Friday, July 15, 2016

Little Landscape project - Hikurangi Hotel

When I was a kid, every town in New Zealand had a hotel & pub; hotel upstairs and the pub down. During WWI, as a wartime measure, liquor could not be served after 6 pm but it became a way of life and didn't change until 1967. But while 6 o'clock closing was still in effect, men would get off work and make a dash to the pub to drink as much as they could in 45 minutes. This became known as The Six O'Clock Swill.  Now we have more civilized hours but many of the iconic pubs still remain. They all look similar to this one - the Hikurangi Hotel. Another Kiwi icon is the Four Square grocery store that you see on the right side. Hikurangi is a little town north of Whangarei, not much more than a wide spot in the road.


Little Landscape #3 - The Hikurangi Hotel
6" x 8" oil on gessoed board, unframed
US $125 plus $10 shipping

SOLD

Even though the pubs in New Zealand had a 6 o'clock closing, they weren't allowed to close during business hours. My father was a builder and had the job of moving the Waiwera Pub to another location. The pub was jacked up and moved on rails to the new location while full of patrons.  

Magpie & Chamisa

I love chemisa - the yellow flowered bush that blooms in New Mexico and southern Colorado in the autumn. It's a lovely blue-green color and when the yellow flowers are set against the purple shadows that you often see in the clear air of the southwest, it's a beautiful combination. This painting is one of the ten paintings I'll be exhibiting at Art for the Sangres in Westcliffe, Colorado, September 23 & 24th.


Magpie & Chamisa
16" x 8" oil on gessoed board



Thursday, July 14, 2016

Little Landscape project, #2

The small iconic town of Kawakawa is not far from where I live in New Zealand. NZ gets a lot of rain so the verandah covered sidewalks are typical of kiwi towns. Though we do have large chain stores such as Kmart and Warehouse, towns still have many privately owned shops; a butcher, bakery, hardware store, clothing, takeaway food (fish & chips) and lots of cafes. Americans say that New Zealand reminds them of California 40 years ago.



Kawakawa - Little Landscape #2
6" x 8" oil on gessoed board, unframed

SOLD

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Early Riser


Early Riser
20" x 24" oil on canvas



Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Little Landscape project begins!

My son and I are starting a new online project titled Little Landscapes.  Last time, I painted bird studies and he did primarily landscapes. This time, I'm also doing mainly landscapes, but mine will be of New Zealand. Shane is a full-time illustrator with three kids so finding time to paint for the project won't be easy for him, but be patient, and he'll make some contributions.

This first little painting is an original oil of Goat Island at Leigh, very close to the town of Warkworth, New Zealand, where I grew up. My father was one of the first scuba divers in New Zealand in the 1950's and would bring home plenty of crays (NZ's lobster). Now it is a protected marine reserve.

Prices shown are in U.S. dollars. The paintings in this project will all be 6" x 8" oil on gessoed board, unframed. Payment is through Paypal. If you prefer not to use Paypal, email me and we'll make other arrangements. If the Paypal link doesn't work, that usually means it has sold.  Thanks for your interest in our project!

Check out Shane's illustrations.



Goat Island at Leigh by Adele Earnshaw 
LL#1,  6" x 8" unframed  oil on gessoed board

On Hold