Sketch Day 79 Cocoon

Most days I will write down interesting words I read or just hear on the radio and save them for inspiration. Today, the word cocoon was on top of my list, and though I wasn't real sure what I wanted to do with it I thought this felt pretty cocoony.

Sketch Day 78 SkyDiver

I saw one of these rides at an auction recently and I really wanted to bid on it- like bad,bad. But alas, after 'reasoning' things through I decided to let it go. Damn you reason!

Sketch Day 76, 77 ...... Apple+Hokey Pokey

"an apple a day keeps the doctor away
apple in the morning, doctor's warning.
Roast apple at night
Starves the doctor outright.
Eat an apple before bed
knock a doctor on the head.
Three each day seven days a week,
Ruddy apple ruddy cheek."



I'll spare you all the lyrics to it, but
this image is my take on the rhyme
the Hokey Pokey.

Sketch Day 75 Acorn redux

This is one of the pieces I did for a group show at Varnish a few years ago. I sold the original and thought I must have accidently pitched the files of any record of the art -until I found it today! So, just sharing the original inspiration for A is for Acorn from one of my early posts.

Sketch Day 74 Black Sheep

Baa,baa black sheep
have you any wool?
yes sir, yes sir,
three bags full.
One for the master
and one for the dame,
And one for the little
boy who lives down
the lane.

Sketch Day 73 Bat,Bat!

Here's a rather odd children's rhyme I discovered...

Bat,bat come under my hat,
and I'll give you a slice of bacon;
And when I bake,
I'll give you a cake,
If I am not mistaken.

Bacon AND cake not a bad deal.

Sketch Day 72 Wee Willie Winkie

'Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown'
Rapping at the window crying through the lock,
Are all the children in their beds? It's past
eight o'clock.

Sketches 70. 71 Jill & Audrey

Jill St.John and Audrey Hepburn.Can you guess who's real last name is Oppenheim? who had a nose job, who dated Henry Kissinger? who has a genius I.Q.? who took ballet lessons with Natalie Wood and Stephanie Powers? Who starred in Jim Bond film 'Diamonds are Forever'? Yeah easy I know...

post: I was so bothered by that Jill ST. John.....it came out looking like Cher's weird sister or something so I had to rework it some....sorry for the obsessive - back to work.

Sketch Day 69 RIP Pete "Big Oak" Heinman

Pete 'the big oak' Heinman passed away quietly at his home in Parma, Ohio yesterday. In the late 50's Pete played for 3 years in the short lived Mansfield Hockey Alliance League. Pete was selected as a starter for the league's only all-star team. Known mostly for his often clumsy and unorthodox skating style and vicious body checks, Pete was a fan favorite wherever he played. "Oh he was a beast on the ice" remembered his coach Cal "Shady" Shade, but once he was on the bus he was a total gentleman."If we didn't keep him pruned every once in a while, he could turn hell on a uniform and pair of skates" Shade remarked. Heinman wore a league record 41 new uniforms in a single season.
Mr. Heinman leaves a wife Maple, and 3 sons and will be planted in Mansfield Memorial Park

Sketch Day 68 Gbye Winter!

First Day of Spring! Flea markets here I come.

Sketch Day 67 Julie Newmar

played Batman's formidable feline enemy- check, insured legs for $10million- check, once played a robot in the cult favorite 'My Living Doll'- check, all-cheekbone first team- check, big, red hair- check!

Sketch Day 66 Raquel Welch

A definite first team all-hair babe. Raquel was the main attraction in 'One Million Years B.C.' and is a personal favorite in 'Fathom'. I've said enough...

Sketch Day 65 Stella Stevens

This less than polished sketch is here mainly because I just caught the tail end of a bad Jerry Lewis movie and it reminded me of Stella Stevens in the original Nutty Professor- definitely first team all hair-do. Pretty straight forward but hey, AMC is showing the Brain that Wouldn't Die in about 2 minutes so time to go!

Sketch day 64 Norma Jean

Norma Jean Baker aka Marilyn Monroe ...'her candle burned out long before her legend ever did'. That's for sure.

Sketch day 63 The Diner

If you're ever up in my little neck of the woods and it's getting to be lunch time you know the first place I always suggest is The Diner. Great food, local folk,Johnny Cash on the jukebox, bacon smell in the air...love it.
Well tonight I had to get out of the house, having been cooped up there since my massive head cold set in. So I drug my poor wife to the diner for a quick bite to eat. Fail. I soon discovered that the dinner shift at our diner is a whole 'nother breed of folk. Night Folk.
I won't go into a whole lot of detail but let's just say that I think hair belongs on your head and not in your eggs.

Sketch Day 62 Miss Mod

After about a hundred starts and stops on this painting I think it's finally done. No, it's done because I'm sick of looking at it. Miss Mod progress has been very slow due to everything else I seem to get involved with! I've got a few ideas from sketches to paint and those will be alot of fun to do. I'll post a sketch later tonight.

Acrylic 13" x 16"

Sketch 62 Liz Taylor

She was one of the original Hollywood bad girls. Married 8 times,the first actress to get a million dollars for a film, that kooky relationship with Michael Jackson and so on..BUT back in her day ,absolutely one gorgeous lady.

Sketch Day 61 Sleeping Snow Beauty,etc.

This started out as a Sleeping Beauty piece and then the cold medicine kicked in! I've now wound up with this strange amalgam of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and who knows what else thrown in here! Ah, but that's what sketch day is for. I'm officially saying good night to the the nursery rhyme/fairy tale theme... for now- a few more I'll re-visit later. I'm on to retro movie ladies.

Sketch Day 60 Henny Penny

Oh gracious the sky is falling!

I couldn't resist doing 2 versions. Tomorrow I wrap up the Nursery Rhymes
theme and will move onto retro movie star ladies.

Sketch Day 59 Pigs & The Beanstalk

Make up day!
First off,
Everyone knows that Jack was able to chop down the giant beanstalk causing the great giant to fall to his death.Hurray!
Well after all the vacationers came and went, after all the "dead giant" tchotchkes were sold in all the souvenir shops, Jack abruptly skirted out of town telling no one where he was going and leaving what remained of the great giant for the locals to deal with..
His mother believes it was all due to the magic bean pyramid scheme he got caught up in.


Next we have the 3 Little Pigs who are obviously feeling a bit relieved due to the demise of their nemesis Mr. Wolf....he does make a pretty snappy looking rug.

SKetch Day 58 Tortise & the Hare

The race is not always to the swift.

SDay 57 Gingerbread Man

"I can run away from you yes I can. You can't catch me, cause I'm the Gingerbread Man".
Mmmmmmm gingerbread.

Sketch Day 56 TH3 3 B3ARS

...but the porridge in the little bowl was just right.

Sketch day 55 Winter Run

I've got alot of great suggestions for new series and I think what I'll do is maybe try out a few of the ideas and settle on one to go with in the next day or so. Maybe fairy tales or fables will be the one....lots of potential here.

Sketch Day 54 Surveilance

something always fascinating about birdhouses. Little birds in their own little cribs probably watching the A-Team reruns, or Taxi or somethin'..eating ham salad sandwiches...what a life.


I was going to start a new series on famous Blues singers but !... if anyone has anything else to suggest for a good sketch topic I'm up for it!

Sketch Day 53 Turbomatic

If car pools ever become mandatory I'm riding with this guy.