Forest and Farm

I saw a photo of a farm near / surrounded by forest. I thought it would make for a great painting. I liked the color and 'view' it shows. It took a while to get it just right. The setting is in the fall / autumn when the leaves are about to change. I like the fall / autumn colors since they are so varied. 

It was completed when I took an art class with my Dad in a local high school. It is one of memories of things we did together. The class was part of the adult education program that the town had. The class was halted when there was security concerns and the class was farther than most of the attendants could walk (most were senior citizens). 

It is part of my Cafe Press TomLeeM. I chose some items that I think it looks good on. There will be more items added to this part of the 'store'. 

BigGoofyGuy

River In Yellowstone Park

I saw this in a calendar. There was a geyser in it but I decided not to add. I wasn't sure if I could do it correctly. I think it came out pretty well. It took awhile to get it just right. The river looks simple yet it was - IMO - the most difficult to achieve the proper look. The trees was the most fun to paint. It was a 'did I just do that?' when I was finished. Some things just take time and one can see the result of ones efforts. 

I have it on my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I put it on items that I think it would look good on. I am using Cafe Press to 'sell' my art without actually selling the original. 

BigGoofyGuy.

This is my personal web site that I use to show somethings of myself. 

I have links to my other blogs on the site. 

Pagoda Sunset

I saw a photo of a sunset with a 'pagoda' in it. I thought it would make for a really nice painting. It came out pretty well. The setting sun was the most difficult. I liked the orange and reds and yellows that made up of the setting sun. 

It was done in a class that I took with my father. It was a memory that will last a long time. I will one day do more painting. 

It could either be the setting sun or rising sun, depending on how one looks at it. I think either title works.

I have it at my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I chose items that I thought it would look good on. I thought this store was a neat way to 'sell' my art and have more than one being able to have it. 

Purple Orchid

I saw a photo of a purple orchid. I thought it would make for a great painting. It took a while to get it just right. I think it came out well. It was not easy getting the right shade of purple and white and bits of yellow. I wanted the leaves to look green but not so they take away from the orchid. 

I liked the flower in the photo because of its rich purple color. I like doing paintings of flowers. I like making them bigger on the canvas than they are in life. There was an artist who made flowers in a big way, in a way that made the viewer seem small. It was like an insect or small animal perspective in viewing the flower. 

It is part of my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I chose items that I thought it would look good on. 

BigGoofyGuy.

The Blue Door

I saw a photo of a blue door. I thought it would neat to make a painting of it. I think it came out quite well.  It is near the corner of the dwelling. One can see a bush/tree on the left. It is autumn since there are fall colors and fall items in the painting. 

It brings to mind to wondering what is behind the door. One also thinks about where the door is and what kind of house it is part of.

I have it as part of my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I chose items that it would look good on. 

BigGoofyGuy

Big Red Rose

I call this 'big red rose'. It is not as big as another rose I painted but bigger than one where there was a bunch of little roses. It has smaller roses and petals with it. It was fun to paint. I think it came out very well. Unlike most of my paintings, I did this one from an image from my imagination. 

Some things don't have deep reasons for being but exists just because. 

It is on my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I chose items that I thought would look good with it on and could fit on. There are a variety of items. 

BigGoofyGuy

Arctic Owl

I took a class with my Dad. It was at an adult education class that was held in a local high school. There was people of all ages who did the oil painting. The nice part of the class was that one could chose what one wanted to paint and the style one wanted to paint it in. The teach - Eli (don't remember the last name) - helped everyone achieve what they wanted to do. It wasn't just oil painting but also included water color, drawing and other art. It was ended when the class - the room was in back of the school but usually had access by a nearby entrance) was too far when they required every one to walk all the way to the back of the school. It was fun while it lasted. 

I thought it would be neat to paint an arctic owl. It came out pretty well. It was done with the canvas in landscape. 

My Dad did a similar painting but with the canvas in portrait. I think it came out really well. We completed the paintings in the same class; an adult education class held at a local high school. It was nice comparing the two. Personally I think it was a tie. 

My painting is also at my store at Cafe Press TomLeeM - arctic owl I put it on items that I thought it would look good on. 

BigGoofyGuy

Small Roses

I usually do flowers as big and 'in your face' but thought doing many small ones would be nice too. It is not one of my better paintings. I think it has too much green space. I think it should have had more flowers in it. I do like it. The next one will have more roses or other flowers. 

I have it at my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I chose items that it would look good on. I think they actually better on the items I chose than the painting I did. 

BigGoofyGuy.

Seacoast Sunrise

I did a painting of a sunset (or sunrise?) at the seacoast. It is from a photo I saw. This is my interpretation of that photo. It came out better than I expected. It was a lot of fun to do. I like the combination of colors; orange, yellow and red. 

It was completed in an adult education class. I took it with my father. it was something we did together. Since the class is gone and my father is no longer with us, both will hold memories for me.

I have it at my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I have chosen items that I think it would look good on.

BigGoofyGuy

Four Seasons Tree?

This was my attempt at trying to show four seasons in one painting. It was supposed to show a tree going through each season and how it could look. From clockwise starting at 'noon' (or midnight), it shows summer, fall, winter then spring. It turned out pretty well but not one of my better paintings. 

It was done entirely from my imagination and not from a photo or picture which what I normally use as a basis for a painting. It was completed in an adult education program. The program was stopped many years ago. I had taken the class with my father. Since he is gone now, it is a memory of something that is cherished. 

I have it at my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I chose some items that I thought it would look good on.

BigGoofyGuy

(my home page).

Yixing Tea Pots

I think yixing teapots are neat. I saw them in a catalog. Yixing - Wikipedia. I read that the yixing teapot need to wet every so often to keep them from drying out. I found that they come in different shapes and sizes. It is made from a certain clay and not baked hence the need to keep it wet every so often. 

'Yixing clay teapots (simplified Chinese: 宜兴; traditional Chinese: 宜興; pinyin: Yíxīng; Wade–Giles: I-Hsing) (also called Purple Sand(Chinese: 紫砂; pinyin: zǐshā; Wade–Giles: tsu sha) are made from Yixing clay. This traditional style commonly used to brew tea originated in China, dating back to the 15th century, and are made from clay produced near Yixing in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu.'

Wikipedia quote.

The above and below are from the same photo in the catalog but the above is a close up of a few and the below is more like the photo in the catalog. I like the close up as well as the 'stacked' ones. It was fun creating them. I think it would be great for a tea room. 

I am amazed how many sites that sell the yixing teapots. One just has to Google it or Bing it (there are other search engines but i like these two best). The yixing teapots don't just come in the shape I painted but also others too. I like the simple design, easier to paint. 

I have them on my Cafe Press - TomLeeM store (one bottom one but not the top one yet). I chose things that I thought it would look good on.

BigGoofyGuy.

Green Forest Stream

I saw a photo in a calendar of a stream through a forest. I thought it would be cool to make a painting of it. I like how light and cheerful it came out. It was a lot of fun to do. It took awhile to get it just right. The part that was most difficult was the stream. It goes well with the light green. It is freshness of spring. It looks like a stream that one would like to explore.

I have it on my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I put it on things that I think it would look good on.

BigGoofyGuy

Dark and quiet pond with stream

I saw a photo of a calm pond with a small stream flowing into it. My painting makes a little darker than the photo but the photo of the painting makes it a little lighter. I think it is nice since it is a place that one could go to and relax. Since the pond is still, it would have a relaxing effect on one. My painting also gives it a dark and moody look to it, depending on how one views it. 

I have it as part of my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. I have it on things that I think would look on. There isn't a lot of items but I did not want them on everything. 

I have sold a few paintings to friends. I 'sold' one - a painting of a field with sunflowers - for a bag of sugar free cookies. I still have a few. I thought it would be neat to put them on things. With Cafe Press, one can put different things - picture, slogan, art work, words, etc -  on different things (t-shirts, bags, cups, banners, etc). With Cafe Press, they do the work and one gains a profit from the items one has at their store.  This is what I have done with my store, TomLeeM

BigGoofyGuy.

My web site that tells about me. 

Dead Horse Mill

There was a photo in a calendar of a place called Dead Horse Mill. I think it was really nice. I did a painting of the place. It took awhile to get it just right. The difficult part was getting the water in stream to look like water flowing. I am still not quite satisfied with it but it looks good. 

It was created in an art class as part of the adult education program in East Windsor NJ. What made it great was that I took the class with my father. Each person in the class chose what he or she wanted to do a painting of and the teacher helped us create it on canvas. 

I found a site that has a photo of it. It is on Wikipedia. 

My painting was created using a photo that was from a slightly different angle. It was part of a calendar. 

I have it as part of my Cafe Press TomLeeM store. i chose items that it would look good on. 

BigGoofyGuy.