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Inspirational Envisage Conceptions

Or

“Where in the @+!!&^%&*&^$#@! Did the idea come for this Painting?”

 

“Envisage - to have a mental picture of especially in advance of realization <envisages an entirely new system of education”

 

Although sports was my main hobby growing up in the great city of Compton, ever since I was a little boy I loved to paint and draw!  It started in elementary school with cartoon characters and sports and entertainment figures.  My mom Blondell would paint characters and trees on the walls of our bedrooms, and she certainly encouraged me to draw and paint.  While my dad was the figurehead for education and keeping all the Filer children moving in school and betterment, mom Blondell definitely supplied the genes for my artistic pursuits in writing, music, and painting.  Thank you Mom!

Following are a few of my earlier paintings, as well as my latest creations since I retired in 2013.  I supply a brief note on the “inspiration envisage conception” of each painting.  Enjoy!

 

Early Paintings

 

“Tommy Davis” (Water color on wood) - I did this painting some time in grade school in the early/mid 1960’s.  The Dodgers were my favorite team, and believe it or not, in the early 1960’s at least 3 of the Dodger’s black players lived in Compton: Johnny Roseboro, Dodger starting catcher, lived in the next block on the same Arbutus Street we lived; Charlie Neal, Dodger starting second baseman, lived around the corner on Palmer Street; and starting left fielder Tommy Davis, lived on Matthisen Avenue not far from our house.  We all played little league at Victory Park in Compton, and Tommy would visit the park and give us tips.  He became my favorite Dodger, as well as leading the league in batting average for 2 years.  I drew this picture and outlined it with a wood-burning tool my mom gave me as a birthday gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Sly Stone” (Charcoal on paper) - I fell in love with Sly & the Family Stone in the late 60’s/early 70’s while in college at Cal Lutheran College (now University) and have loved them ever since.  This is a charcoal drawing of Sly I did sometime in the early 1970’s from the back of the “There’s a Riot Goin On” Album.  Long live Sly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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From the Womb to the Tomb” (acrylic on wood) – “inspiration envisage conception” - This is where I really started getting freaky.  I did this in the late 1970’s.  My concept was something young men growing up thought about from childhood-to-teens- and onward….i.e. from the “womb to the tomb” – and that was the exploration of women of all colors and types.  I don’t think this “envisage” has changed since the beginning of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yard Art

 

 

 

After I retired in 2013 I knew I wanted to not only start writing in earnest, but to also start painting again.  So one day I looked in my backyard and saw the sagging ping-pong table that I had unfortunately left out in the rain- causing the table to warp on both sides and make it unplayable.  My wife Janice was on me to clear it out and throw it away……one day I started taking it apart to put out for the trash man when it hit me – “hey….the wood was warped… but why throw it away?  Why not paint something on it?”  Viola – the idea to re-cycle this wood and not discard it birthed my idea to paint “yard art” – that is using oil based exterior paint on wood, with thick finishing coats of varathane or satin for protection from the rain and inclement weather. – and thus the paintings could just be left out in the yard and not covered…..i.e. “yard art.”    

 

 

Painting # 1 – “Thank you Jackson Pollock” (Oil based exterior paint on half a ping-pong table) -“inspiration envisage conception”- I always loved the movie of Jackson Pollock’s life “Pollock” starring Ed Harris…….so it came to me to do something in the “Abstract expressionist” vain.  I went to Home Depot and bought a quart of every exterior paint color I could think.  I bought tarps and containers……cheap paint brushes of every type.  I laid the ½ side of the ping pong table on a tarp on my back patio and went to work!  I first painted the huge 4 1/2 Ft X 5ft table a flat color of brown.  I think went around my backyard and picked up fallen branches from my trees of about a foot long.  I then went systematically around the painting, swirling some paint here- thrashing paint there – just randomly throwing paint all over my wood canvas.  It sounds strange- but at some point you find yourself saying - “Ok….I’m done” – and that’s when you are finished.  Coats of shellac/satin- and my first “yard art” painting was completed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painting # 2 – “Peace Out” (Oil based exterior paint on the other half of the ping-pong table) -“inspiration envisage conception” – I’m an old, proud hippie type who ABSOLUTELY LOVES THE PEACE SIGN FROM THE LATE 60’S!  I just love what it stands for – and I indeed see peace whenever I see the sign.  So……for this second half of the ping-pong table – I laid in the middle an old discarded round glass table top I found in the trash a neighbor was discarding.  I’m always looking for something to useJ). This became my round symbol for the peace symbol.  I love the Bob Marley/Jamaican colors of red, green, yellow, and black – and this became my second painting.  Because I didn’t want to destroy the painting of the peace symbol- but love my new Pollock inspired drip method- I simply laid the glass table over the circle to protect it and then proceeded to drip in selected areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Painting # 3 – “Music is the Medium” (Oil based interior/exterior paint on Home Depot 4ft X 4ft plank of cheap wood) - “inspiration envisage conception” – I love music and simply wanted to paint something a little different – and featuring the word “funk.”   With this 4ft X 4ft piece of wood, I painted the base a burnt orange; then, I just went to town painting music symbols and using mainly bright colors like greens and yellows and finally blue for the “blues.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painting # 4- “Scuse me While I kiss the Sky/Purple Haze” (Jimi Hendrix poster glued to wood) -“inspiration envisage conception” – I absolutely love me some Jimi Hendrix.  I easily consider him one of the most original, influential, and trend-setting musicians of all time.  I have about 6 posters of him in my fffunklab/mancave – and found this extra poster that I didn’t want to give away.  You can’t go wrong with “Purple Haze” – so I used a background of deep purple and my rain a funky yellow/orange.  I super-imposed the poster of Jimi on a piece of 2ft X 4ft plywood and stuck it right in the middle.  Some dripped rain- and it was done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painting # 5 – “Dart Art” (Oil based interior/exterior paint on Home Depot 4ft X 4ft plank of cheap wood) - “inspiration envisage conception” – I like to throw darts and needed a dart board.  I thought of nature like colors green, black, yellow – and purple for the Los Angeles Lakers (big Laker lover here J).  The birds add their own natural drip from time to time…..I just rub it all in…..hey……it’s nature.