Lisa

Dora Maar was Picasso's mistress for over ten years during the ninteen thirties and into the forties. He painted many images of her and his "Portrait of Dora Maar" was sold at auction in 2006 for $95 mil.
This is not it, or even close, but I will sell this portrait of "Lisa" (Mona's sister) for $45.00
5"x7" acrylic on watercolor paper

On The Road To Santa Cruz

On my road trips to Santa Cruz to surf, I pass by this wind break of Eucalyptus trees that always reminds me of the sentinels that stand guard outside a castle. But then, I have an active imagination. I did a smaller version that I published on the blog about a month ago and this is the final version.
Oil on stretched canvas 16"x20" $425.00 + $10 S&H

Gracie and Buster

The Airdale Terrier is sometimes called the "King of Terriers" because it is the largest of the terrier breeds, 50 to 100 pounds. The breed has also been called the Waterside Terrier, because it was bred originally to hunt otters. Originating in the Airedale area of Yorkshire, England.
Also called "Bingly Terrier".

Pet Portrait oil painting on stretched canvas (commision) SOLD

The Old Red Barn

The barn has always been the main structure of the family farm. It housed the horses, wagons and other animals of the farmyard. The farmer of years ago built his barn first, before he built the farm house. Even today the rural barn presents a forceful image of community spirit.

This one is in the foothills of the Sierras, east of Sacramento,Ca.

8 1/2"x 11" acrylic on gessoed watercolor paper $195.00 + $5 S&H SOLD

Alice and the Cheshire Cat

Cheshire Puss,' she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. "Come, it's pleased so far," thought Alice, and she went on. "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.
`I don't much care where--' said Alice.
`Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.

In the original (1862-1864) manuscript, Alice was not the little blond girl we're used to seeing. She was patterned after a little dark haired child of a church colleague, for whom the Alice stories had been originally created. (Alice Pleasance Liddell)
The Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodson created the story on a 2-1/2 hour rowboat trip with a friend and his three daughters. The little girls loved the story so much, Alice begged him to write it down. It was originally titled 'Alice's Adventures Underground', later changed to 'Alice's Adventures In Wonderland' and published under the nom de plume Lewis Carroll.

16"x20" oil on stretched canvas - commission - SOLD

Mountain Colors

Having lived in the Sierras for more than 20 years, scenes like this are commonplace and even taken for granted. We lived approximetly 20 miles outside of Nevada City, near the little town of North San Juan. The town has 2 small grocery stores, 1 gas station, 1 bar (The Brass Rail) and 1 restuarant (Toki's). Most of the town residents are either loggers, miners or hippies, and quite a colorful lot they are. I have many good memories of those people and times. Debi and I lived, and our kids grew up in the woods on our 6-1/2 acre parcel. We built a house, dug a well and planted a huge garden. (We were in the hippie group.) Chickens, turkeys, goats, ducks, Great Danes and cats romped all over the place. What a fun time in our lives. Then we moved to civilization and got civilized.......(sort of)....... but we still have the memories.

9"x12" watercolor on 120 lb. acid free paper $120.00 +$5 S&H

Autumn Leaves

Leaves changing colors, cooler weather, Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend, Sun. 11/4.
In 1784 Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea of setting our clocks ahead during the spring and summer and then setting them back during the winter. The reason was to save money on expensive lamp oil. Pretty good idea.

It's not the cooler weather that makes the leaves change colors, it's the lack of sunlight.
As the photosynthesis in the leaves slows down and the chlorophyll dissappears, the bright green in the leaves is replaced with the yellows, browns and reds that we see, from left over glucose. These different colors have always been there but the bright green chlorophyll covered it up. The brown colors in leaves from oaks and other trees is the left over waste. It's the combination of these things that make for the beautiful colors we see.

9"x12" watercolor on 120lb Arches paper. $125 + $5 S&H prints available $30 ea.

Mad Max

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

ALL HALLOWS EVE- The night before the Feast of All Souls, was confused in Medieval custom with one of the four Druid fire festivals, All Hallows.
In Ireland it was called Samhein. In Scotland all hearth fires in the land are extinguished then re-lit from the fire at the Druids’ sacred grove. Add to this the early Church's attempt to eradicate the pagan custom of giving food to departed spirits -(Greek Anthesterion in Feb., Roman Feralia and Lemuria in May) by moving the date to honor the dead to the Feast of All Souls on November 1st.
Many cultures have customs of putting food offerings on doorsteps so invisible spirits would give you good luck. So today's the last night for the devil and other ghosties to romp before the Holiday Season (Advent) begins. (tomsito.com)

Mad Max, the meanest cat on Earth, is now living somewhere in Texas. We'll miss you..... sort of.

Acrylic on canvas board 12"x16" $225.00 + S&H

There was an old woman...

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,

she had so many children she didn't know what to do.

She fed them all broth without any bread,

then whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed.

This nursery rhyme was supposedly written to make fun of King George II and his wife. They had eight children who were apparently driving the woman quite mad.

Another thought is that it refers to King George who began the men's fashion for wearing white powdered wigs in the 1700's. He was consequently referred to as the old woman! The children were the members of parliament and the bed was the Houses of Parliament - even today the term 'whip' is used in the English Parliament to describe a member of Parliament who is tasked to ensure that all members 'toe the party line'.

As a point of historical interest the wigs worn by women of the period were so large and unhygienic that it became necessary to include mousetraps in their construction! (rhymes.org)

16"x20" oil on canvas $400.00 Copyright Bill Reed 2007

Easy Rider

This is one of my favorite watercolor surf paintings. Fast and spontaneous, not spending too much time laboring over details. After I finished I sprinkled sea salt over parts of the wave to get the mottled effect. The large granules of sea salt suck up the water and paint and leave a blank area. When the paint dries the salt is wiped off and voila it's finis. Mon deu!! (?)

watercolor 5"x7" on Canson 140 lb paper NFS

Coyright Bill Reed 2007