My Second Starving Artist Story

(Please read the post: OK, My First Starving Artist Story before proceeding.) I need to back-track just a bit here and tell you a little about my best friend during those times, and how we met.  I was still working in the publicity office at KLRN, and my boss hired a “Kelly Girl” because I […]

Ok, My First Starving Artist Story

Now, you will soon find out why I am obsessed with the cafe culture and painting in coffee houses. During the late 70’s, I worked at the now-defunct, legendary coffee house,  Les Amis.  Les Amis was ahead of its time, and I often wonder what it would be like if it had survived the expansion […]

Portrait Vignette of Lacey at Cafe Caffeine

Paintings of People at Cafe Caffeine

I have one more painting of Lacey Roop that I will download tomorrow.  I haven’t heard her perform at the poetry slams here in Austin, but she won this year’s competition in the city.  Ryan, her coworker tells me that she is amazing, and that her poems are “classical and romantic”.  I was quite happy […]

Oil Sketch Pronto-Prontissimo!

When I started college, I wanted to be a fashion illustrator.  I went to a pretty crummy state school my first year, and the only fashion illustration class was in the home ec department.  I couldn’t bring myself to sign up for home ec, so I switched over to architecture.  I flunked out of drafting […]

Painting the Bar at Spider House

This is one of the only interior paintings that I have done at the Spider House.  I need to paint more!   Spider  House Coffee is located in an old, clapboard house on a rise opposite Hemphill Park . The walls are of exposed long-leaf pine; the wall paper was torn off years ago.  It […]

Painting at the Spider House

I painted this while sitting on the decked section of the patio at Spider House Coffee.  I decided to paint at this spot because of the old gliders and the metal-worked lanterns.  Also, it has a nice living room feel which gives the painting a connectedness that you would lose if you were painting people […]

Painting a Portrait From Life

I painted this alla prima portrait of this man on the patio of Spider House.  I wanted the flesh of his face to add life to his surroundings.  He was hemmed in the booth by 5 other college students, so he was the perfect live model.  He sat so still, that I should have paid […]

Painting From Life at a Coffee House

I painted this beautiful man from life at Spider House Coffee here in Austin, TX.  I loved his dreadlocks.  Painting from life is always tricky, because you don’t know how long people will stay, or stay put!   As an artist,  I never rely on photography, but paint the figure “live”. Here is another painting […]

Portrait of a Gentle Geek