Corner Store

"Corner Store"
5"x7" Oil on Panel
$45 Unframed
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This was a fun little street corner in NYC from my visit there last spring. I still have so many fantastic reference photos from that trip. And as I keep on working and improving and seeing things with a new eye, I'll see another photo that catches my eye that I ignored before, or seemed to difficult. I really loved the shadows and light on the awning.

In other news (drumroll please)... WE GOT A DISHWASHER! Well, let's just say it has finally been installed. Dishwashers are a huge luxury over here. You almost never see them. But they aren't the unicorns of Singapore quite like automatic ice machines and garbage disposals. Those just don't exist. So yes, in typical Singapore fashion, our dishwasher has been installed and hooked up to the closest water line. Alas, the power cord does not even get close reaching an outlet. Why am I not surprised?  

In Step

"In Step"
4x4 Oil on Gessoboard
$35 Unframed
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This is another piece from my NYC series. This was a great little daschund who was walking with his owner at one of the riverside parks on the Upper East Side. I've enjoyed painting a couple of dogs in action, but they're so difficult to get good photos of them. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do that?

Zebra Crossing

"Zebra Crossing"
4"x4" Oil on Gessoboard
$35 Unframed
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This was a scene I saw while I was exploring around the Wall Street area. Two people were crossing the crosswalk, and I noticed the really cool shadows they were casting on the ground. The title of the painting is a little east meets west, because over here they call cross walks zebra crossing. Don't worry, the only actual zebras here are at the zoo!

Arches in Blue

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"Arches in Blue"
5"x7" Oil on Panel
$45 Unframed
Click Here to Purchase

This painting is another one from my too-short time in NYC. This was during the day that I got to visit the New York Public Library - what a splendid building. The architecture was so neat, and the people watching was spectacular. I really enjoyed spending time there. This was during one of the days that was very overcast, so I tried to go to place that were inside to find good lighting.

And to continue my discussion from yesterday about exotic food that we had at the wedding, take for example, shark fin soup. (Here is my obligatory link to something about banning shark finning: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_finning.) They did serve shark fin soup, which Singapore has finally banned from restaurants. I did try it because 1) the soup had already been made and 2) I didn't want to offend the people that had invited us by staging a moral protest. The soup was okay - basically the part I thought was an onion-y mushroom wound up being the bits of fin. It basically tasted like some mushrooms and onions in a chicken based broth. Not bad, but not exactly something I'd want to spend $100 per bowl on (and yes, that is the price in restaurants for a bowl of shark fin soup!). If we are going to eat something expensive and exotic, Bird's Nest Soup (explanation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird%27s_nest_soup) is much tastier. And yes, the bird's nest basically consists of bird spit and twigs.