St. Louis Cathedral--Jackson Square, New Orleans

This is a pen & ink and watercolor painting of St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square in New Orleans.  The white exterior seems so pure in contrast to the bawdy nature of Bourbon Street, which is only two blocks from the Cathedral.  It was founded in 1720 and opened in 1794 making it the oldest cathedral in what would become the United States.  It is not an "exact" replica of the Cathedral--rather, it is my interpretation of it.  It is also one of the few churches I can think of with a clock on its exterior.

Texas Longhorn Holster

This is a holster from a Tandy Leather kit.  It has a Spanish Floral design with a Texas Longhorn Steer on it.  I can not take credit for the beautiful belt shown in the photo, but they do match up well.  I gave this holster to Debbie Clark,  a friend and co-worker of my wife.  It is my hope that Debbie wears it one day in the Rose Parade--which she has appeared in twice already as part of the equestrian group, "The Mane Attraction." (Photo Credit:  Debbie Clark)

Pittsburgh Steel Mill

I have always wanted to do a painting of the steel mills of Pittsburgh.  I was born in McKeesport, which is outside of Pittsburgh.  My grandfather, Gaetano Carrozzo and my Uncle George Klipa both worked in the steel mills.  As a child, my Uncle gave my father and me a tour of a steel mill.  It was like standing in front of the gates of hell.  The noise was deafening, the heat was searing, the smoke and smell of the place was over-powering.  I wanted to try to do a painting of the interior of a steel mill, but could not come up with a good subject that I thought I could capture.  Instead, I used a beautiful painting called, "Steel Mill Verticals" by Claire Hardy as my model.

Mosquito Recycled Sculpture

This is another project using some recycled elements.  While on a walk picking up trash with my wife, she found a finial--that round ball that goes on top of a newel on a stairway banister.  I used that as the head of my mosquito.  The finial is mounted on a table leg, which forms the body.  The wings are old coat hangers.  I used hardware from around my garage to finish it off.  If it blows in the wind, I guess it would be considered a kinetic sculpture.

Basket-Weave Knife Sheath

This is a knife sheath from a Tandy Leather kit.  I tooled a basket-weave design on it.  I gave it to my friend, Tom, who is a collector of all things "western".  He keeps his rather rare, 1920's Sheffield made Wade & Butcher hunting knife in it.         (Photo Credit:  Tom Boyle)

Slim Jim Holster with Spanish Floral Design

This is another Slim Jim holster.   It is not from a kit.  The holster pattern is my design and is cut from one piece of leather.  I did it for my friend, Tom, who has a ranch in New Mexico.  It has an original Spanish Floral design on it.  Tom keeps his Colt Navy 1851 revolver in it. (Photo Credit:  Tom Boyle)

"The Notch", Murrieta, California

On the west end of Murrieta, there is a trail that leads up to the Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Preserve.  There is a little gap in the hillside and the trail winds its way up the gap.  I don't know if there is an official name for this natural feature, but some people call it, "The Notch".  We can see "The Notch" from the front window of our house.  The trail is closed to the public with several locked gates across the trail, however one time my neighbor Rob and I hiked up the trail to the plateau.  Years ago, my son, Michael and his MVHS Football team were lead on a run up the trail by Coach Compton. Below is a photo of "The Notch".

Hummingbird

My wife enjoys watching the Hummingbirds in our backyard when they come to our fountain.  I tried to use a wet paper in doing this painting, letting the colors run and bleed into each other (Sfumato technique).  I would like to develop my skill in this technique since it works so well with watercolor.  I used an ultra-fine felt pen for the beak and eye.

This was my first attempt, with which I was not happy.  My daughter, Caroline, who is an excellent artist, gave me some ideas on how to improve it.  I was using the technique within the subject, but not on the edges of the subject.  Also, the colors were too brilliant.  I softened the edges and muted the colors down a bit.  I think the top one looks much better.

San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight

I wanted to do a painting of something we saw on our trip to Italy in 2016.  This is of San Giorgio Maggiore across from Venice.  I have wanted to "loosen up" my paintings, so I used Claude Monet's impressionistic painting as a model.  Below, you can see Monet's original.

An interesting footnote... I usually frame my paintings in dark wood or black frames.  For some reason, I chose a fancy gold frame.  I thought it might defuse the bright colors of the painting.  I don't know why, but I just wanted it in the gold frame.  When my son, Michael,  saw my painting, he said, "Oh, The Thomas Crown Affair".  I didn't know what he was talking about--then I realized that is the painting that gets stolen in that movie...and it is in a fancy gold frame.

Viking Knitting Bracelet

While watching Jeopardy on TV last week, a contestant mentioned Viking Knitting.  Intrigued by the name, I looked up a tutorial on Youtube.  After a few false starts, I finished the bracelet above.  It came out pretty good, but somehow mine reminds me of the paperclip or staple necklaces and bracelets the girls used to make  when I was in grade school.  Not quit as nice as the ones you see on Youtube.

 

At first, I used 20 gauge wire and a 1" PVC pipe to start the weaving.  The wire was too thick and the pipe was too big.

I switched to 26 gauge wire and a half inch pipe and had better results.

After knitting the wire, you pull it through smaller and smaller holes to compress it. I added Lobster Claw clasps to each end.

Spirit of St. Louis Movie Poster

This is the second in a series of movie poster art.  Steve is a good friend who enjoys flying airplanes.  I substituted his name for the real star of the movie, Jimmy Stewart.  I used the original movie poster below as a model.

Woven Blanket

This is the second blanket that I have woven on a loom that I made.  It is 54" by 24".  It took me almost 6 months to complete.

Half-way complete.

Tying off the fringe.

Working the Weft.

Setting up the Warp.

Hollywood Western Movie Poster

This is the first in a series of movie poster art.  Tom is a good friend who owns a ranch in New Mexico.  Miss Pearl was his loyal dog.  I substituted his name for the real star of the movie, Tom Mix.  Below is the partially completed picture.  At the bottom is the model I used for the painting.

Colt Frontier Six-Shooter and Holster

This is a dot drawing of a Colt Frontier Six-Shooter.  The background is black watercolor that has been partially scrubbed off with a sponge.  The photos below show how the picture progressed.

Peach in a Glass Bowl--Still Life

This is a still life watercolor.  I was inspired by a painting by Allison Polgar.  Her painting was hanging in her parents' house.  I used a beautiful watercolor by June Rios as a model for this painting.  The challenge for me was to make the bowl look like it is made of glass and to match the color for a ripe peach.

Che

This is a rather simple watercolor painting.  I used a stencil that I had used on a previous piece of artwork for a friend.  The image is of the controversial Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who was a major figure of the Cuban Revolution and has become a symbol of the counterculture and rebellion.  The image shown here is actually reversed from the original 1960 photo by Alberto Korda titled, "Guerrillero Heroico" (English:  Heroic Guerrilla Fighter)  It may be the the world's most famous photograph and the Victoria & Albert Museum says that the photograph has been reproduced more than any other image in photography.  Can you tell what the colors and the blue stripes represent?

Spanish Floral Holster & Gun Belt

I hand-tooled the holster as a gift for my Father several years ago.  It is from a Tandy Leather kit.  I recently found the gun belt at an antique store in Temecula.  I thought that they complimented each other well.  The loops are a perfect fit for .44-40 cartridges.

Carlos Santana

I have always been intrigued how Carlos Santana is so intense as he plays his guitar.  It is almost as if he is in a trance when he plays.  Although he is getting older, he is still deeply into his music.  This is another of my Sharpie pen dot drawings.  I added watercolor on top of the dots.  I am not sure if I liked it better in black and white only or with the color.  Please tell me which you like better--color or black and white.  The photos below show how the picture progressed.

Cartridge Belt Slide

I always liked the "cowboy-style" gun belts with the loops for cartridges.  I tried to make a cartridge belt slide.  The challenge was finding the correct thickness of leather to make the loops.  I had some thin leather that I had used for a book cover, but it did not hold the cartridges securely.  My other leather was too thick to make the loops.  I ended up buying some leather bookmarks and splitting them lengthwise.  They were the perfect thickness to make the loops and still hold the cartridges securely.  I made it to hold .44-40 cartridges.

Our House

This is a tribute to the song, "Our House" by Graham Nash and sung by the group, Crosby, Stills and Nash.  Nash wrote it to Joni Mitchell while they were living together in Laurel Canyon.  As you read the lyrics below, see how many elements are in the painting.

I'll light the fire, you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today.
Staring at the fire for hours and hours while I listen to you
Play your love songs all night long for me, only for me.
Come to me now and rest your head for just five minutes, everything is good.
Such a cozy room,
The windows are illuminated by the evening sunshine through them,
Fiery gems for you, only for you.
Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard,
Life used to be so hard,
Now everything is easy 'cause of you and our—
La, la, la
Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard,
Life used to be so hard,
Now everything is easy 'cause of you and our—
I'll light the fire, while you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today.

 

Leather Checkbook Cover

This is from a Tandy Leather Company kit.  One side
is a floral design.  The other is a stylized version
of the last name of my sister.

Senior Center--Piano Player

I try to go to the Murrieta Senior Center a couple of times per week to work-out in their exercise room.  While I am there, I am amazed by several of the gentlemen who play the piano.  They are very talented musicians and it is a treat to hear them play!

Pursuit

The key to any good defensive football team is pursuit.  This is a painting from the 1979 Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Penn State.  The painting was originally 11"x 14" but there was way too much grass field and crowd background.  I felt that it was a more interesting composition if I cropped it down to 8" x 10".  

Dragon Knife Sheath

I made this knife sheath for a knife my son has had for a long time.  It is not from a kit.  The pattern is my design.  I thought the dragon sort of matched the theme of the knife itself.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa, now St. Teresa of Calcutta in the Catholic Church, is one of the most iconic women of my lifetime.  And she accomplished this by taking care of the poorest of the poor.  This is a dot-drawing done with three different size Sharpie pens.  I added the blue stripes to her habit with watercolor.  The model I used was a dramatic photo from Getty Images by John Downing.  Below, is the picture at different stages.  

DEDICATION:  This picture is dedicated to Mrs. Carole Louise Cooney (1937-2017), my 11th grade English teacher at Fountain Valley High School.  She was a nun, who fell in love with a priest.  The Pope released them from their vows so they could get married.  She was the Drama Teacher at FVHS from 1970-1990.   She was one of my favorite teachers.  God bless Mrs. Cooney.

Liturgy of the Hours Book Cover and Pouch

My life-long best friend, Ed, wanted me to do a book cover for his Liturgy of the Hours books that he carries with him every day.  This was a challenging  project on many levels.  First, if I do a project for myself and it doesn't turn out, I just throw it away, and I don't worry about it.  But doing this one for Ed, I felt added pressure to do a good job and didn't want to let him down.  Second, I needed to use a thin, calf skin leather which would fold around and over the book itself.  I have never worked with this thin-cut of leather before.  In order to do the artwork, I used a plate of thicker leather, which is the kind I usually work with.  I left the cover and the pouch a natural color with a neutral wax on it because I didn't want anything to stain Ed's books.  I used a darker wax on the plate which gives it a nice contrast and has sort of an antique look to it.  I told him that I am pretty good at making very primitive-looking items.  This looks like it might be more for St. Francis than Pope Francis, if you know what I mean.