Musical Paintings

"Love of Guitar" 2011

acrylic on masonite, 11 x 14"

"L'accordéon Vert" 2011

acrylic on masonite, 11 x 14"

"Duet" 2011

acrylic on masonite, 11 x 14"

In December I took a break from the abstracts I'm working on to make a few paintings as Christmas gifts for some musician friends, including "Love of Guitar" pictured at the top of this post for my talented brother, whom I play in a couple bands with. It's easy to lose the plot while working for several months on a large group of paintings, and so it was nice to relax & make something just for fun  :)

Quilting Hen

Quilting Hen, 2011

acrylic on canvas, 8 x 10"

Posting yesterday about the hen painting I made my mother as a Christmas gift reminded me I hadn't shown you the canvas made for her birthday this past August. Among the many talents this woman possesses are her skills as a seamstress- she can make clothes, knits a serious afghan, and is a tireless quilter. To recognize her high achievement in the craft, I painted the canvas above to add to her collection of anthropomorphous fowl adorning her kitchen. I enjoy making these whimsical little artworks, and love seeing the look on her face when she opens them  :)



No Partridge in This Pear Tree

"No Partridge in This Pear Tree", 2011
acrylic on masonite, 11 x 14"

I've been making rooster/chicken paintings for my mother's kitchen for some years now, and did another for her this Christmas, "No Partridge in This Pear Tree". She's a fun gal, and we shared a chuckle over it during the recent family holiday  :D

My Work at PHD Gallery!

I'm really excited to announce I am now showing at PHD Gallery along the historic Antique Row at 2300 Cherokee St. in sunny South St. Louis  :)   The handsome & accomplished gentleman peeking out the door pictured above is world renowned artist Philip Hitchcock, proprietor of PHD Gallery since 2007. Part of the white-hot arts district forming on the city's south side, and boasting three adjoining storefronts in a GREEN building (in both design and color), PHD features 12 foot ceilings, clean white walls, north facing windows, and a combined exhibition space of nearly 2000 square feet. Reflecting the passion and artistic vision of artist Philip Hitchcock, PHD is an alternative art space that advances challenging works by ground-breaking local, regional, and national artists.

Among the five works of mine Mr. Hitchcock has taken into the gallery is the canvas pictured below, "Prince of Fire". Give him a call or stop by his beautiful gallery and get a closer look:

PHD Gallery 2300 Cherokee Street, Saint Louis, MO 63118 (314) 664-6644  "Prince of Fire" $185.00 acrylic, mixed media collage on canvas 30 x 40"

More Later!

All The King's Horses

"All The King's Horses"   $185.00

acrylic, mixed media collage on canvas
30 x 40"

Contact PHD Gallery, St. Louis, MO (314)664-6644

Another big painting from my showing at Urban Eats in summer 2010. Like "Ship of Fools", collaged scraps of canvas are utilized as narrative panels, illustrated in glue to dry, forming a raised line. It's very textured, many layers of metallic & black acrylic wash making it look like an ancient slab of carved bronze. A couple folks threatened to buy it, but no love yet. The armored Roman/Greek soldier theme is again present- don't ask me to explain this, because I have no idea! Concerning this particular canvas, I do remember hearing a Robert Plant tune, "All The King's Horses", the lyrics committing:

"All the King's horses, all the King's men
I'll weave a circle round the sun
Throw down my arms and give my all
I'll be your soldier of love..."

I liked that a lot, the notion of removing one's "armor", and laying bare the heart that lies beneath. A brave thing to say, and harder yet to do. Personally, my timing is poor, and the romantic inside me often falls short of other's expectations, and often my own. But I feel a great deal of love in my life on many levels, so....  often times, we "get what we get" and should be grateful for that.

See more of my available works at my WORKS AVAILABLE page at ShawArt.com :)

email me if you are interested!