Click this link to hear the song: Everyday I Think Of You

OK, I’m through looking now.

This is a fun tour. There is a wide variety of everything: art ranges from conservative to bizarre, some you will love and some you, well, won’t; the studios vary from small rooms and spaces in garages to large free-standing buildings; and the artists are all very personable and approachable and willing to answer questions about their work and processes. If you haven’t taken this tour I highly encourage you to do so next time around (http://www.whiterockartists.com/).

This year I toted my camera with me and talked most of the artists into letting me take their photo. For those who have websites I included the address. I apologize to those I may have missed. You can also see samples at http://www.whiterockartists.com/. I sure hope I labeled each artist correctly. Note to artists: feel free to correct me under “comments.” Be on the lookout for typos. I’m working with four stitches in my finger (which is one reason I haven’t posted new art lately).

Then, do the same for your favorite “drawings.”

And again for your favorite “cartoons.”

You can let me know your choices by clicking on “comments” below or going to “contact” and sending an email.

Thanks for taking the time! I’ll post the results later. Oh, please hurry! The deadline for getting the prints done is coming up fast. Thanks again.

As we grow older, so do our parents. Interesting how that works. Looking at old photos of our parents as young adults can be intriguing. But, of course, the fashions and styles are from another era. I had wondered what my young twenty-something Mom would look like with a more modern hairstyle. So, I replaced Uma Thurman’s face with my Mom’s from a photo taken in the late 1920s or early 1930s.

I think she’s beautiful.

Born July 7, 1946 in Dallas, Beverly graduated from Samuell High School in 1964 and attended Texas Tech University. She worked for the Dermatological Center of Dallas, was loved by many of the patients and was “Mom” to many of her co-workers.

Beverly was an active member of Central Lutheran Church, served on the Church Council, the Altar Guild and in countless other acts of selfless volunteer work. She was currently a member of the choir.

Beverly was an accomplished seamstress and sewed many fantastic outfits for her children, but she refused to make her son a muscle shirt. Beverly canned the best hot dill pickles. She somehow knew the price of every object in every store in the world and always knew how to find the best deals. She had a coupon for everything.

We had joined our daughter’s family in San Diego for vacation on Saturday, May 10. My wife enjoyed a fantastic Mother’s Day with her grandchildren, visiting Balboa Park, walking on the beach and having a special supper cooked for her. Early Monday morning she suffered an apparent aneurysm and passed away later that afternoon. She was in excellent health and was able to donate several organs to other families in need.

It was obvious from the beginning that we were meant for each other. Not only was she already a Jones who then married a Jones but Beverly’s parents and my parents were married on the exact same day, July 3, 1939. Her mother and my father were both born in Madill, Oklahoma.

She lives on in the lives of her two children and four grandchildren.

Left to right:

1. “Girl-Pink and Gray,” color pencil on paper. The white stripe across her forehead is a reflection of the glass. I told you we did this quickly.

2. “Tina,” pencil on paper. Does the hairstyle give away how long ago this drawing of a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader was done?

3. African mural. This is an early sketch version. The graph lines are equal to 6 inch squares to determine proportions when painting on the wall.

4. “Indian Mother and Child,” acrylic on canvas. This was done just for practice. If it looks familiar, it’s because I was inspired by a photograph in a magazine.

5. “Gator,” pen and ink on paper. Another magazine photo-inspired drawing done just for practice.

Left to right:

1. “Game of the Century,” charcoal on paper. This was posted already. You can find it in the drawings category on the right.

2. “Ora Shaw,” computer manipulated image of my grandmother. I never got the chance to know her. She died many years before I was born. But, from the photos, she looks like she was a very beautiful woman.

3. “No Comment,” acrylic on canvas. Whom do we trust the most (or should I ask the least), politicians or the media? Depicted is another scene from the never-ending battle between press and politico. It seemed most appropriate that it should be done in grays.

4. This photo shows my brother and me painting a mural on his barn. He wanted that “old-timey” look of a barn ad. We made some adjustments to approximate the logo of his favorite brew.

5. The caveman cartoon is from one pane of a strip. I can’t tell you much about it or I’d give away the punch line. Maybe I’ll post it some day. But then I’ll probably color it first.

Left to right:

1. Portrait, pencil on paper. What a great smile! The boy in this drawing was eating and had food all over his face. While that was cute for the photo, we cleaned him up for the drawing.

2. untitled computer manipulated image.

3. “First Trip To The Beach,” acrylic on canvas. Previously posted. Check it out in the paintings category on the right.

4. African mural. This is a detail of the the jungle side of the mural mentioned in “Explaining the Samples – 1.”

5. “Cop Send-Off.” I don’t think the officer is affected by the referee’s use of authority. Actually, this was originally “Cop Caution” but the red card looked better.