The artist has a family boathouse on the river. Or so I imagine. The loved ones have many memories of good times escaping to the cabin on the water, fishing, floating.
The artist is sitting in the boat, painting the beloved boathouse. Remember the thick forest all around? The boulders on the shore. The blue sky reflected in the azure river.
I say river because there’s a bridge. The structure almost blocks the flow. It is the path back to civilization. The bridge over water was built by men for their purposes. You can’t just float in a boat all the time. You must tame the river and overcome nature.
But now is not the time for that. Enjoy today. Laze in the boat and soak up the lovely summer day on the water.
At night, a sheltered cove with an open boat slip is waiting for your return.
Frame: blue thrift store wooden frame added by me, 11″ x 14″
I was at a suburban art fair in the park. One of the booths had art by Andrew Paavola, and I purchased this, because I like swimming and tentacles. And cartoons. So, this does not actually qualify as a second-hand thrift store find, except for the frame.
Paavola is the cartoonist of the comic strips, Bully, at GoComics.com, and Daisy. He also wrote wordless books, My Ball of Goo and Zeke. (1) Paavola is a freelance cartoonist and illustrator, and he attended Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio. (2) It is entirely possible that I met the artist at the booth that day, but I don’t recall. The business card along with this print says, Art With Character, Huntsville, Ohio. In 2021, he travels with Carisa to art shows with an art booth, Otter Be Happy. They have a website and a Facebook page. (3)
This has three panels and two insets. The middle panel depicts reality, and has the largest area. Small round inserts bridge to the top and bottom panels. Initially, I read it as a comic strip from top to bottom. Panel: Kid is swimming with a friendly octopus. Inset: Happy kid is thinking. Panel: Amazed kid is looking at an aquarium. Inset: Octopus is thinking. Panel: Excited octopus is riding a motorbike with kid.
When you get to the lower inset and panel, you realize the octopus’ thought and desires mirror the kid’s. You reevaluate the center panel to see there are two equal characters, not just a viewing kid and subject octopus. Both have dreams and desires. Both imagine living in an impossible place where basic breathing would be a problem. Both wish to be friends sharing an adventure.
The kid and the octopus don’t seem to be named characters in Paavola’s other works. The kid works as a stand-in for me, or maybe the artist as a youth. In the end, I also identify with the octopus.
This artwork obviously is within the tradition of cartoons and comics. Black inked line drawings are filled with bright colors. Humorous exaggeration makes it very compelling to enter the fantastic imaginary world of these two.
I don’t remember what I paid for this. A 2012 picture from Otter Be Happy shows a larger framed version for over one-hundred dollars. (4) This print has the artist’s signature in the center panel and also under the bottom panel.
It seems like many of Paavola’s art works compare and contrast the elements of water and air. Here the denizens each press against the glass separating their dreams of camaraderie.
My Ball of Goo, by Andrew Paavola, Jan. 2019, Issue 01., Silent Gem Comics.
This thrift store find was not cheap. The tag is marked $39.99, but I may have received a discount. It has wear marks on the frame and the canvas. The standard size frame has the unusual colors of silver and blue, and this painting is the one which should be in that frame.
The scene is underwater. Lots of little fish swim among the corals and seaweed. Closer to the surface, and closer to the sun are a pair of orcas. The killer whales are over and above the others. This couple is ruling the domain.
When I see this picture, I think of the popular images by Sherry Vintson and others. You’ve probably seen this style of design used in fine art prints, puzzles and shower curtains.
Orca Cove by Sherry VintsonClose Encounter by Sherry Vintson
But this painting is not up to those standards. The composition is loose and inactive. Much more tranquil, I suppose. Nice, but not puzzle quality.
How come it’s divided in half, instead of the recommended thirds?
Still, you could do worse than have a painted aquarium still life in your living room.
Smoky mountains. The mist and the fog heavy on the ridges. Feel it, quiet and thick. Breathe in the silence. Shrouded in gray.
Shrouded.
Shroud.
A shadow of death is here, but calm and beautiful, in the distance. No fear.
The trees look on without a word.
This is a sober twilight view of the mountains painted by Betty Jane Posey. She had her own art gallery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in the Smoky Mountains. She painted landscapes, barns and flowers in the 1970s to at least the 1990s. It’s easy to see them on the web. Of all the pictures I saw by Posey, this one is the one I like.
I have not found biographical information about her, but Posey was (is?) part of the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community. In 1997, she and Kathy Shields Guttman created a book filled with anecdotes and recipes from the people around them, the crafting community. It’s called, Whop Biscuits and Fried Apple Pie.
Rumpus Art Panel 