ACRYLIC PAINTINGS
For availability, pricing, or commissions please contact me at 503-930-3812 or artbytomelden@gmail.com.
2018
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USS Hammann (DD 412)
This painting represents two stories in one. My father, LT Ralph W. Elden, USN was the executive officer of a powerful Sims class Destroyer in World War II. Prior to Pearl Harbor his ship, the USS Hammann (DD 412), was stationed in the North Atlantic fighting an undeclared war against German submarines. She helped convoy merchant ships so Great Britain could survive. After Pearl Harbor the Hammann shifted to the Pacific and played a key role in the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 8, 1942. Because of the ship's work in rescuing 500 sailors from the doomed carrier Lexington (CV-2) the Hammann would later play a similar role in the Battle of Midway. The Coral Sea was the first battle in history where ships fought by planes and did not see each other. In June 1942 at the Battle of Midway the Hammann helped rescue survivors from the USS Yorktown (CV-5). Later on June 6 Hammann tied up alongside Yorktown to provide pumps and electricity while a salvage party returned to the carrier and attempted to save her. An enemy submarine penetrated a screen of destroyers and sank both the Hammann and the Yorktown with torpedoes. The Hammann could not maneuver away from the torpedo that broke her in two because she was tied up alongside. My father directed abandon ship operations as the Captain was temporally incapacitated. The Hammann sank in four minutes. Thereafter an underwater explosion killed many of those who had swum clear, my father included. The Captain, Commander Arnold E. True, supported two sailors one of whom was an African American messman in the water for two hours. Just as rescue operations collecting the living, injured and deceased were being concluded CDR True was spotted and rescued. He was so dazed he did not realize one of the sailors he was supporting was deceased; the other died shortly thereafter.
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2017
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Red Sky at Night - The Gates of Hades Will Not Prevail
11" by 14" Acrylic on Canvas Framed Matthew 16: 1The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3“And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” I like the weather reference; I learned it as a child as red sky at night sailor’s delight etc. My abstract work depicts the cross overcoming the horror of World War and triumphing over sin and death. I looked at photos of Hiroshima before painting. |
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Methodist Church in Hillsborough Center New Hampshire from a photo by Rich Steip
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Pink House in the South, Version Two18" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas Three paintings were for a good friend who I served with as a Navy JAG officer in the Republic of the Philippines during the Vietnam war. I began in oil but stopped and then began this acrylic. The acrylic took weeks and along the way I did an abstract watercolor. I then finished this acrylic and using it as a template did a new oil painting. Each of the paintings has a different version of "pink". The painting was commissioned and my friend wound up with all three. |
2016
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Sunset Starts 60" x 20"
Acrylic on Canvas Framed in a black floater frame This painting is the second in a trilogy of spray acrylic on a long narrow canvas. It took several efforts to get the abstract look I wanted. The painting was done in 2015 but in 2016 I made some adjustments and also framed it. The painting is now with a daughter in Tennessee. |
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Victory Academy Sherwood Oregon14" x 18"
Acrylic on canvas Framed This painting was done for the annual Victory auction held in October 2016. My daughter Heather is a close friend of Tricia Hasbrook the founder of Victory Academy. Heather tries to fly from Colorado to Oregon to attend the auctions when she can. In 2015, Heather told me the school would be in a new building. Heather suggested I consider doing a painting of the new school. A couple weeks before the October 2016 auction I was in touch with Tricia about submitting a painting. Our discussion led to my receipt of several photos and the school project was launched. Because of time constraints the painting was done in fast drying acrylics which is a medium used by me often for buildings such as churches. The story of the Academy is a rich story; I often tell friends I know someone who saw a need and met it by starting a school. I was honored to submit two paintings to the October 2016 auction: this painting and Iris Gardens. |
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Noisy Creek from a photo by Andrea Fountain11" x 14"
Acrylic on canvas Andrea is a missionary in Slovenia and has made a couple great photos available for painting. This scene is from the state of Washington not Europe. Ione Washington has Noisy Creek and YouTube videos portray a really loud noise as the creek heads to Baker Lake. The painting was auctioned to raise money for legal aid internships at Willamette University College of Law, Salem Oregon. |
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Battle of Franklin Tennessee November 30, 18644' x 3'
Acrylic on canvas I visited Franklin Tenn in 2014. There are buildings with damage and even blood stains after all these years. One hundred and fifty years ago on November 30, 1864 the last gasp of a mobile Confederate army was essentially destroyed at Franklin. What was left of the army that had been driven from Atlanta by General Sherman tried at first to lure Sherman away but when Sherman did not bite this Confederate Army headed to try to capture Nashville. In five bloody hours without waiting for their own artillery the Confederates smashed into a dug in army at Franklin. Many hundreds and many generals died as the band played Dixie. This painting tries to capture the horror in a semi abstract way. I did this painting in 2014 but changed much of the color and added more flags in 2016. |
2015
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Kansas Wheat Harvest from photo by Andrew Shull12" x 12"
Acrylic on canvas This painting was done over a period of time and I redid the wheat field a couple of times. The painting is based on a photo from my great friend Andrew Shull whose family farms wheat in Kansas amongst other endeavors. Andrew gave the painting to his family. |
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Wild Marsh14" x 16"
Acrylic on canvas Framed in black floating frame This abstract is from an art class taken at Palos Verdes Art Center. The class was taught by Annie Clavel an excellent artist. I finished the painting at home. The painting was given away. |
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Thompson Sloop SoulMate Underway24" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas The abstract painting has just a hint of rigging (the forestay). SoulMate is a 46 foot Hunter 460 sloop that is well traveled and I am sure has provided much enjoyment and adventure to the owners Rick and Janie Thompson. They provided the photo taken 2010 and shows SoulMate inside Los Angeles Harbor sailing west toward the breakwater (the breakwater was deleted in the painting to give the feel of an open ocean). Although streamlined in the abstract painting the Jib or foresail is furled around the forestay. The painting was done for an exhibit at King's Harbor Church Torrance California "Freedom". The friend who gave me the original photo now has the painting. |
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Vancouver in the Mist14" x 16"
Acrylic on canvas This painting was done from a scene provided by Sam Speranza. Sam saved a photo he took in Vancouver BC because of what he saw as its spiritual qualities. One can almost see this view in a church bookstore. I gave him the painting. |
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Windy Gorge18" x 14"
Acrylic on canvas This painting depicts a solitary windsurfer in the Columbia River Gorge. I did it for my friend Drew Lianopoulos on his retirement from the Oregon Department of Justice. The sail is simplified without numbers or struts and there are no other surfers in the view. I flew up to Oregon for Drew's retirement and he now has the painting. |
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Denizens60" x 20"
Acrylic on canvas Framed in a black floater frame This painting is the third in a trilogy of spray acrylic on a long narrow canvas. I first tried the painting on a 30 by 48 canvas to see how it would work. The spray acrylic was perfect for creating a mysterious group of three large sea creatures as seen from above. They are not in shallow water and there is no shadow. I was pleased with all three paintings but believe the spray technique was exceptionally suited to space and to water. I may try some more. |
2014
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Satellite Disintegrating60" x 20"
Acrylic on canvas Framed in a black floater frame This was my initial effort using spray acrylic paint. After some practice I designed the theme which was built around objects in space. My grandchildren helped with taping objects and my oldest grandson Daniel helped with the initial blasts of paint over the taped areas. I then went back over the work several times after cleaning up the objects and tried to give the painting not only the disintegration idea but also objects moving left to right. At least that is how I see the painting when I look at it. Spray acrylic is perfect for depicting imaginative space scenes. One of my daughters has the painting. |
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Rain Rain12" x 16"
Acrylic on canvas This small abstract appealed to several people. I was experimenting with different techniques and this was by far the best out of about a half dozen efforts. One of my daughters really likes the painting and she has it. |
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Fiona Skippering a 420 at Islesboro Maine8" x 9.5"
This painting is from a photo supplied by Casey M. Casey is my excellent physical therapist in Rolling Hills California. His family sails at Islesboro Maine in the summer. His daughter Fiona who is an outstanding sailor is shown as skipper of a 420 sailboat. I first read about this boat and viewed images and videos of it online. Casey bought the painting and gave it to his daughter. |
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Summer in Franklin Tennessee14" x 11"
Acrylic on canvas I visited Franklin Tennessee in the summer of 2014. A significant battle of the Civil War occurred there about 150 years ago. The scenery in the countryside is terrific and this barn is one of many types of barns. The vegetation has a richness to it. The painting is now with family in Tennessee. |
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Sleep With the Fishes24" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas Sleep with the Fishes is whimsy. I originally thought I would have a shark approaching the viewer high above the sea floor as my webmaster is into sharks but then decided a boat was more appropriate. The painting was sold to one of my former law clerks. |
2013
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Colored Stripes24" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas This painting started with excess paint from other work and then was next worked on at a birthday party for my granddaughter. At the party the girls could all paint at their own easel but also add to this canvas. Later I went over it a couple times saving what worked and changing what did not. The painting is with family in Tennessee. |
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Jory Hill Road South - Salem
24" x 18"
Acrylic on canvas This painting is of a home outside Salem Oregon. The artist and his wife raised five children in this home which has acreage and a swimming pool. The property was owned from 1980 to 2014. The home is surrounded by the greenery that contributes to the great quality of life in Oregon. My youngest daughter now has this painting. |
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Walk in the Light6' x 4'
Acrylic on canvas When in college at Oberlin in Ohio I worked in a kitchen. Ethel was a cook and I attended her small church a couple of times. I remember the African American choir proceeding in swaying and singing “Walk in the Light. Jesus shines bright”. I got input for this “I Am the Light” painting from several members of King's Harbor Church in Torrance. The painting is my largest. I researched what is meant by “I Am the Light” as set out in the gospel of John. There are several opinions. |
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Roses on Wall11" x 14"
Acrylic on canvas This is the third time I have used a decorative retaining wall in our back yard along with flowers to make a painting. |
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Sandbar at Avenue A Redondo Beach20" x 16"
Acrylic on canvas A friend liked my larger abstract painting Sandbars because it reminded him of a time off Avenue A in Redondo Beach California when he and his son were swimming. His son lost his strength. By a miracle there was a sandbar there which provided respite for recovery. My friend told his son "put your feet down". They then continued swimming. I tried to capture in an abstract way what a swimmer might see of the buildings along the shore though they do have a surreal almost Star Wars quality. I am very pleased with the way the blues of the ocean and the sky complement each other. I gave the painting to my friend. |
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Freedom Tower Rising24" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas Freedom Tower Rising honors Kenneth Frederick Rice III, the nephew of a good friend. Kenneth lost his life when a plane hit his work place on 9/11. The painting was made from a photo of the Freedom Tower or One World Trade Center as it appeared under construction. The photo was taken by Douglas Borstel. The scene captures excellent angles and perspective and the spirit of the building. The painting was donated to the Marion County Circuit Court in Salem Oregon but was ultimately given to good friend Judge Mary James. |
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Sailing in Close24" x 18"
Acrylic on canvas Sailing in Close was done for a sister-in-law who lives on the Chesapeake Bay. My brother-in-law is an excellent professional photographer. They love and want to reserve the traditions and resources that are part of the Chesapeake Bay. The Skipjack oyster dredging sailboat is the state boat of Maryland. In an abstract display the painting shows a Skipjack going about its work. Very few of these boats remain. To enable them to be commercially viable they are permitted to have a motorized boat push them around a couple days a week. In the painting although no rigging is shown you can see a push boat hanging off the stern. As I painted the colors changed several times. Particularly the large triangle on the left was originally to be green but green did not work and yellow gave the painting its character. The sails on the boat were originally a light tan but again that color did not work as my wife pointed out and the sails became light blue. The colors in the painting balance each other and tie the painting together. The painting is now with my brother-in-law. |
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Abandoned-Morrow County Oregon30" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas Framed in a black floating frame Abandoned-Morrow County Oregon is a surreal painting of an abandoned house on the plain. In 2009 my good friend Todd Martinson shot the photo from which the painting was made. From the photo there appear to be pock marks on the wood (though not emphasized in the painting). Todd did not know what those might be; if the building was shot at by cowboys in Eastern Oregon it is wonderful the building has not been destroyed. The pock marks could also be from quail hunters prevalent in that area. The house is in the middle of nowhere with only dead grass around the edges. One wonders who lived there. Why did they leave? Were they farmers or ranchers who could not make a go of it? Was their name Joad? Todd believes the structure could be as old as the 1930s as not much left inside though the roof looks to be in fair, if stained, condition. One hopes it did not house a family driven out by their race. I am very satisfied with the painting and it looks great on a wall. I also offer giclée prints on stretched canvas which look virtually like the original painting. Acrylic being largely two dimensional the giclée prints work wonderfully. |
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Saint John Vianney Chapel Balboa Island CA30" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas The original of this painting was for very good friends who commissioned it. Their youngest daughter was married in this chapel which is on the main street of Balboa Island in Orange County California. Saint John Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests. He apparently had a difficult education as he grew up in France during the era of the Napoleonic Wars. But he nevertheless through diligent work became a model and then the patron saint of parish priests. While it took much time to complete I enjoyed creating the painting. I had problems with the color gray, then the color of the building and then the shadows all requiring repainting. The toughest part was the lettering over the door and the Byzantine look of the Holy Family. My friend Jessie at Autonation Ford in Torrance California has one of the prints. |
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Jesus After Feeding the Four Thousand40" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas Painting depicts Jesus at a steering oar of a fishing boat leaving the east side of the Sea of Galilee after Feeding the Four Thousand as set out in Mark chapter 8 and Matthew chapter 15. This painting was done for any exhibition at King's Harbor Church, Torrance, California. A missionary who was staying with us was the model and I later provided the painting to his parents. |
2012
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Mexican Sage24" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas The colors are in a granddaughter's room; the flowers grow in our garden in Los Angeles County. A granddaughter has the original painting. A daughter gave a print to a school auction at Arcadia Christian in Arcadia, California. |
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Amish Girl on a Train11" x 14"
Acrylic on canvas This painting needs little explanation. The portions are big and the little girl is thankful. I got to know her grandparents in Union Station in Chicago and later visited them in Indiana. Good friends Bill and Nancy Fenstemacher live in the Eastern US. They have a vacation place near an Amish community in New York. I gave them a print and then later the original painting. |
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Chaos12" x 12"
Acrylic on canvas This painting had a life of its own as three granddaughters had input and some brush strokes. The title came from one theme of the painting which is disorganization in nature. The school bus reminds some viewers of tragedy but I see the bus as a hopeful sign in a confusing world. The painting was sold at a Malaga Cove Art Show. |
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Children at Pond24" x 18"
Acrylic on canvas This was for one of my daughters to give to good friends whose children are the subject of the painting. |
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Pratum Oregon Co-Opand s
30" x 24" Acrylic on canvas Pratum, Oregon is a small unincorporated community northeast of Salem, Oregon in Marion County. It has a small school where exceptional teaching occurs in part due to the rural atmosphere. Students go on to excel in academics, sports and music at Silverton High School. A significant amount of agricultural business occurs at Pratum Co-op. This includes processing of tons and tons of grass seed for eventual use in lawns. Pratum also boasts a beautiful grain elevator; it is no longer used due to a slight lean in the structure. Some day it may have to come down. My good friend Todd Martinson took an excellent photo which I settled on to do the painting. The painting of this beautiful structure took many days; the original and several giclee prints were sold to the manager of the Co-op. |
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Trinity Church Beverly Chicago30" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas The idea for this painting came from the occasion of my best friend Charlie Bowers' 50th wedding anniversary. He met his wife through Trinity church. The painting shows Trinity United Methodist Church in Beverly Hills Chicago, the church we grew up in at 99th and Winchester on Chicago's South Side. Beverly Hills is a community in the city of Chicago and the church is thus 99 blocks south of downtown. Several photos and looks were considered; Edris Hoover supplied the best. She has been a mainstay of this church; also her father John Bailey years ago supported youth in winter paper drives and whatever else was needed. The wonderful Gothic structure is still a church but the congregation is small and has been overtaken by the growth of the local Catholic Parish. Parts of the building are now rented out. The church auditorium has seen many youth operettas (for which we sold program ads by peddling our bikes truly miles away to find businesses some of whom probably never heard of the church). In its heyday the local public grade school, Sutherland, dismissed early for the Trinity bazaar (and in those years a slide show of the nativity was shown in the school). The church was strongest under pastor Kermit Long and for a time my mother was church secretary. We brought in outside speakers for community events and I recall coming back from Wisconsin in a blizzard so my friend Charlie (who later became a Navy pilot) could hear Werner Von Braun who was making a national tour. In 2016 I decided to correct what some thought was distortion in the perspective and did so and thus the painting while I consider it a 2012 painting was amended in 2016. |
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Sandbars4' x 3'
Acrylic on canvas Abstract suns and rain above the ocean. |
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Oklahoma Guitar4' x 3'
Acrylic on canvas The painting captures two of the four Oklahoma State University colors in an abstract theme. The teeth in the middle strip were a last minute idea; everyone now sees a guitar. |
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Battle of Britain5' x 4'
Acrylic on canvas This large acrylic was plotted carefully and as the painting progressed it evolved into Battle of Britain. As in any abstract the viewer must construct the real picture out of what has been painted. The painting is with family in Tennessee. |
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Industrial Revolution II14" x 11"
Acrylic on canvas This painting replaced a less colorful version that was in a friend's office in Salem, Oregon. I needed the first one back so replaced it with this abstract. I like the idea of a bug-monster in the middle of urban life. I had to take back another similar painting from my friend Dale Geiger so I painted him this one. |
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Nuclear Winter30" x 40"
Acrylic on canvas My oral surgeon had a blank wall in front of the chair where new patients sit. The doctor required the painting to be colorful. Hopefully the abstract quality distracts from the procedures to follow while the colors bring encouragement and confidence. |
2011
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Bowl of Fruit14" x 11"
Acrylic on canvas I retired in 2011 from my day job and resumed painting after many years of inactivity. Bowl of Fruit was an initial step. It is with a friend in Portland, Oregon and the friend then purchased Hydrangeas by Wall. |
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Unseen Seen Cabrillo Beach20" x 16"
Acrylic on canvas This painting captured a grandson at Cabrillo Beach in Los Angeles County. He seems to contemplate the forces of nature and the spirit of God. Look closely to see the shark on his swim trunks. My daughter said she wished he hadn't been wearing sunglasses. While I could have easily painted them out they add to the painting. But she and family enjoy the painting. |
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Hydrangeas by Wall24" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas A good friend in Oregon wanted a painting for her office. These flowers took a lot of time to figure out and I took many photographs of possibilities. The original pink was changed to blue. The friend also obtained another painting: Bowl of Fruit. |
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Willamette University College of Law24" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas This painting was to fill a space in the new Espresso Bar area at the College of Law for then Dean Symeon Symonides. But the space became filled. Dean Peter Letsou and Associate Dean Danny Santos agreed to purchase the painting and place it on another wall. The painting shows the five races going in and out of the school with the Lady Justice off to the side. Half the proceeds went to the Willamette Auction for Legal Aid purposes. As of January 2018 for the last two years the painting has been in the lobby of the Oregon State Bar. |
1960–1970
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Da Nang South Vietnam (1969)20" x 16"
The original painting was done in South Vietnam in 1969 and framed on a trip to Taiwan. It was given to my commanding officer Captain George Dowd JAGC, USNR. I recently borrowed the painting from him and cleaned and varnished it. Then I had it scanned to be able to make giclée prints on archival paper or stretched canvas. |
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Flag of an Emerging Nation (1968)18.5" x 23.5"
Acrylic on board I believe this painting was done in 1968 while I was stationed with the Navy at Subic Bay, R.P. I kept layering and blending acrylic paint until I arrived at this result. A son in law Duke Reed prefers paintings where he cannot recognize anything. But of course even abstract paintings have titles which direct the viewer to some potential theme in the painting. In any event Mr. Reed has the painting. The painting is with the Reeds. |
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Texas Sniper (1968)23.5" x 19"
Acrylic on Canvas Board I painted this while in the Navy in the Philippines in 1968. When the painting was in the framing shop at Subic Bay a sailor came in and wanted to buy it. Like all Americans I was captured by the enormous harm at the University of Texas on August 1, 1966. The motivation of Charles Whitman (the Texas sniper) will never be fully understood. A theory is he ingested poisoned water while in the Marines which caused a brain tumor that affected his reasoning. Many many injured and seventeen died - plus his wife and mother died earlier. Whitman took an over 200 foot vantage point in the Texas Bell Tower. My painting tries to capture the torment of Whitman and his many victims (including an unborn child). |
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Asahi Beer (1968)Acrylic on paper. The painting was given away.
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Water Buffalo (1968)Acrylic on canvas board. The painting was given to a Petty Officer while I was in Vietnam.
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Industrial Revolution I (1968)39" x 9"
Acrylic on canvas board Painted in the Philippines approximately 1968. I like the theme of a powerful force rampaging through civilization; especially if the force is ostensibly positive. |
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Fruit Basket Burnetts Atherton, CA (1964)16" x 19"
Acrylic on paper board This painting was done during law school while living in Atherton CA. I also owned an art gallery in Menlo Park for a few months. The painting was framed by my mother in Chicago. In 2015 I took it apart and cleaned it and then slightly adjusted a perspective issue and changed the right side background color. Maybe some day I will change the background color again. My friend Charlie Bowers hung on to the Elden Art Gallery sign for me and eventually the sign came to rest on our small farm in Oregon. Half of the sign was used as the tailgate for a 1963 Ford pickup truck. |
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Guitar and Bongo Drums (1962)Acrylic on canvas board
The painting was given away. |
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Mask at Stanford (1962)Acrylic on canvas board
I painted this at Stanford Law School my first year and gave it away. Not sure who had the mask but I enjoyed replicating the African look. |
