William F. Buckley, Jr.- R.I.P.

"I get satisfaction of three kinds. One is creating something, one is being paid for it and one is the feeling that I haven't just been sitting on my *$%# all afternoon." -William F. Buckley, Jr.

Freedom From Fear- Stage 8

I worked on:

1. Pillows on Bed

2. Man's Shirt-(great source of consternation for me now!)

3. Striped Blanket on Floor

4. Doll (not a specialty!)

5. Man's Shoes

6. Stairwell

I take these pictures at night, so the lighting is horrible! The glare seems to distort some of the things, for instance the face of the mother doesn't look right in this picture.

Rembrandt-Self Portrait from 1669

I would very much like to learn to paint portraits like Rembrandt. The artist uses a technique called scumbling, (literally scratching off the paint after it dries) and another called glazing, (building up colors in thin layers) to create this luminous effect. I want to give it a try. Whaddya' think?

Quotes From President Logan

"This whole thing was meant to make our country safer, stronger. To protect our interests."

"I'm not sure-, what do you think Mr (David) Palmer...?"

The guy everybody loves to hate: President Logan

(On a side note, in case you haven't realized, President Logan is the Father in the Freedom From Fear painting.)

Freedom of Fear-Stage 7

I worked on it 4 hours and don't feel like I accomplished much. Do and redo.

Flock of Seagulls- I Ran

Easy on the ears....Hard on the eyes!

This video is screaming for a Will Ferrell parody!

The Clash- I Fought the Law

All right, last one I promise.

Originally performed by the Bobby Fuller Four this song is a rock-n-roll classic! And rather than the stereotypical message of rebellion found in most rock songs, this one tells the truth. You fight the law...and the law will win! Or as John Cougar Mellencamp sang, "I fight authority and authority always wins...!" Same thing.

The Clash-English Civil War

I couldn't resist posting another one of my favorite Clash songs. Seriously, you must turn this one up REALLY loud!

The English Civil War consisted of a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists between 1642 and 1651. The first (1642–1646) and second (1648–1649) civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war (1649–1651) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament. The Civil War ended with the Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651.
The Civil War led to the trial and execution of Charles I, the exile of his son Charles II, and the replacement of the English monarchy with first the Commonwealth of England (1649–1653) and then with a Protectorate (1653–1659), under the personal rule of Oliver Cromwell. The monopoly of the Church of England on Christian worship in England came to an end, and the victors consolidated the already-established Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. Constitutionally, the wars established a precedent that British monarchs could not govern without the consent of Parliament, although this concept became firmly established only with the Glorious Revolution later in the century.

The Clash-Rock the Casbah

The opening piano riff is what makes this song instantly recognizable!

The Casbah (French) or as transliterated from Arabic Qasba (from qasba, قصبة, 'citadel') is specifically the citadel of Algiers and the traditional quarter clustered round it. More generally, kasbah denotes the walled citadel of many North African cities and towns. The word made its way into English from French in the late 19th century (the Oxford English Dictionary says 1895), hence its conventional English spelling.

In Rabat, the capital of Morocco since 1912, the Casbah of the Oudaya is the military barracks encircled by walls with gates, built in the 16th and 17th centuries on ancient foundations. (from Wikipedia)

Who Said That?

Who said...?

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”

I'll post the answer next week. No cheating, (Googling, etc.)

Freedom of Fear-Stage 6

Here a little there a little. If you're watching the progress..., take note of the man's face, his shoes, and pants, mattress, boys face, chair, etc.

Rockwell Teaches How to Paint

Where...and how do I sign up?

Falling Slowly-From the Film Once

I told you I would post something from the brilliant movie Once. This is not only an amazing song, but an amazing moment captured on film!

Once

I saw the movie Once last night and found it to be touchingly, tenderly brilliant! It stars the singer Glen Hansard from the excellent Irish band the Frames and Markéta Irglová plays his love interest...?, muse? Both are actually musicians rather than actors and this adds to the very realistic approach of the movie. I liked the music so well, (It's really what makes this film so wonderful) that I want to go out and buy the soundtrack! Musically, it's raw and powerful! Look forward to me posting some clips from the film and music from the Frames. Mr. Hansard belts out his songs in this film so passionately at times you think he might explode with emotion! I suspect he is a tremendous live performer. He is a busker of the first order! I highly recommend the movie, but be forewarned, the F-word is pervasive.

Freedom From Fear-Stage 5

I am delighted with the progress of the faces of mom and dad. The mother seems to genuinely care about her children. The father has lost his snarkey grin, (I'm glad it's gone, it was making me creepy!)

I don't think there is any of the pinkish/brown ground, (primer) showing through. That means I have paint covering the entire canvas now.

The children in bed are easier because they have their eyes closed.

Mom's arms and hands are driving me crazy. I just cannot seem to make it work!

Overall, I'm pleased, but I have much left to do!

Rockwell Was Amazing

The top picture is of Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell. The painting on the bottom is of Jeremiah the Prophet by Michealangelo.

Rockwell was an amazing artist because he had a way of synthisizing timeless concepts and bringing them into an American theme.

Happy Valentine's Day!

With love, from Blog at Bree.

(I know it's crude, but I had a hard time carving with my U.S.M.C. knife!)

Quotes I Like

“My friends and I have this crazy & idealistic notion that while a vote is always an informed decision, ultimately one should vote their conscience. This makes a vote for almost anyone feel like a compromise. Not so with Ron Paul. Ron Paul adheres so honestly to the U.S. Constitution that I can imagine his first act as president giving himself a smaller office. A lot of people don’t believe that Mr. Smith makes it to Washington anymore, and maybe they’re right. Maybe his name isn’t Mr. Smith, it’s Dr. Paul.” --Derek Webb, Singer /songwriter

Freedom From Fear-Stage 4

I worked on the Freedom From Fear painting last night. I feel like a made a little progress on the faces of "mom" and "dad." Funny.., I feel like I kind of get to know a character when I paint them, sort of like getting to know a character in a story. I've got lots more work to do on the faces of the kids and lots to do on Dad's shirt and pants. But I'm happy. I'm making progress at least.

The Apple-Final Stage

I have finished "The Apple." Now all I need is to save up enough money to buy a suitable frame! The picture is 8"x10"

McCain-Caricature

From the washingtonpost.com

Greetings From Bruce-ville!

If you don't dig Springsteen, then skip this post, it will not mean a thing too ya'.

Thanks to Dan for turning me on to Strange Maps.

Freedom From Fear-Stage 3

I've actually got some real paint on the Freedom From Fear painting now. This is for me the hardest stage of a painting. It's the point where I get in an hurry and start doing stupid stuff. I am eager to get to a certain place where I can start working on detail, but it is slow going. This painting is considerably bigger than the Apple painting, so I have to think on bigger terms.

The red areas showing through are the places where I didn't get any paint on the "ground," or underlayer.

I may let this one rest and dry a few days.

The Apple-Stage 2

Here is stage 2 of my apple. He's beginning to take on a bit of dimension/personality. I've put about a total of three hours into this painting so far.

Freedom From Fear-Stage 2

I have painted on my ground and laid the basic outline down in burnt sienna. The purpose of putting the red color down as a ground it to block out the starkness of the white canvas. I hope to put some real paint down soon.