Verle Mickish - honoring lifetime work in the arts.

One of my personal favorites - done recently when the artist was forced to "reinvent himself"

This past Sunday I attended an artist's reception for Verle Mickish at the Sautee-Nacoochee Center Galleries.  Verle is a featured artist for the first show of 2015. I'd seen the exhibit the day before as it was my regular volunteer day - and the best part of being there the day before was meeting Verle and his charming wife of 69 years, Ginny.  They came by to see how the show had been hung and to take a few photographs.  I was able to spend a hour chatting about life, art, and being an aging artist who is losing his sight.  Sadly Verle has lost most of his vision to macular degeneration.  But as you will see, he's still painting!  And his humor and zest for life remain intact.


The first ones are earlier works (I think) and I'll follow up with what he's been doing recently.

An early oil.

A delicate winter landscape

Selected works

This was done about 10 years ago.

one of his magazine covers

Another illustration for a wildlife publication

A fabulous abstract

Verle Mickish with a recent painting.

The show flyer

Verle and Ginny

Another recent painting - completed after Verle lost most of his vision.

Ginny and Verle are obviously devoted to one another.  They are vibrant and funny and a joy to hand out with.  Ginny and I are now FB friends so I'll sharing this post to her and all of their friends. 

I'd never heard of Verle Mickish - and it's likely you haven't either, but there are literally thousand and thousands of incredible artists out there who just keep making great art so whenever there's an opportunity to see works from 50+ years as a painter, illustrator and educator, I don't think one should pass! Over 90 works are exhibited.

The new work - (and a yay)

Here's to losing ones mind - and finding things: Hoo-rah! Yeppers... my camera was not at the gallery after all. Just because my last memory of having it was at the gallery, did not mean that was where I last actually had it. I got a call early Wednesday morning from a client who found it at her house. What a relief!

So here are a few new pics:!!!

The Forgotten, 24 x 24, acrylic on deep cradle panel, $525

I know I gave this a title when I delivered it to the gallery, but for the life of me, I can't remember it. Am I the only artist who can't remember titles until I write them down several times? Poor short-term memory. Such a pain in the butt. So I made up an apropos new title... (heh)

Je mais reviens, (I will return) 6 x 12, acrylic on raised panel door, $135.

This is a much better photograph of this small painting. Lots of interest in this one at the show - but no sale so far... in fact, considering that I am one of the three featured artists this month, no sales is quite a come-down.

The two pics below are from a pre-Xmas show at an "open house" event at a nearby subdivision. My gallery group from the Heritage Center was asked to exhibit en mass and I set up several paintings in the space allotted. Unfortunately, my area was backlit from the huge bank of windows making it difficult to see the art. It was cold there too! (Not a very good advert for selling the house.)

A woman walked up and looked closely at my paintings for a minute or two and then loudly proclaimed: "These are really expensive!!" Now I've been around arts festivals and exhibits and painted in public many, many times - and I've heard all sorts of crass remarks, but never have I heard anyone come right out and say that. Add to it that I believe my work to be moderately priced at most, and one might understand the little flash of anger that nearly caused a smartass-ed response. I held my tongue, and asked: "Well, how much do you think they should be?" She responded: "I really don't know." She had that right...

A few small works - and a critique...

For the past couple of months as I did my stints at the Heritage Center, I noted that almost all of what was selling was priced under $100. (with the exception of jewelry). I determined to paint some small pieces to sell as I cannot even justify the cost of the gasoline unless I'm selling something. I love painting chickens, and I can do them fairly quickly. I was commissioned to do a rooster for an artist friend - and here is the hen to match. It's a Black Croad Langshan - and yes, it has "feathered feet". It's painted on a wood panel, about 9 x 12 inches, ready to hang and for sale at $48.00
This one (and the one below) is painted on tin panel/s that I found at a yard sale. These are folksy tuxedo cats painted in acrylic and ready to hang. About 10x 10,$28.00 each.
Amongst my collections of parts and supplies I had a few chair back harps. These are shaped into a delicate curve and cut with slight variations in overall design. To me, the shapes suggest figures - so I channeled the Pre-Raphaelite painters of the turn of the century to come up with my "Blackbird Maiden."
She measures about 8 x 22 - and she sold for $45.00 twenty minutes after I hung her in the gallery! Yay! There's gas money! Now I need more chair harps!

Here's a detail of the blackbirds...

And finally, The Critic. The is my latest larger painting in progress. Elvis realized as soon as he saw it that help was needed - and he was blunt. He looked closely...

He checked each area...

He nosily pointed out how boring and flawed the coloration and composition...

And when he had exhausted himself with explanations, he determined to hide the offending painting completely. Right now I'm in agreement with him. The painting is accurate, well drawn, realistically colored - and boring, boring, boring!! Y'all might be seeing it after it undergoes a bigtime overhaul.

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get... and a new show...

The Solitary Life... 24 x 24 acrylic on deep cradle panel

It's been a couple weeks of racing (driving) about - doing little paid jobs here and there and trying to get in my demo hours at the gallery while still being creative and productive. I always err on the side of "creative" - in that if I'm on a painting roll, I hate to take time out to faux a wall or paint a commission. Thus I fall behind even though I am constantly working. Ah, choices, choices... But the time always comes that ca$h is needed - and then I buckle down and do what I must rather than what I want.

I did manage to finish a painting and I decided to take a color departure. I've had these tangerine and terra cotta hues following me around lately. I felt the need to see/have more of them around me, thus the evening sky. It's not a literal sunset - more of a timeless dusk. What I really wanted was to paint a room one of these warm colors, but no time for that right now.

The color is a bit more accurate here - showing the panel edges too. Had to finish this one quickly and send it off for a show themed: "Secrets". The secret here? See how the branches of this lonesome pine reach out and up? It's not lonesome at all - just solitary. I firmly believe that solitude is under-rated. Some thrive on independence. Some require room to grow and space to expand - or just to call their own. No - I'm not advocating isolation, just balance. And the measure of what creates balance differs for each and every living thing.

A detail - to show that the tree is not solidly black.

I was invited to display a group of paintings at the Mountain Valley Community Bank branch in Cleveland, GA. The program is administered by the Sautee-Nacoochee Community Assoc. Gallery and features a different artist every two months.
The cool part is seeing all the work displayed together. At most gallery shows, only one or two are hung, and rarely in close proximity. None of my walls at home can accommodate more than a couple, so this provides a unique perspective for me.
Sure could use a sale this month, so I'll think positive. After all, it's a new audience for my work!!

And just for fun, here's my Night Blooming Cerius - the day after. It bloomed the night of the full moon and I missed it! This is the one given to me while I was doing the census canvassing. I figured it would be years before it flowered, so I wasn't even aware it had developed two buds. Apparently I was lucky in my choice of location (mottled shade under the pear tree) and it happily obliged by blooming! I went out to water plants and there they were; still pretty - even closed up.