I suffer from severe depressive disorder, bipolar 1, bipolar 2, and complex PTSD, as well as the after effects of six strokes, 50 TIAs, and a seizure or two. The COVID quarantine did not help matters. I, like several of my artist friends, found myself severely blocked. During a time, when one would think we could be free from social distractions to spend more time producing art, instead, almost nothing.
An artist friend in Georgia proposed an exchange. She asked me to paint Hollyhocks and mail it to her. In exchange, she would send me one of her paintings. We did not discuss what she would paint for me.
This painting is on a piece of canvas drop-cloth that I stretched on 11″ x 36″ bars. I had attempted to paint three other paintings on this canvas over the last year. Since this is only one plant, I hope she won’t be disappointed. Technically, it is not “hollyhocks”, but just a lonely hollyhock.
She is very pleased with it! Her name is Suzane Jordan Carty. She painted a lovely 8″ x 10″ abstract painting and a ~3″paper mache’ nest with three small paper mache’ eggs. They are faintly iridescent.
This painting is an extreme close-up of a small Virginia Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) blossom. It is one of 75 species in the Spiderwort genus. It is native to the East coast of the US. It is a beautiful, and easy to grow and maintain addition to just about any garden in Pennsylvania. The bees and butterflies will thank you for it. I painted this on four 14″ x 14″ panels with 2″ gaps. Perhaps it mimics the effect of viewing the blossom through the window of a tiny dollhouse.
The painting comes with Command strips affixed and instructions for hanging.
When Dave was 20 and Betty was 25, sometime in 1944, David Reber asked Betty Michael to marry him. She said yes. They were married in February of 1945. This painting is based on the photo Dave’s mom and dad, Ruth and Ferdinand, took of them in their living room, to mark their engagement. They had three daughters: Susan, Bethann, and Meg (short for Margaret). Bethann is my wife. I could write a book about these people, but they have always been rather private. I will say this. They were the absolute best grandparents we could have hoped for for our girls. Betty had been disabled by a severe stroke when Bethann and Meg were still in grade school, and Susan took over the household chores and a lot of looking after them. But Betty always had a listening ear and a fun song at the ready. She was the youngest sister to five older brothers and a sister, in a Welsh, steel mill family. Some of the songs she knew were drinking songs that were rather mischievous. Dave & Susan raised goats and chickens, and all kinds of vegetables on their 2-1/2 acre lot, to provide them and us with wonderful food! Our girls got to learn all about gardening and processing food. We all have memories of shelling peas with Betty. It is hard to say just a little.
David & Betty were not perfect. Nobody is. But I so admired Dave for how he never, ever considered leaving. He worked hard. He was thrifty. He and I did things to cars together that were well beyond our skill levels. We learned. Sometimes we learned to hire professionals. But I can say I have rebuilt a car engine in a freezing cold barn and heard a Baptist deacon swear in ways that I have never heard any other man swear. Good times!
They were good, loving, faithful, and honorable people. We miss them.
This painting is acrylic on 16″ x 20″ stretched canvas. The edges are painted black, so framing is not necessary.
Price: $150 plus postage.
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This started out as a pair of Miss Jessie daylily blossoms blooming next to our driveway. I photographed them, then tweaked the photo in Photoshop. Then I mirrored the image and inverted the colours. After that, I arranged them checkerboard fashion and added two green borders. This was then museum quality printed on canvas. which I stretched over a handcrafted frame. I made a sleek, modern frame of poplar and coated it with multiple layers of black lacquer, then varnish. This is my favourite daylily! If you look closely, you can even see a tiny insect on one of the petals.
It is named for Andy Warhol, as it is an homage to his Marilyn Monroe serigraphs and Campbell Soup Cans. I never appreciated them from seeing them in books and magazines. I saw them in person at a museum on the University of Minnesota campus around 1990. they were breathtaking, in person! This is why my website is named what it is! Art IS always better in person. Buy some. Take it home.
Overall dimensions are 26″ x 26″ x 2″.
Price: $350reduced to $150 plus postage
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There are many species of finches and many varieties and subspecies within those species. Many times one will see a brightly colored bird that doesn’t seem to belong. And one finds out it doesn’t. It is an escaped pet, hybrid finch.
Goldfinches seem to be plentiful in this area. I believe that is largely due to the revival of the popularity of planting native flowers, and the understanding of the need for native plants in the life-cycle of birds, insects and bees. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, North America was losing its bird population at the alarming rate of an average of 5% each year. By around 2011, the trend was reversed and birds started to recover. This happened as people planted more natives, reduced lawn areas and increased planting areas, reduced or eliminated the use of pesticides and herbicides after educating themselves about the benefit of living in the ecosystem not off of it.
Goldfinches are beautiful and are capable of several songs. We are regularly visited by our yellow friends in our yard in Perkasie. This painting is based on an experience I had in June 2016 at our house on Front St., Souderton, shortly after my open heart surgery to replace my damaged aortic valve with a pig valve. I had just exited our house and was passing the front “garden”, a jumble of native plants and weeds. I was moving slowly. A male goldfinch landed on one of the many Echinacea that were in bloom. He was within arm’s length of me. He tilted his head and looked at me; then he began to sing. He went through all of his repertoire, then it seemed as if he turned to me again for a response. I said, “Thank you, Mr. Goldfinch!” He nodded and flew off, It was a magical moment, like something from one of those classic Disney movies.
For Valentine’s Day, this year, I painted on 6″ x 6″ stretched canvasses for each of our five grandchildren. It was not planned this way, but as it turned out, they all have purple or lavender in them. They say purple is the most provocative of colors. I think it is fun. These paintings have been well received on Facebook. Here goes!
Asters, etc.
“Asters, etc.” is for Brigitta, age 9. She loves green and is a very good, abstract artist in her own right (better than me). In art, anyway, I find it hard to break free from physical reality. This is a freestyle interpretation of asters, with a couple of undefined, red weed flowers blooming, above the jumble of mixed foliage below.
Goldfinch with pulple coneflowers
“Goldfinch” is for Elijah, age 9. He loves it! It is based on a photograph I had taken through the front door window of our house on Front Street. It was the same goldfinch who had serenaded me at arm’s length while I paused on my morning walk just after my open heart surgery.
Lavender Sunflower
My painting for Isabella is of a sunflower, but with lavender petals. When she saw it, she said, “Poppop, you are a genius!” I surmise she likes it.
Bizaro Skittles
Jacob’s 11th birthday is next week. He wants a cat. His dad does not want any more animals in addition to his three sons in the house. So I painted him “Bizaro Skittles.” It is a portrait of my cat, mirrored, in purple and pale green.
yes!
“yes!” is for our 12-year-old grandson Aidan. I wrote around the sides: “Even when the answer is No, it says YES! I love you. 2 Corinthians 1:19”
It came to me that he is of the age and temperament that he needs to hear this. When his parents or other adults tell him no, it is not because they don’t want him to have fun, it is because they love him and want him to have a long and happy life. I explained this to him when I gave him the painting. He gave me a huge, tight, long hug-of-war hug.
It was sometime in the second half of the 1980s. I was Mennonite Chaplain for Philadelphia Prisons. Duncan Mbogo Wangigi, the head of Regions Beyond Christian Mission was visiting our church. He had some free time. I was assigned to “entertain” him. I had the task of picking up an ex-offender from Phila. House of Corrections to take him to Liberty House, the aftercare house I helped set up in Schwenksville, PA. Duncan headed up the largest African based, Christian mission agency. He was in the US to continue his theological education. I thought this was a colossal mistake. He had finished his course work, so was doing some fundraising work for his mission agency. We drove from Montgomery County down to Center City to pick up Angel from City Hall. He wanted to get his final “Spanish” haircut before he went to the suburbs, so we went to his barber. Then we went to his mom’s house. She treated us to a fine feast. I digress.
Duncan was in shock. He had been touring all over the US and had never seen such sights. He had been in the worst parts of Africa, yet he had never been in such fear as he was with me in that car in Philadelphia. He asked if I had taken him to a different country. I told him that he knew his geography better than that. There were oceans between us and other countries or hours of land travel. He said that even in the poorest parts on Africa, people had a place to grow some vegetables or some grain. Here there was nothing! He said this was this was the worst poverty he had seen. He told me that he was going to tell all the people he would speak to after that, that they were neglecting their own Jerusalem, while helping the regions beyond.
So Hope #10 is to have a garden, to have some measure of food independence.
Painting is acrylic on 8″ x 8″ stretched canvas.
Price: $30reduced to $10 plus postage
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While we are experiencing sub-zero wind chills, it seems only natural to hope for an early Spring. Crocuses, whether purple, lavender, white or yellow, don’t care whether the snow has gone or not. If the days are long enough, the calendar is right, they are popping up and blooming.
Painting is acrylic on 10″ x 10″ stretched canvas.
This is the Goldfinch I just painted and hung on my shed. It is based on a photo I took through the window of the front door of our house. It is about 2′ 9″ from beak to tail. I painted this in the same yellow that is the trim color on our shed. I can adjust the shades on these to match your trim or siding, within reason. It is mounted on a 1×3 to provide dimension or to give the option of mounting it on a steel fence stake in your yard or garden.
Price: $100. Pick up at my place in Perkasie, PA.
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This painting commemorates the day last June, shortly after my open heart surgery to replace my damaged aortic valve with a pig valve. I had just exited our house and was passing the front “garden”, a jumble of native plants and weeds. I was moving slowly. A male goldfinch landed on one of the many Echinacea that were in bloom. He was within arm’s length of me. He tilted his head and looked at me; then he began to sing. He went through all of his repertoire, then it seemed as if he turned to me again for a response. I said, “Thank you, Mr. Goldfinch!” He nodded and flew off, It was a magical moment, like something from one of those classic Disney movies.
The painting is acrylic on 6″ x 6″ stretched canvas.
These globular blossoms are about 1″ in diameter with tiny tendrils poking out on all sides. The bushes are native to Pennsylvania. They were here before white men arrived. This is a painting of a blossom on a buttonwood bush in front of our house. That is why the red siding color is in the background. This is acrylic on a 16″ diameter canvas. The edge is painted bright yellow to facilitate frame-less hanging.
This painting was inspired by our visit to Edge of the Woods Native Plant Nursery. They have a beautiful butterfly garden that contains all of these plants plus several more in a dense, four foot tall jumble. We have all of the plants portrayed, in our yard in front of the little house we rent. They are goldenrod, milkweed, boneset, butterfly weed, native bee balm, oxeye daisies and red lobelia.
Several types of bees were all over the blooms, this summer, along with about a dozen types of butterflies.
Echinacea is commonly known as coneflower. It is native to where we live in southeastern PA. By native, I mean it was here before European settlers arrived. Yes, it is the same Echinacea that is in your cold remedy to help dry up sniffles. They grow and spread quite nicely in poor soil, as long as there is good sun and drainage. They are my kind of flower, as they thrive on neglect and attract all sorts of beautiful birds, butterflies, moths and bees.
Painting is acrylic on 12″ x 12″ stretched canvas.
Price: $60 plus postage.
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We replaced 30% of our lawn with native plants and always see lots of bumbles and other bees, along with butterflies, moths and birds of all types. Native plants are those that were in the area before Europeans arrived about 400 years ago.
The painting is 6″ x 6″ acrylic on stretched canvas, so is about life-size.
Price: $40 plus postage
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A word of explanation so you are not put off unnecessarily. I am sure you have heard of atheistic Jews. Well, I am an atheist follower of Jesus. So any talk of Jesus is not to proselytize. It just helps tell the story.
Jesus said, “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”
The point is that there is always enough to go around for everyone if we’d only learn to share. The object lesson is taken from daylilies which are native to Asia, including Palestine. Daylilies are glorious. I have about 90 varieties in our tiny yard. This is a painting of a stem of daylily buds that are yet to open. The largest will open the next day. So “consider the lilies” and get out in a garden. Dig in the dirt. Spend time in a park. Connect with the cycles of nature. It will lower your blood pressure and calm your psyche’.
I painted this on April 30, 2016. I was facing open heart surgery in June. I was thinking that just seeing the first bud of Spring one more time will be pleasing. I don’t hurry in grocery lines. I talk to the check out people and the other people in line. Life is for living every part of it, even when you aren’t in full bloom.
I have been saying “Life is too short to be in a hurry” to cashiers and bank tellers who have apologized to me for having long transactions or difficult customers ahead of me for some time now. Before I painted this, I googled the saying. I found it attributed to Oscar Wilde and an obscure poet. I had never read it by either of them, though. I think it just makes sense and treat it as an aphorism of those who have lived long enough to slow down; like all those white heads driving 45 on the freeway!
Now, in the COVID-19 quarantine, it has even more poignancy, as people are antsy to get out and about; to get back to work, etc. But opening too early may kill a lot of people, as the experience in Hong Kong suggests. This brings new meaning to the phrase: “Life is too short to be in a hurry!”
The painting is acrylic on 12″x12″ canvas, painted on the sides as well, so no expensive framing is required.
Price: $75plus postage
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This daylily was painted entirely using a pencil instead of brushes to apply the paint. The large dots were done using the fresh eraser end repeatedly dipped and dotted. The medium-sized dots were accomplished by sharpening the writing end halfway, so the lead was not quite exposed. The small, bright yellow dots, for the stamen, were made by sharpening the pencil to a point, then rubbing it down to a blunt point. For the effect, it helped that the yellow paint was thicker, as well. I even titled, dated and signed it in dots, but that is in fine tipped artist marker.
Painting is 20″ x 16″ acrylic on stretched canvas.
Price: $150 plus postage
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This is a stylized painting of a Stoplight Daylily. It is obvious how this variety earned this name. It is red, yellow and green just like the traffic lights.
The painting is acrylic on 12″ x 12″ stretched canvas.
Price: $65 plus postage
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This is a stylized painting of a Purple Suspenders Daylily from our yard last Summer. There is a huge ladybug on a leaf in the upper right. This variety blooms late in the season with 7″ to 8″ blooms.
The painting is acrylic on 6″ x 6″ stretched canvas.
Price: $30 plus postage
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This daylily stands guard at the front of our yard and again at the edge of our patio with its vibrant, hot pink petals and luminous, deep yellow throat. On a sunny day, they almost seem electric. Roland Teich of Teich & McColgan Daylilies & Hostas bred this variety, so it is Hilltown / Peace Valley born, Roland & Robin’s place is just a half block off of Perkasie’s Callowhill, too.
The painting is acrylic on 12″ x 12″ stretched canvas.
Price: $100 plus postage.
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I decided to just have some fun with the paint last Wednesday and paint a lighter subject, so I painted two daylilies. I used a limited number of colors. “Yin” is based on a Peace Valley Sentinel Daylily, with a Kelly Green and Green Apple split background. On the “Yang” the colors are reversed. I think they make a fun, colorful set. They are each 12″x12″ and are just fine informal, unframed for a sun room or at a beach house, any place you want to spread a little cheer!
Starving artist price: $50 for the pair, plus shipping.
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At our house on Front Street in Souderton, I planted a Stoplight Daylily at the end of the driveway by the sidewalk. It is aptly named because of its brilliant red and yellow blossoms and bright green leaves. I am known for not noticing stoplights. At one point, when I was in my 30s, I started to count the red lights I noticed just after I blew through them. I stopped counting at 70, after a few weeks. When I drove my Scion xB for The King’s Jubilee, and we were giving rides home to people, it was customary for my regular passengers to quickly claim the back seat. This included 6’5″ Tony. At any rate, stoplights at midnight are a bit easier to see. Everyone was relieved when I safely arrived home to the one at the end of my drive.
It is subtle, but the background is not true black. It has a hint of blue in it. Also, in person, the stamen appear more orange than they appear in the photo. It is a very dramatic piece.
The painting is acrylic on 24″ x 18″ stretched canvas.
Price: $120 plus postage.
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This painting of a single tulip set on the background of a fiery diamond was inspired by the blizzard we experienced in Perkasie, PA on the first full day of Spring where we had over a foot of snow fall. Well, to say it fell is to misstate the situation. Much of the time it was flying sideways. The next day it was over 40º F. As the snow melted, the crocuses were still blooming, the tulip leaves and hyacinth buds had appeared. Sports fans are eagerly anticipating baseball opening day. We have three rapidly melting snow boulders in our front yard, the handiwork of our younger granddaughter, Brigitta.
Other than the stem, the painting was all accomplished using white, red and yellow paint, blending to make all the shades of pink, pale yellow, orange, and hot pink.
Painting is acrylic on 12″ x 12″ stretched canvas.
Price: $60 plus postage.
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This painting of a single dahlia blossom was the first time I have been commissioned to do a work in advance. In fact, I was paid, in full, in advance, and given complete artistic freedom. The client, who is our neighbor, only specified the size of the canvas. He sent me photos he had taken of his wife’s prizewinning dahlias. I could choose to do a grouping, a stand, a bouquet or a single. Neither he nor I knew the names of the varieties. The painting was a surprise for his wife’s birthday. I played around with the 10 or so photographs he had given me, until I settled on this: a single blossom on a 20″ x 20″ x 2″ canvas. I painted the entire area of the blossom with Cadmium Yellow as an undercoat. The paint for every petal has some of that yellow blended in it to convey the glow of that blossom. It took me over a week to paint. I painted the 2″ edges Cadmium Yellow. There is no need for a frame. I coated it with museum quality, clear spray acrylic to protect it. Dave was thrilled with it. He told me his wife Tammy is thrilled with it. I had named the painting, “Good Morning Sunshine!” Tammy saw it and recognized the blossom immediately as a “Sugartown Sunrise” Dahlia.
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