Friday, December 28, 2012

Just Tango On

I love the scene from “Scent of a Woman” where U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino), dances the Tango with the beautiful Donna. Slade and his young companion Charlie, find themselves at a restaurant, observing a beautiful young woman (Gabrielle Anwar), waiting for her date. The blind Colonel takes her for a tango on the restaurant's dance floor.

This abstract print from my original painting seeks to capture the depth of passion in the Tango and the powerful feelings of the blind Frank Slade. I have used army colors and black for Pacino along with yellows, pinks and reds for his dancing partner. The paint is put down with bold strokes to express passion and the movement of the dance.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Sassy Crow

Crows are sassy and cocky and also mesmerizing. This giclee print evolved from my original acrylic painting. It has abstract twist to it now. That crow tinkered with all the filters in Photoshop and came out looking so pleased with himself. You can find him on: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoxyFoxDesigns

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Jazzy Blue Fruit

A bowl of winter fruit all in blue -- it didn't start out that way. My photo was a straight forward picture in yellow and reds. But with some digital magic, it is now rather jazzy looking and certainly more interesting. You can see it in its full presentation here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoxyFoxDesigns

This is Oscar Peterson's jazz version of "Girl Talk" ... just the right tune for the calmness of blue. Peterson was one of my dad's favorite jazz pianists. I grew up knowing his music very well.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Arctic Drifting

Some intense digital filtering brought a new piece of artwork. Amazing how you can take a still life and turn it into an underwater romance. Philippe Saisse's rendition of "If I Ever Loose Heaven" is one of my favorite tunes. I like it with this print called "Arctic Drifting".

This is a fine art giclée print with intense color and powerful imagery. You can see it on: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoxyFoxDesigns?section_id=5511113

Friday, December 21, 2012

Thoughts in Blue

Sometimes when we get away our minds find new paths, new thoughts. This jazz melody played by George Shearing is called, "It Never Entered My Mind". It is from this tune that the painting takes its name -- Thoughts in Blue.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Sexy, Sassy Tangerine

Taken from my original acrylic painting, this giclée print — pronounced “ghee-KLAY” — fits an 11 x 14 inch frame when matted. The inspiration for this portrait came from the jazz classic entitled "Tangerine". The music was written by Victor Schertzinger, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was published in 1941.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Is the Best Yet to Come?

This is a photo I took of the wine bottles stored in our kitchen rack. I tweaked it a bit in Photoshop. Click the image to see it in a bigger scale.

As a jazz fan, the song "The Best is Yet to Come" has a reference to wine. It's a cool song, old, but cool.

Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plum, You came along and everything started to hum, Still its a real good bet, the best is yet to come.

The best is yet to come, and baby wont it be fine, You think you've seen the sun, but you ain’t seen it shine

Wait till the warm-up's underway, Wait till our lips have met, Wait till you see that sunshine day, You aint seen nothin yet.

The best is yet to come, and baby wont it be fine? The best is yet to come, come the day your mine.

The best is yet to come, Come the day your mine, Oh come the day your mine, I'm gonna teach you to fly, We've only tasted the wine, We're gonna drain that cup dry.

Wait till your charms are right, for the arms to surround. You think you've flown before, but you ain't left the ground.

Wait till you're locked in my embrace, Wait till I hold you near, Wait till you see that sunshine place, There ain't nothin' like it here.

The best is yet to come, and baby wont it be fine? The best is yet to come, come the day your mine. Come the day your mine, I've got plans for you baby, And baby you're gonna fly!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Geisha's Rabbit

Part of my life was spent in Japan. I developed a fondness for all things Japanese. This is an ACEO called "Geisha's Menagerie". ACEOs are always 2.5 x 3.5 inches and have been created, traded and collected for centuries.

Beginning with sturdy poster board, Franz Kline’s “Accent Grave” was the backing. I added a piece of book binding from a 1925 book, a strand of black wool from a Oriental rug dating back to the 20s, and ephemera —the beautiful geisha, a gentle black and brown bunny and a cocky crow. I then gave the ACEO several coatings of varnish. SOLD.

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