Manly

     Man Cave as defined by the mancavesite.org

man cave n. A dedicated area of a house,
such as a basement, workshop, or garage,
where a man can be alone or socialize with his friends

     
This is a commissioned wind-ow for.. guess who? A fella named Lonny.

     

     Manly name, Lonny. Manly wind-ow, man cave. The cave in question is, from what I'm told, more of a complete barn on a farm. Ping pong is the main attraction but I do believe there are alcoholic beverages and darts as well. I would hope, at least, there's more than just ping pong in a barn on a farm! Barn cave just doesn't have the same ring.

    
Here is the 12 coolest man caves brought to us by oddee.com. 12 coolest man caves

This window was found at a Cincinnati building material recylery. The banner in the design is from an old matchbox label. The font is similar to old whiskey bottles. Fire and booze... manly. The frame was clear coated with a lovely semi-gloss to keep the red paint detail.

"Man Cave" Approx 28 inches x 26 inches. SOLD

Happy Birthday Jumpin' Jack Flash

Every year I scoot on home for the end of November not only for the Thanksgiving holiday but also for good ol' Dad's birthday. This November I rolled home with a window under one arm. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by "The Rolling Stones."
I can't tell you how many times teenager Bean had to wake up to a man 'singing' START ME UP! Start me up I'll never stop! Or the thousands of times I heard this as a response to a question: "You can't always get whatcha waaaaannnttt."
Growing up with a Rolling Stones enthusiast taught me many things. I know how to make a grown man cry, I know how to avoid getting stuck between a rock and a hard place, that fishing tackle makes a lovely hair accessory, record covers can have zippers, and that Jumpin' Jack Flash is a Gas Gas Gas!

Jumpin' Jack Flash is a reclaimed window, refinished wood frame,  measures 27in x 22in SOLD

 

In the studio before the frame was refinished

Classic Boozin'

A 4 pane window will bring creative difficulty, believe it or not. In response to the unique 4 pane style, I went with a classic boozin' paintin'.
Perfect for a bar or restaurant.

LIQUOR BEER WINE SPIRITS 32inx26in SOLD

Vagabond

Here I am, in my suspenders, brown paper hat, denim shirt on cuffed jeans, 1950s aluminum eyeglasses, staring off into the distance while sitting on my leather suitcase while my green military backpack hangs off my shoulders.
Psh.
Might as well be in a Jack Kerouac novel. Though...
I must say, I would love to hop a freight train or two before I kick the bucket.
What a life it can be. Living off the land. Meeting new people everyday. Being alone, just you and your imagination. Seeing faces of the American landscape in a way not many ever will.
Drinkin' port and whiskey by a fire. Cozyin' up in a warm bag to stare at the stars. Awww, all those Kerouac characters must not have had any jobs.

I just recently took a drive through the most exciting face of the American landscape... Indiana and Illinois. Yee haw.
I went for the yearly September visit to see the ol' family for some birthdays. Instead of rockin' out to some good ol blues and NPR for the drive, I decided to renew my Chicago Public Library card and download (I know, I never thought I'd say it) some audio books.
The selection was a bit slim and Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums ended up on my ipod.
A life of adventure, feeling carefree, and exploration (with some drunkenness and creative soul searching thrown in there) isn't a bad thing.


Here's to the vagabonds. My favorite so far. Approx 32in x 24in. - SOLD

Let me run to New Orleans in the winter

Chicago is a great city in the summer months. Festivals (I rarely go but the idea that other people do is great), music shows, food, beer, sunshine, the beach (also never go but I hear stories from my friends and it sounds wonderful), bicycle rides in the middle of the night, sitting outside late just talkin' and drinkin'... Chicago is alive in summertime.
But... summer only lasts, maybe, 3 months. Fall and Spring seem to stick around for a week, maybe two. Then there it is...
Dreaded, awful, windy, cold, dark, dreary WINTER IN CHICAGO. So last winter I got the fire in me to go down South for the evil season. I stayed a month and enjoyed my vacation from mother nature.

I painted this window when it felt unseasonably (it was still summer!) chilly and dreary. My initial response to this sort of weather is to stay upstairs in my apartment with some Tom Waits singing from the turntable, the sounds of his instruments and booming voice rippling the surface of my whiskey...

So here we are, Tom Waits lyrics about New Orleans. 32in x 24inSOLD

In Process

In process detail

Add caption

Complete

There's the cat creepin' in the background. Well, the sun came out after I finished it so I know to keep complaining when the weather isn't right and it will correct itself.

Moonshine

 My other life is as a bicycle mechanic at a small shop in Chicago. Every year, sometimes twice, we will host a swap meet or big bicycle parts sale. We deal mostly in vintage parts and bicycles and will host several other bicycle buddy vendors to come out and sell/swap.

It's a two day event, with that evening full of celebration and fun with our buddies and sale success. The next morning, I am up early feeling groggy and drag myself to the shop to prepare for the second day of our sale.

Coffee in hand I mosey up to the door and a shop buddy, Adam, looks at me and says, Well goodmorning Moonshine!

Apparently I shine better while the moon is out.

Or I like moonshine.
Either way he calls me that to this day. Here it is, MOONSHINE. Approx 28in x 15in SOLD

I got a mind to ramble

"I'M A RAMBLIN' MAN
WITH A RAMBLIN' MIND"

I heard this song from some three day studio recordings produced by CBS in 1966.
Painting is approx 17 1/2 x 17 1/2in  (SOLD)

Whiskey neat is a wonderful thing but what about on the rocks?

Champion Jack Dupree says it well in an unreleased recording (honestly, I do not remember where or how I heard this song originally... I wrote down the lyrics and jack's name one late night last winter sitting in a buddy's apartment sippin' on stouts... Anyway, I have searched for this song and have found others' versions of it that seem to be later. For credit reasons, I do not know who wrote or performed it first. My interest was in Jack Dupree's version.)

I GET MY WATER FROM THE ROCKS IN MY DRINK (SOLD!)

In progress

Detail after gold

Champion Jack Dupree doesn't have a birthplace or state of origin... no one knows. As a young orphan he was taken in by folks down in Louisiana and grew to be known as a New Orleans/Chicago Blues artist. Many of his songs talk about drinking, late night carousing, womanizin', lovin', and even drug takin'. But, Dupree was not a heavy drinker, was faithful to his wife, and did not abuse drugs. He always said he knew what the people wanted to hear. A person is in the bar listening to the blues for a reason, one of which maybe he could sing about despite experience.
One of my favorites.

Some videos of Jack's well known tunes:
"Bad Whiskey and Wild Women" Youtube: "Bad Whiskey and Wild Women"
"Junker's Blues" Youtube: Junker's Blues

Approx. 23in x 49in  (SOLD)