Diane's Flowerpot
Oil on canvas. 18 x 24

My wife Diane made a floral arrangement in a blue ceramic teapot. I set it up as a still life. Unfortunately, the apples were painted largely from memory, because our son Steve (one year old at the time) bit holes in all of the apples. He eventually ripped all the flowers apart too. No wonder my Mom gave up art after she had several children.

This doll is leaning against my wife's old toybox. Her dad made this box for her when she was young, and it's still working. Over the years, I've made about 10 other Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy sets, using oil crayon. This is one of the smaller ones, but I like the bold colors and crayon strokes.

Just after we were married, my wife and I had a date at the zoo. In the original drawing, the larger parrot was much redder, but the color of the pigment has faded over the years.

This was a painting I "made up." I had no hollyhocks, no scissors, and no lace tablecloth. For painting from imagination, it's not bad. And that's why I like it.