Work in progress...

After returning home yesterday from the grocery, I asked Leicalady “would you be so kind and put up the groceries?” She mocked me the rest of the day with many “would you be so kind…” Living with an artist is fun! Leicalady is not only passionate about her art but also everything else she cares about – our two precious boys, Annie, our seven dogs, seven horses, two Longhorns and of course Miss Piggy. The passion in her life is reflected in her art. I have learned over the years, that there are some important requirements to success in living with an artist. I am happy to share them…

1. Be patient.

2. Be supportive.

3. Give them their space.

4. Don’t make it about the money.

5. Cherish every work they create.

6. Share the passion!

Leicalady has so much more than the creative ability to mold perception and shape moods using the color in her brushes. Her artistic endeavors have been an inspiration to me for decades. Living with an artist is easy. It is perhaps one of the most rewarding relationships one can have…it can teach you things about yourself you didn’t know. Art is something amazing – make it a part of your life. Share it. No matter what type of art you make, it can be one of the most fulflling things that you can share in a relationship.

Living with an artist – no problem. Just never say “would you be so kind”. Just saying…

Curious, I turned to the magic of Google. I was shocked at the results. In the late 1930′s there was actually a Los Angles eye physician who claimed that such visual defects of nearsightedness and astigmatism account for what the average man considers weird in modern art. He went on to speculate that visual defects may have been responsible for much that is great in modern art and were perhaps a factor in the founding of the modern school of impressionistic art! He theorized that visual defects produce vision where details are lost, essential lines and shapes are relatively more striking but objects are blurred and colors, especially blue, are not seen correctly. Now it makes sense. Thank you for explaining it Dr. Lloyd A Mills!

I have worn glasses to correct my nearsightedness for fifty years. I started thinking that perhaps I too have the capability of producing bizarre art. Just saying…I love the cockeyed look. I try to capture the not so obvious. If nothing else, I satisfy the curiosity of my own mind…

No adjustment necessary...

Cockeyed is officially defined as the condition in which the lines of sight of the two eyes are not directed towards the same fixation point when the subject is actively looking at a subject. One treatment that appears to offer relief from this “eye defect” is vision training – also called eye exercises. I imagine that all artists practice some form of eye exercises. I am positive that the results vary – evidenced by lack of appreciation of the artists that I saw yesterday in Leicalady’s magazine! One thing is for sure – when it comes to art that I appreciate, there is nothing that compares to the efforts of Leicalady!!!

Cactus Jack

Door County lighthouse...

Door County Wisconsin takes on a whole other perspective in black & white…still very beautiful but the contrast in black and white is spectacular!

Bruce's 1934 Ford "Pickmup"...

The Sturgis cowpath...

Sister Bay beach...

Leicaman in action...

After a little help from Aperture 3.1 the images really began to reflect the old “vintage” look! The first subjects were of course the animals of the Rockin’P…

Little Mini Mac...

Here comes Flaca!

Lucky the old goat...

Saddle Up!

Pasture ornaments...

Door County Wisconsin is often called the Cape Cod of the Midwest. The 70 mile long peninsula juts out into Lake Michigan. Blanketed with five state parks, eleven lighthouses and 300 miles of shoreline, Door County combines pristine scenery with renowned galleries and shops, performing arts and beautiful accommodations. But the most important feature of Door County is that it will be the venue for Christopher and Annie’s wedding. That was the reason for Leicalady’s and my recent excursion over the Thanksgiving holidays.

After meeting up with Peyton in Chicago Tuesday night we made the drive to Door County with Christopher and Annie on Wednesday. Annie’s parents have a beautiful cliff side home on the bay with a magnificent view. We all celebrated the new engagement announcement with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner Thursday.

Bruce and Debby treated us with a grand tour of Door County on Friday and Saturday morning – what a treat it was to have the guided tour from two Door County veterans! The holiday made it easy to understand why Money Magazine named it one of the top ten vacation destinations in North America with over 2 million visitors!

Special time...

So happy together...

So much to be thankful for...

Wow!

This morning’s sky was beautiful. There was this aura about the colors that I did my best to capture. It is mornings like today that I am so thankful for being out of the urban environment…

Weather has always been a hobby of mine. I even took a climatology course in college. (40 years ago) I put together my first weather station (Radioshack kit) the first year Leicalady and I were married. When we moved to the Rockin’P I stepped up to a Davis Instruments wireless, solar-powered station. Anyway, Saturday evening I noticed that internet radar indicated some nice storms heading our way from the southeast. The wind picked up and I could hear thunder crackling in the distance. I grabbed my camera as I wanted to document the beauty of the Cumulonimbus clouds that were quickly forming…

Unfortunately, the system drifted to the east of us – the Rockin’P did not even get a sprinkle! I guess we will have to hope for relief from a hurricane in the Gulf…