I added a new print to the store yesterday. "Portland Rocks" kind of depicts a some of the typical happenings here in the "Rose City"& this corner of the US. I created this illustration for a local magazine article recently, & thought I'd go ahead with a print too. Very colorful & have one hanging in my studio, as well. Only one size right now, but I may offer smaller prints in the near future. This was a fun project. Hope you'll enjoy this one. :)
Living only about an hour from the Oregon coast, I've spent a lot of time driving the coastline on HWY 101 & other roads. I never get tired of its beauty & lighthouses. Many times I had the dog along for the ride..she never seemed to mind. Always inspiring. I think I'll make a print of this one, & make it available in the shoppe sometime soon. :)
One of the things I love about small towns are the shops that live & breath on any given Main Street. They're usually little treasures with a lively character behind the counter. Although it didn't quite look like this, Red's did exist in my home town. I can remember hunting through wood boxes of nuts & bolts with my dad, to complete whatever project we had going on at home. Red was really a nice guy. Always there to help with an easy laugh & smile. :)
Dolly is my mom. She doesn't bake anymore & never had a shoppe, but her pies, cakes, & cookies were killer stuff when I was growing up. Her peach pie & its crust was just the greatest. Sure could go for just one more peice mom...great memories. :)
True Story...
When I was a kid, my dad would put the trash out the night before pick up. This worked fine until the raccoons discovered this was a free meal & in the middle of the night they'd knock off the lid to the can & help themselves. This went on for a few weeks, & my dad decide to put a rock on top to keep them out, but...they knocked off the rock & had their meal. So my dad got a bigger rock, then a bigger rock after that, but still they got in. So one day my dad was at the department store & discovered a brand new item on sale in the garden dept..."the Critter Proof" trash can. A thing of beauty, that had latches & straps, & best of all...a guarantee! My dad had found the solution. Bought it, brought it home. Trash day came...he followed all the instructions...secured the capsule & confidently set it out for trash pick up the next morning. He had won! The next morning we were leaving for school & as we looked out towards the street there was trash spread all over the the front lawn. It was as if a bomb went off! Chicken bones, etc...everywhere! The can was no where to be found. The only thing that could be recognized was a portion of the lid with one of the straps still attached. We just stood there in awe of the destruction. Our neighbors smiled & waved as they passed by & saw us standing there amidst the field of rubbish with our mouths agape. My dad took a photo & sent it to the "Critter Proof Can Co." & remarked that their can was no match for our raccoons (a super breed like no other!). I'm sure the company got a good laugh from this & I don't think dad ever got a reply. We did get a good laugh out of it ourselves & it went down in family history as one part of the Great Raccoon saga that had numerous chapters. Life went on...the raccoons had made their point, & we accepted their victory & our sound defeat. I think my dad left the bones on top of the can the next week to finalize the truce. :)