Oops!

Well its been a while since I've posted anything new. I've been busy painting. Busy with yard work, in short, BUSY!

Here's a couple of things I've painted since January!

First Post of 2017

Well Happy New Year. (I know, it's a little late!) Well I've been painting, and I thought I'd share the results... the first Picture is called Moon in the Garden, and it is the first picture I've painted in 2017.

The second picture is actually the third I've done this year, I call it Café Milwaukee, and its the first street scene picture I've tried to paint!  Give 'em a click to see the details. 

Hope to make it to Milwaukee soon. Fingers crossed!

Tales of Christmas past

Hello kind reader, and welcome back. Here is a nice tale from 52 years ago; and the still vivid memories it holds for me!

In 1964, there was an early morning puppet show on NBC, unlike anything else on television. It was a children's sci-fi program called Fireball XL5.  The main characters were in no particular order, Dr. Matt Matic, Astronaut/ pilot Steve Zodiac, and the beautiful co-pilot Venus.

It was a really silly show, but as an 8 year old, I was hooked! I mean, I was obsessed!

And then, like it did every year, the Sears catalog, or as us kids called it, the "wish book" came in the mail. Each of my brothers took turns paging through that magical tome, dreaming of heavenly delights. Mine, was the Deluxe Fireball XL5 set. Only $12.95; a fortune in 1960's dollars.

My mom looked doubtful as I showed her my heart's desire again, and again. I dropped more hints than a game of "Clue". I think, I knew at that point who Santa really was. I was resigned to the fact, that I probably wouldn't receive it. (Sigh!)

And then, just before Christmas; I was sitting in my room reading comic books, when I heard a large crash.... I got up to investigate, especially because I heard my mom exclaim several colorful metaphors! Entering the next bedroom, there was mom, picking up spacemen, and rockets and everything else contained in the XL5 box, now inadvertently opened, its contents lying on the floor!

My mouth did the same. Mom looked at me, and said, "You can't say a peep about this until Christmas, or I'm taking it back!" Well, with a warning like that, I was silent as a rock! I swore I thought I'd take it to the grave. Well, 52 years ain't bad!

Here's what that toy in the box looked like!

Thanks mom and dad. You always made our Christmas' magical!

The Gate to Toni's Heart

Good morning. Here is the latest painting I've done. As the weather grows colder, I'll be painting more often. Give it a click to check it out!

What's new?

Hi all... Pat here with a late report about what's been happening this fall... Well, to begin with, Toni and I have just returned from Phoenix. We visited with Toni's sister Birdi, and had a great time attending her daughter Brittnay's engagement party, and enjoyed every moment of our stay!

On the home front, we've been busy fighting the battle with the fall leaves, (the leaves are winning so far)! How sad it was to put away the Patio and Gazebo furniture. The thought of Winter already makes me long for Spring!

On the Art front, two pictures to report. One, a new house project recently completed, the other a picture I did for cousin Judy's grand-daughter, Chelsea. It incorporated several loves of hers including the choice of colors, and subject matter. A cat, butterflies and an owl. All done with  bright purples to complement her bedroom! So give them a click to see them closer!

What's New?

Hi gentle readers...Pat here with an update. Not much to write about. It's mid-summer and all is well. I've been cooking on the Green Egg and loving the results. (A little too much, as my waist-line will attest to!) No recent paintings, although I'll be starting up soon. I've been sketching up new idea's and I'll post when I've started my next project.

Hope you're all enjoying the summer. Talk at you soon. :)

The Tea House

Did another painting. I call this one the Tea House.  Give it a click to make it bigger.

The New Grill

This weekend, I cooked for the first time on my new grill, a Big Green Egg. The egg is a distinctive green ceramic grill, designed for both BBQ, and smoked meats. It cooks everything from steak-house style porterhouse to a tender brisket, turkey or pork tenderloin. Even pizza's!

I bought the table as a kit and put it together, so that I might have a service area when I grill. I think we'll be doing a lot of grilling this summer.

Even Chris wants to try his hand at cooking on the Green Egg!

Slew-foot Sue and Pecos Bill

Hi all. Pat here with another paint project. Recently, my mom told me she had a conversation with my niece Margie Galligan; and Margie told her she wished Uncle Pat would paint her a picture. So I asked her, thinking she'd say Frozen, or Pocahontas, or some other Disney princess.

Not Margie, she boldly proclaimed, Slew-foot Sue and Pecos Bill!  And the rest, as they say, is history!

Cottage with Well.

Hi all. Pat here with another picture. I've provided several progressive shots so you can see the progress on the painting!  Give 'em a click to see them bigger. next up on the schedule, a painting for my niece, Margie!

Julia's Cottage

Well I just finished another painting project. I call this one Julia's Cottage. Its a small cottage at sunset. Had a lot of fun painting this one. Here is a guide to how it was done.
Click on the pictures to see the detail.

A Walk in the Park

Greetings faithful blog readers, Pat here, with another exciting painting moment. (Well, exciting to me anyway!) I'm a big Disney fan, and I love the theme parks. My latest painting is an attempt to capture the excitement of walking around Disney's Magic Kingdom.

This was a pretty hard theme, and I had some ups and downs trying to convey the image. But, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Give it a click to check out the details.

The Wintergaten Marble Machine!

Another amazing example, of how cleaver we can be when we put our minds to it! Let's watch!

Candlelight Cottage... Step by Step!

Here is my latest painting. I've taken a series of pictures so you can see how it comes together. Step by step. Give 'em a click to see them up close.

Havencrest Cottage

Here is the latest picture I've painted. I really enjoy doing the Thomas Kinkade art, and I'm learning a lot about his painting style! Take a look!

What a Mess!

Here is one of my latest paintings. I tried my hand at a Thomas Kinkade painting. I'm liking it, and want to do more.  But oh my, what a mess when it comes to painting.

January Blah's....

Hello readers, Pat here with a January report. The winter is about a third of the way over, and all ready I can't wait until spring. Toni and I have been painting around the house, and with a few rooms to go, we'll be done. Next on the to-do list; new carpets.

Chris has been busy. He's still working at two jobs, (trying hard to pay off his student loans from college). And Toni, well, Toni's always busy at work!

Not much else is new. Just writing about the Winter blah's!

Come on Spring!

The name's Bond, James Bond.

Hello dear readers. Well things are getting better in Battle Creek. Just finished my latest painting. I always wanted to paint a James Bond poster. I used to love the illustrations of the old Sean Connery and Roger Moore movie posters.

This is a take on the 007 movie Octopussy, (hence the eight arms)! Give it a click to see the detail!

A Special Night for Packers Fans!

I know, the Packer's looked terrible last night! But in spite of the loss, there was magic at Lambeau Field! Brett Farve's number Four was retired, and there to celebrate the moment was number Fifteen himself, the legendary Bart Starr. Just had to share the magic.

The Frost Giants

One of my favorite artists was Frank Frazetta. He was a giant among painters of the 20th Century! I never got the chance to visit his museum in Pennsylvania while he was alive. I understand in the last couple of years, although he had been slowed by various strokes, Frank still came to the museum, to talk with and encourage fellow artists! But it never stopped me from admiring his works in books, posters, etc... and through the years, I've tried to copy his work with little success, until now.

Now I've tried my hands at re-creating one of his favorite works, it's title is, "The Frost Giants". I think it turned out pretty well. I finally learned from the master. Thanks Frank, for a lifetime of inspiration!