know? We recently adopted a six-year-old tiny tyrant we named Izzy, who is fifty percent rat terrier, fifty percent chihuahua and seventy-five percent chicken. (She’s also bad at math). She has terrible separation anxiety, so I’ve now become HER emotional support pet (Where do I need to go to get a certificate for this?)
Her previous owner died and her kids dropped Izzy off at a kill shelter in Kentucky. She can’t hear very well. Can’t see that great, and has a hard time learning new things. It’s like we’ve adopted a tiny me. Poor Fran.
Many thanks to IG: @anonymousphotoproject for allowing me to use their found photo as reference!
Awkward Prom Photo Time
I bet these two spent all week practicing their super sweet dance moves, like the mashed potato or the funky chicken …. All while hoping their crush was going to ask them to dance.
And I bet, when they slow danced, they had to remember to “leave room for Jesus!”
Flag on the play! Jesus has no business being in the middle of two middle schoolers slow dancing. (That’s creepy AF) Also, he has better things to do. Like giving people piggyback rides so there’s only one set of footprints in the sand.
Now, go sit in the bleachers and think about what you've done. Y’all are weird.
Let the awkward slow dancing begin!
Many thanks to IG: @dear.fran for allowing me to use their photo as a reference!
Before GoFundMe.com
6x6 oil on panel, black floater frame
We didn’t have crowdfunding platforms like gofundme or kickstarter when I was a kid.
We had a lawn mower and a rake.
I’m not a cranky old lady. YOU’RE a cranky old lady.
Okay. I AM a cranky old lady. And I’m embracing it. Currently, my Amazon shopping cart contains a beaded eyeglass chain, rhinestone reading glasses (ala Dame Edna), and some grandma stockings I can roll up to my knees.
I’m ready to start living my best life in pink slippers, a muumuu and no bra, 24/7.
Many thanks to IG: @negative_recovery for allowing me to use their photo as a reference!
Surely, Rum was Involved
10x10 oil on panel
Surely, rum was involved.
The original photo was black and white, but she looked like she needed some color. :)
Many thanks to @houseofmirthphotos for allowing me to use their photo as a reference
Batman (Adam West)
8x8 oil on panel. black floater frame
Who was the best Batman?
...
...
...
Trick question. It's Adam West.
Fight me.
Joker (Cesar Romero)
8x8 oil on panel. black floater frame
Cesar Romero wasn't my FAVORITE Joker ... I mean, the guy couldn't even get rid of his mustache for the part? Cheesus. I mean, Christian Bale ate one can of tuna and an apple a day to lose 63 pounds for his role in The Machinist, you'd think the least Cesar could do is shave his 'stache. Didn't anyone tell him, it'll grow back? Sheesh.
The best Joker is probably Heath Ledger, but if you said it's Joaquin Phoenix, I wouldn't fight you.
On the other hand! If you say it's Jared Leto, we can never be friends.