Rockets!

Last night I was reading a spy novel set in 1958, around the time of the sputnik era, and there was a description of the Jupiter rocket that would launch the US's first satellite, and it mentioned that there were the letters "UE" on the side...

I have a painting that I did when I was 8, and it was exactly that rocket.

I happened to be looking at the painting, recently, and wondering why I put those letters, rather than "US" or something. I found the image that I painted it from (must've been in LIFE or Nat. Geo., originally), online. Apparently I was a very diligent copier.

Just now, looking at the original photo and the painting, together, I remembered being 8 years old, with brushes and gouache, in my room with the grey linoleum tile, in the house on Iliaina street, listening to "The Hurdy Gurdy Man".

Santa Ynez Valley

oil on canvas board, 8 x 10 inches

Done in 1999, on a very cold, very windy ridge off Figueroa Mtn Rd. The easel had to be weighed down with a couple of gallon jugs of water.

Farmer's Market

or should it be "Farmers' Market"?

Either way, a sketch for a painting-to-be

Ventura

Air Burst

Mugu

KB's New Board

8'2''

Shaun Tomson

displacing some water on a 6'0'' reflex

En Plein Air

Franchesci Park

Rocker

n 16-1/4''t 15-3/4''

fin box at 5'', side fins up 11'', out 6'', 1/4'' toe

5'7'' x 21''

A Page From The Notebook

Stylemaster

La Notte

Monica Vitti, painted from a still.

oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches

I Was on Holiday

Jean Seberg, "Breathless"

So Old

that its almost new again

Its Gotta Be Done

It has to.

Tzia

Lovely.

Line Drawings

A couple of random sketches from a figure drawing session. Lines like that seem to come about after thinking stops.

Conté on nicely yellowed newsprint.

Space-Age

Flextail. Super Chine rail. Epoxy/carbon fiber.

But, will the masses go for it?

Gee Bee

In the 1930's depression, two Massachusetts farm boys- the Granville Brothers- learned of a cash prize offered at air races. Despite knowing nothing of either flying or aeronautical design, they set out to build and race (and win) with their iconic (and very dangerous) Gee Bee racer.


Its fun to paint- to freeze in space- a dynamic object in motion.
oil on canvas, 30 x 48 inches

Into Thin Air

In February of 1960 Maj. Joe Kittenger jumped from the balloon Excelsior at an altitude of 120,000 feet over New Mexico. Officially, testing of pressure suits for space flight was the objective of the mission.

Maybe it was also for the thrill of it all.

The helmet makes the figure look a bit baby-like, jumping into life. This image is a powerful metaphor for taking risks, calculated or not.

oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches