As you can see from viewing
'ROOSTER RANCH GOLF TOURNAMENT,' it was not meant to historically
depict, by PGA standards, a factual golf tournament. In all
of my art I take a lot of liberties that are meant to 'artistically'
enhance. I think Abner Doubleday would approve, don't you?
Or, was it baseball Abner invented?
Why the roosters? Artistic license.
I needed more color (well white is a color, isn't it.) Otherwise,
too much green upon green. I could have called it 'QUAIL RANCH'
but quail are not the most colorful, or easiest birds to paint.
And, in the early days, folks were not so particular about
rules. If there were a few roosters roaming around, the only
question you would need to ask is, where are the hens?
These were the days before 31
flavors were ever invented. Ice cream began with vanilla,
and then came chocolate, and finally the ultimate - strawberry!
And, a DOUBLE DIP for only a nickel! I remember an ice cream
wagon of this vintage. It used to be pushed down our street
in the summer time, when I was 3 or 4 years old. My folks
couldn't always afford to contribute a nickel, but I never
failed to give them the opportunity. I'll never forget the
day 'mean' cousin Roy, also 3 or 4 years old, pushed the ice
cream wagon over 'cause the vendor wouldn't extend credit.
Then, he ran for the house, and under the bed, where his mama
couldn't reach him.
Horses and buggies were on their way OUT
as the primary means of transportation, and the 'horseless'
carriage was on its way IN. That's why you see only one
horse and carriage, and three automobiles. Of course, the
carriage is not just any old carriage. I wouldn't mind arriving
in it. But, what professional golfer of the turn of the
century would be caught dead, arriving at the ROOSTER RANCH
GOLF TOURNAMENT in a horse and buggy, when he could arrive
in a brand new 'flivver,' to the ooh's and aah's of the
gallery? Pity the poor rooster who dared land on one of
them and leave his 'calling card.'
As you can plainly tell, the
entrepreneur farmer whose land is occupied by ROOSTER RANCH
Golf Course is paying more attention to golf than he is his
cows. I'm not sure if the three Jerseys will make it 'til
milking time. If they do, they will be in 'udder' desperation.
Fortunately, they don't seem to be intimidated by the two
hot air balloons, and the low flying airplane, towing an all
important message
"LEO LOVES LENETTE!'
So, don't take the First Annual
"ROOSTER RANCH GOLF TOURNAMENT" too seriously. The
artist is obviously more farmer than golfer, and he may be
a little 'cowed,' but not too 'chicken' to admit it. So, step
up to the gate, pay your fee, and move in with the others.
Just be careful where you step!
Cabinet With Melon
Cabinet With Melon
Who ever heard of a cabinet
with a slice of watermelon in it? Why, everyone of course!
It gives the cabinet color and texture and warmth, and it
will never sour or go bad.
A cabinet with glass doors is
a view upon the wonderful world of reminiscence, the world
of yesterday where we often long to be.
A cabinet with glass doors is
a reminder that little things do count. A bouquet of flowers
that never wilt and they make the cabinet smell good - if
only your imagination is good enough.
A cabinet with glass doors where
one views a tea pitcher and your favorite tea cups, a reminder
of the pleasant hours spent with friends
or loved ones in gracious conversation.
A cabinet with glass doors is
a handy place to store marbles that once belonged to him,
the little tike that once was yours, but now in later years
belongs to her.
A cabinet with glass doors is
a handy place to store matches to light the fireplace, or
the barbecue.
A cabinet with glass doors is the right
place to stash a few sticks of peppermint candy for the
child or grandchild, and the child will love you for your
thoughtfulness.
A cabinet with glass doors may not be the
place where you would expect to find graffiti saying 'Leo
Loves Lenette,' but in a sneaky, symbolic way you '11 find
it etched on the bottom of the plate. Yes, Leo LOVES Lenette.
She is his life, his love, his reason for being
Happy Valley Pumpkin Farm
Happy Valley Pumpkin Farm
I always tell folks that my
paintings show no place in particular. I want the viewers
to choose their own location. But, that isn't so when you
view Happy Valley Pumpkin Farm. I want you to meet the farm's
owner, Myron Punkinoff. The farm has been in the Punkinoff
family for 200 years. Before Myron it was his father, Hiram.
Before Hiram it was Myron's grandfather, Byron. The farm has
always grown pumpkins. The best pumpkins in Happy Valley,
and maybe the world.
That's Myron carrying the big
pumpkin into the barn. He can shoulder two pumpkins this size
at one time, one on each shoulder of course. Myron is a good
farmer, a good husband, a good father, a good employer, and
he still finds the time to be a good deacon in his church.
Not only that, he is the mainstay at Town Hall every Thursday
night. That's Myron's cousin' Dudley, pushing the wheelbarrow.
Running across the knoll is Myron's oldest son' Peter Punkinoff.
Ol' Spot, running beside him, has been with the family ten
years plus. Spot is not a house dog. He is chief guard around
the barn at night, and only comes near enough to the house
to catch Mrs. Punkinoft's left over biscuits and ham bones
after supper.
See those two lovely, well fed
ladies outside the fence? They meet here every week day, 'officially'
to get the mail, which is in boxes just across the road. 'Unofficially,'
they meet to exchange news of the community. Some folks call
it gossip. Their names are Perfidia Hershmeyer and Twila Tiddliboom.
To their good, they also manage the pie kitchen in back of
the antique store, where Myron's delicious pumpkin pies come
rolling off the assembly line. What gos-, I mean what news
they missed at mail time, they catch up on at the bakery.
Myron has five delivery buggies. One of them has just sold
out, and is returning to the kitchen for another load of Happy
Valley Pumpkin Farm pies.
I love the pumpkin farm. I love
it for it's bustling, but peacefill atmosphere. Everything
here is black and white, no grays, well maybe pumpkin. I love
the smells inside the barn. The smells are a combination of
fruits, nuts, hay, saddles, harness, and home made pickles,
with a good measure of aromas from the pie shop mixed in.
I love the changing of the four seasons on the pumpkin farm.
I especially love the changing of summer into fall, when the
pumpkins are ripe, and the color of the whole universe seems
to be pumpkin. I'll never leave Happy Valley Pumpkin Farm.
There is no other place on earth that can compare. Come join
me. I think you'll like it too - even if you don't like pumpkin
pie. But then, you've never tasted real pumpkin pie until
you've tasted Myron's Happy Valley Pumpkin Farm pie.
SAILOR BEAR WITH MEMORY BOX
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SAILOR BEAR WITH MEMORY BOX
As I look
at SAILOR BEAR WITH MEMORY BOX, I ask myself what does this
particular picture mean to me? As a matter of fact, it has
a lot of meanings. The SAILOR BEAR in the lower left comer
means this is the bear given to me during my bear collecting
days by our daughter Susan. It is a 'honey bear,' and it
is very special to me.
I look in the upper right hand
comer, at the patriotic 'white bear,' and it reminds me of
our grandson, Jeffrey, who left us at age 19. We miss him
so' and the 'white bear,' a companion 'brown bear,' given
me by Jeffrey also, keeps him always in my memory. Thank you,
Jeffrey. Grandpa loves you.
The lighthouse in the upper
left comer reminds me how much I love lighthouses. They are
so much a part of the 'early American' scene. The real lighthouse,
just like this, stands at Cape Neddick, York, Maine. I've
used this lighthouse in several paintings.
The white, fluffy clouds thumb tacked above the lighthouse
are there to give balance to the painting. Besides, who ever
saw a lighthouse without clouds?
The ship just below Cape Neddick lighthouse
is a figment of my imagination. I don't know if it would float,
and I don't know if it would sail if it did float. But, artistically,
it was the ship I wanted in my memory box.
The fish wagon to the ship's
right is a cast iron toy. Before plastic, iron was popular.
Plastic is great, but it will never equal metal for the making
of toys, do you think?
SAILOR BEAR is holding the American
flag. Like me, SAILOR BEAR is patriotic. We love America and
we think it's the GREATEST country in the world. This flag
was made when there were only 20 States in the Union. The
20 star flag was the third in flag design, and came into being
in 1818. The 13 stripes remain constant, representing the
original 13 colonies.
The scrimshaw in the center
pocket is an artifact we purchased in Rockport, Massachusetts.
Above the roof of the connecting building to the light tower,
you'll see 'Leo LOVES Lenette.' I still do, after 55 years.
All of the other do-dads are simply 'window dressing.' Marbles
make beautiful 'window dressing.' They add color where you
need it.
I hope you like looking at SAILOR
BEAR WITH MEMORY BOX, as much as I enjoyed painting it. Thank
you, and may God BLESS!
'QUILT COUNTRY'
'QUILT COUNTRY'
There's something very special
about a quilt that has been made by hand, on quaint stretcher
frames. In earlier times it was a necessity for the women
of the family to save pieces of cloth, and cut them into interesting
shapes, and sew them into quilts. They were for keeping the
family warm. There were many patterns to choose from -- Patchwork,
Wedding Ring, Crazy Quilt, Fan, and many, many more. Quilts
made by these ladies have been handed down from one generation
to another. Often times, instead of spreading them on the
bed, they are hung on the living room wall, or family room
wall, so that they can be enjoyed by family visitors.
Although imitations are being
made to look quite like the originals, the real thing is much
more collectible, and precious, and expensive. There were
no synthetic materials in 'Early America.' Quilts were made
from cotton. There were no king size beds, so the size is
generally the size of a regular bed.
When I painted 'QUILT COUNTRY'
my thoughts went back to when I was a boy, 4 or 5 years of
age, living with my Aunt Fannie, who took me and three siblings
to raise when our mother died. Her house wasn't large, but
I remember quilting frames set up in the living room, with
Aunt Fannie and 3 or 4 neighbor ladies sitting around it,
busily cutting, sewing, and visiting.
Aunt Fannie was very precious
to me. She sort of spoiled me because I was the youngest.
She lived on top of a hill in farm country and when she wasn't
cooking, or sewing, or plowing, or planting, or milking, or
fishing, she could often be found at a neighbor’s house,
delivering a child. I asked her once, how many babies she
had delivered? She thought for a minute and leaned from her
rocking chair, "I guess if I stopped to count all of
them, there would be about 300."
I
couldn't help but remember her in "QUILT COUNTRY."
She, of course, didn't do quilts for a living, nor did she
have a brightly colored 'quilt' wagon in real life, but she
does have one in "QUILT COUNTRY," and she goes about
throughout the country, selling her beautiful quilts. That's
her in the closest chair, near the wagon.
I might add that the Fan Quilt,
hanging center on the line, was made for Lenette and me by
my dear sister Ruby. We treasure it dearly, and one day it
will pass on to one of our three daughters.
The 'Early American' Quilt on
the left is only a figment of my imagination, as is the 'Blossom'
Quilt painted on Aunt Fannie's wagon. The Crazy Quilt is being
knit by the ladies in the middle ground. The painting would
not have been complete without a Crazy Quilt.
