where vegetables come from

Canned, or frozen vegetables?  Oh right...they come from plants!  Don't forget to remember this fact.  The joys of gardening.

sea shore still life

Seashell still life on the seashore here in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.  Included are clams, mussels, periwinkles, a bottle cap, a crab and sea tumbled rocks.  This was illustrated on the back of an index card...hence the red stripe bleeding through on the left side of the art.

I have lived here for more than four years now and I am still in awe of the natural beauty of the woods and waterways of Buzzards Bay.  Such a beautiful area of the world.

Fifty-one years ago I was born and then adopted in Boston.  Six years ago I found my birth mother, a wonderful and beautiful lady whom I love very much.  It turns out that my ancestors have been living on Cape Cod, in the village of Buzzards Bay for many generations (back to the Crossing Of The Pond in 1634).  I was unexplainably drawn to the area and could not leave during an unstable time in my life.  On my own, I have settled here and absolutely love it.  Over time I have discovered my family roots and the strong bond to this area.  It is indeed a special and magical place to Be.

The beaches are chalk-full of shellfish and fish.  The water is always cold...refreshing.  During the summer the beaches are full of tourists.  When the tide is changing, people flock by foot and boat to harvest the shellfish, which are incredibly prolific.  This year I bought a fishing permit, and plan to get a somewhat expensive shellfish license.  In the long run, a year-long $35 shellfish permit is much less expensive compared to a dinner in restaurants.  So much gratification with making a seafood meal on your own.

I tend to eat some of these straight from the waters.  The little periwinkles, the oysters and clams are so tasty when plucked from the waters and eaten right there.  Briny and fresh and delightfully flavorful they are.  A real treat they are.

woodland flowers

Lillies of the Valley and woodland Violets.  They smell so wonderful and they are everywhere.

I finally got a new Moleskine brand sketchbook. I just love these little books.  The paper is thick and buttery smooth.  The size is perfect, 5.5 x 7".  These pages will inspire me to make more art.  It's like reuniting with an old friend.

blue sky

Blooming flowers are everywhere!

April showers

Now is when the trees and flowers begin to bud in southeast Massachusetts.

beach house trio

Foreshadowing of the seasons to come.
3x5" min-art.

Ramen boil

Faber-Castell black ink on plain ol' print paper.  5x7" on 8x10" paper.  Brain tune-up art.

loads of snow and lots of ice

 It's the beginning of March.  Still, there is snow piled on top of snow.  Hard-packed layers that will take much time and plenty of warm weather to melt.

Deep snow.  I love the marshmallow shapes  created both by wind and snow plows.

The temperatures alternate between above and below the freezing mark.  Some of the snow has melted, but colder weather comes back.  Now there are big patches of slippery, shiny ice.  Battles which will inevitably lead to the death of winter into new energy and growth from the strength and warmth of the sun.

 I love the energies of nature.   I rarely venture out without my camera.  It's an obsession of many years.  I must have a gazillion photos that no one ever seen.  Photography is the anatomy of composition that expresses the beauty of this world.

a dream of springtime

Yesterday on Cape Cod came several more inches of snow.  Last night I dreamt of bright green springtime amongst patches of heavy winter snow.  Two distinct seasons of the year in one landscape.

blazing bonfire

A welcoming warmth during the cold winter.

frozen Buttermilk Bay

The tide retreating from the beach.  The ice is like a ghostly remnant of time.  The past, present and inevitable future.


Electric Avenue Beach.  A few blocks from home.

A good reminder that the water is shallow at low tide.  Diving could be quite dangerous.

New England snow globe

Wind and snow, and then more snow and wind.  Not that it matters too much more than a hill of Boston baked beans, but this wickedly wild winter weather does in fact extend beyond the Boston city limits.  Cape Cod is only about fifty miles away.  I love this extreme winter weather!

a drawn bridge

A visual pun.

Watercolor, color pencil and brush pen on watercolor paper.  9x9"

food, warmth and shelter

With the ongoing heavy snow in New England, I worry about the wildlife.  How do they survive in the deep snow?  If only they could all have little greenhouses for fresh food.  I wish them health, warmth  and safety during the winter.

A small sketch, 3x5"

black and white blooms

Faber-Castell brand brush pen on Strathmore smooth bristol board.
9x9"

post-blizzard barbecue

The day after the big winter snow storm.  Such a glorious day for a picnic!  Sunscreen suggested against the blinding snow.  No stinging mosquitos or pesky flies.













This marks the 700th posting on my blog.

Winter Storm Juno

Yesterday, in the midst of winter storm Juno, I trekked the 4 blocks to the beach.  This was before the snowplows could clear the roads, so it took about half an hour to get there with the snow up at my thighs.  The wind gusts were at least 60 m.p.h. while the snow blew sideways.  I love extreme winter weather like this!

Electric Avenue beach on Buttermilk Bay in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

it happened one day

Meandering art that wandered upon this piece of paper.

a box of rocks

Rocks from the shoreline.

Being on the beach always inspires beach and ocean art.  There are so many wonderful places and things to explore along the shoreline.  There are edible shellfish and seaweed that can be plucked and eaten immediately.  Others are taken home and steamed to perfection.  Edible art inspirations.

watercolor, color pencil and ink.  5x7"

tea time

In the cold of winter, anytime is tea time.

fun with three-dimensional art

This is four layers of art, each floating above the other.  Having two inches of depth gives plenty of room for the spacing of layers.  I just love making 3D art.  With layers, it's like Photoshop gone 3D.

8 x 10 x 2".  Bristol board, watercolor, color pencils, ink, plastic straws and Elmer's glue.  I've yet to come up with a name for it, which is unusual for me.

Side angle view.  This shows the layers a bit more clearly.

light-up art

"Fishing Around" is the name of this art.  The idea is very metaphysical; exploring the universe and it's energies.

This art is made of three layers of painted masonite board.  Between the raised layers is a string of lights, which in effect, backlight the art between the layers.  In daylight it is bold and graphic. In the dark it's ambient light becomes etherial and dream-like.

I always create such art while working outside.  This piece was made at least ten years ago.  At the moment, I have no place to work outside, so smaller 3D art made of paper are created in my studio.

There is an actual string connected from the fishing pole to the fishing hook on the edge of the art.  This was exhibited and sold during an art show.

I always create large art outside instead of my little studio.  This is an example.  I cut masonite with a jigsaw, then sand and paint.  This photo shows the process of adding the lights between layers of the art.

I would customize a string of lights to proper length and placement of the bulbs.  There have been several shocking experiences from doing something wrong while wiring the strings of lights.  Not fun.  The art can be turned on by a rotary switch that I would add.  A simple, effective design when done correctly.

Finished art.  Behind it is a clothes line pole that I painted.  There were years of time where I painted everything in sight.  I still paint objects, but have mellowed over the years.  I've come to appreciate the beauty of certain wood sometimes used to make furniture.

cribbage board art

I use colored pencils quite often.  It really bugs me when the tips break off.  To compensate, instead of it being a loss and a bother to resharpen, I save the broken tips in this little paper pouch you see in this photo.

I found this cribbage board at a second-hand shop, brought it home and painted parts of it.  It turns out that the saved pencil nibs fit nice and snug with a bit of glue. Recycled art it is.  It lost its function as a game piece but became a decorative wall art.