Artistic Impressions: August 2012

August 25, 2012

Artist at work

When you work as an artist, you cannot stick to one format of painting if you expect to make a decent living. There are exceptions to the rule but not many. In my case, I spent a number of years as a Sign Painter. Sign Painting is very much a lost art form in today's world. The majority of signs today are produced using computers and vinyl.

This series of pictures were taken by my brother in law back in 1980 with a Olympus 35mm camera.

I was getting high on thinner fumes doing this job. Actually the company had to rent a cherry picker so that I could do the work, especially on the tail rudder because it was so far off the ground. The numbers were 8 feet high even though they don't look like it in the pictures.

In all I painted the lettering on 6 Canso Aircraft and 3 DC 4's.

The company had tried to use vinyl lettering previous to this job but due to the rivets on the aircraft, cold weather, and uv rays the lettering just peeled off
while in flight. Sometimes new isn't better!

All of the Green Aircraft are DC-4's while the Yellow Aircraft above is A Canso.

One last comment, I am afraid of heights so this job was shall we say the job was something of a CHALLENGE!

I don't do this kind of art or sign writing any more.

Buffalo Air

This is a DC 3 aircraft from WW 11 which were used as cargo planes , speed wasn't very fast; they sure were reliable though. This plane and others owned by Buffalo Air are featured on television , a program called " Ice Pilots " By the way I lettered this plane amongst others that they own .

August 24, 2012

'83 Pontiac Firebird

Open sky's and "The Bird" is a recipe for some fun under the Cotton Ball clouds...now this is a Classic !
I purchased the car in '83, it has 137000 Km on it ,I'm the original owner !

Cotton Ball Clouds

This is an example of Central Alberta's cloud formations and the open blue sky....

Lost Dream

All that is left of some persons dream is this old grain bin. Signs of the death of the family are all over Alberta. Sadly Corporate Agricultural Companies have taken over now days.

Over the Rainbow sits a Firebird Trans am

97 Pontiac FireBird Trans Am with a L1 Corvette engine. Purchased in May of 2012 with 78,000 KM

This will be a collectors car without a doubt.

August 22, 2012

Living Stones Church Float

This float was proudly displayed at the Red Deer Fair this year as a testament of the love our Church for our community....I volunteered my Art talent to this project by doing the signage and painting the Bible with it's great message. By the way this "Book" is eight feet by eight feet in size !

August 18, 2012

Buffet Central

With six feeders and a bird bath , the birds can dine and quench their
thirst as well splash around in the water to cool off on a hot day........

Pine Grosbeak & Grey Carmel Rosy Finch

These two are enjoying sunflower seeds....

Grackles

At first I Thought these two were young crows until I was checking with the people at Kerry Wood Nature Centre on a couple of pictures of other birds not in my Birds of Alberta book. When Todd spotted these two he said "Oh, two Grackles"! I said "Really?! and he then told me all about them. It's good to have people around who know what they are talking about...

At repose and stalking the sparrows

The neighbourhood cat likes to hang around my yard. He is missing a back leg but that doesn't slow him down much as you can see in the second picture. Just after I took the second photo, he sprung at a sparrow but the bird spotted the onrushing cat and flew into the spruce tree with kitty hot on his tail. I don't know if puss was successful in the hunt or not.

Alberta Summer Sun Rise

During June in Alberta, the sun rises very early. Since I am an early riser, I am fortunate in that I get to see these wonderful sky scrapes out my front window most mornings.