Morning Light, Late January '14

 

Framed by other pieces, "wall art" shadows emerge in the early morning.

Fern and spider plant combine to make an aloe shadow.

The angles and shapes of the shadows always seem to compliment the pieces.

 

Fairy head and doll portraits.

 

Magenta vase seems to be holding a bouquet of light.

The Old Car Nut Book has Arrived!

 

Look what just arrived at Pink Gardens! Longtime and very loyal reader, Katie, had this wonderful book sent me the other day. Her friend, the author David Dickinson inscribed it for me and sent it from his home in Seattle. It's an anthology of short stories about old cars and the "old car nuts" that love them, lol. I can't wait to delve into it!

From the back cover:

Millions of Americans are obsessed with old cars of one variety or another and feel that the newer cars have no soul. There are no memories in a car that just rolled off the showroom floor last week or last year. The fondness for old cars is about the memories of days past and fun adventures with friends.

The Old Car Nut Book provides a place for people to tell those old stories that often don't get shared outside of a garage or with a couple of buddies at the back fender of a special ride during a car show.

Within these pages, you will hear directly from the individuals that make this whole experience of living in the world of Old Cars more than just about the steel, glass, and rubber. You'll laugh and you'll cry. You'll step right into the past with each story told.

Here's the link to its entry at Amazon which has a nifty "Look Inside" feature.

David is planning on future volumes of this book and is looking for more stories. Go to www.OldCarNutBook.com and click on "How to Submit" in the menu for details! Let's hear about those old cars we love! 

Thank you so much Katie for thinking of me, and to David for writing the book a lot of us have thought about. And of course, thank you for sending it to me!

Pushed Into That Brave New Future

A badly damaged photograph of my mother pushing me in my oh-so-modern baby carriage in 1957. My parents lived in Stuttgart, Germany, until I was three. While I still have my mom's ca 1920 wicker baby carriage, this one must have sadly remained behind in Germany.

"Suddenly Last Season"

Work continues on the new pieces. This is how "Suddenly Last Season" is shaping up. It has had some finer brushwork added and some toning of the background in a geometric pattern. I watched the afternoon shadows cross over on this piece one day and I toned the background in those shapes the next day. 24 inches x 24 inches on heavy plywood paneling, 3/4" thick.

It takes so much time but I have at least 25 new works in various stages from first layers to just-about-done, and about 15 more ready to begin.

Man, Was I Close! Comparing ATS Coupes

They're Watching Me, Again, lol! I don't usually post my car art to this blog these days. My car blog is going on 4 years now, but this is a "crossover" story inasmuch as it's about my design sense...

In November of 2012 or so, I created the Cadillac ATS coupe, above in black. Today, Cadillac just introduced their new production ATS coupe, below, in blue. I'd say I nailed it! I correctly predicted Caddy would move away from their highly styled and dramatic CTS coupe's fastback roofline and electronic "slash" door apertures. I used a very similar "notchback" roof that is very sleek but has a defined trunk touchdown. The only thing I couldn't have predicted was the marque's new logo. They've deleted the longstanding "wreathe" circling the Cadillac crest. They've restyled and enlarged that crest, and I'm not really sure I'm sold on this change. I think it looks a bit cheap. But maybe I'll change my mind over time. Good job on the car, Cadillac!

Shadows Dancing in the Early Morn

Regular readers of my blog know I'm fascinated with shadows. On the rare occasion I wake up very early, they always seem to be the strongest in my apartment. Above, a "shadow rider" gallops into one of my pieces hanging in his way. Some of the images in this post are brand new, some are from 2012. I've shot more than 30,000 photos in the past 10 year sor so and I frequently go back and look in old folders to see what I may have never processed.

One of my family ancestor's reflecting the livingroom curtains on its glass as well as the early morning shadows.

 

Shadows perfectly frame his eyes, which, yes, do follow you around the room in the best horror show tradition!

 

If it weren't for the mostly-closed curtain behind it signifying winter, this morning sun almost looks warm. It wasn't, lol!

A study in black and white, these circa 1990 Spring Maid towels have been a staple in my bathrooms since new. They're a bit threadbare and are covered with paint spots, but then again, almost everything I own has a bit of extra paint on it by now!

 

 

This antique framed portrait is completely original. It has never been opened up in the back since it was framed in the late 1800s. This piece was left in an attic for more than 75 years during an almost 50-year legal battle and is much the worse for it, but I love every tiny detail of its history writ large across it.

I've rearranged a few of my pieces around the apartment. The gold glazed vase on the left is a recent thrift store purchase, and absolutely beautiful Victorian piece covered in 24K gold. The style of glaze matches other pieces I've had in my collection but the fluted shape is new to me. I'm not positive of the technique but these pieces are "warranted gold" which is good enough for me, lol.

Perhaps a bit too harshly lit for her own good, my pink-haired Wishnik troll stands watch from her art case perch. That's my aunt's last car's gascap to the right from a 1972 Hornet. The covered "chicken dishes" were always used to hold salt to dipping fresh radishes into, something my Uncle Bill insisted on every summer.

 

My eyes are always open when I'm walking. Above, just a branch I found in the woods that just about yelled to me to bring it home. The curves and twists are just so elegantly formed, I've kept it for almost ten years now. That's a very thin Wedgewood bud vase on the left and a now-vintage wooden child's airplane toy. I like the "modern era's" electrical and cable outlets almost centered in this early morning image. This is actually the top of the TV and behind it. I'm not sure what I'd do with a modern flatscreen, I'd lose an entire horizontal surface to display things!

Happy 2014!

In the spring of 1954 my mother, father, and brother flew from San Francisco to New York. I believe they were coming back from living in Japan during the Korean Conflict. I wouldn't be born for another few years, another few Army bases, and another country. These three tickets added up to about $500, including extra baggage charges. Judging from all the Japanese antiques, paintings, and fragile collectibles they brought back, it was probably a charge they didn't mind paying. They must have shipped a bunch of it first, though. Make sure to scroll down and check out the in-flight menu! United Airlines even mentioned the chef in New York that had prepared the meals! This is quite the flight pack, inlcuding the tickets, seating plan, menu, information about traveling with babies, Rent-a-Car charts, even adhesive stickers and decals still in their waxed paper envelopes.

I hope everyone out there has a great 2014! From my perspective it can't be any worse than 2013, but then again, I somehow always find new cellars and basements below what I thought was the bottom floor.