en

Many times I have gone to free screenings for films ahead of theatrical release dates. The story about this one is more memorable. I knew “Spider-Man 3” would draw a large crowd, since it was one of the hyped summer movies. So I made a point of going early and planning to be in line by 5 p.m. In fact I was 20 minutes earlier than I had scheduled.

Some people get in line and save places for others who arrive later. Well, for this free screening the organizers had a plan to combat that practice. They issued wristbands with numbers on them. People who were holding places could not continue to hold places once the wristbands were given out. If they still wanted to wait for those who hadn’t arrived, then they had to go to the back of the line.



When I received my wristband, I was surprised that my number was 110. I was concerned about my choice of seating inside the theater. It wasn’t until I made it inside that I learned that there were two theaters showing the film and that eight radio stations had given out passes. A lot of people had camped out for a place in line earlier in the day.

That brings me to my design and color choices. I realize this film became the butt of jokes, but I still liked the whole dark version of “Spider-Man” - or “emo” as some have dubbed him. Anyway, I went with a spider web pattern using the traditional “Spider-Man” colors and then a black and gray for the dark side. 'No clearing away any cobwebs for this memory.

acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"

em

At a movie screening for a Disney film, the coordinators wore mouse ears that had flashing lights. The lights lit up in a circle creating a visual effect of spinning light. Anyway, I had to make a dot painting based on what I saw.

 Naturally I started with a dark neutral background. I mixed white with a little purple to imitate the light I saw. Then I started with a circle and varied the brightness of my dots. From there, I painted outward and inward from the circle. Of course I put my own artistic spin on my image.

acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"

el

"Day Watch" is the sequel to film "Night Watch." Like the original film, it was a visually exciting movie for me. And like the first film I felt compelled to make a dot art painting. After a lot of thought, I narrowed down ideas to the scene with a female vampire driving her red Mazda along the side of a large building. I loved the use of red and black in

the footage.

As the car rides up the side of the building white stars, that hang from the roof of the car, no longer hang straight down.  The moment of the shift and the sense of flying were both visually riveting to me. I hope the third installment is made eventually.

acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"

ek

Almost five years ago I attended a meeting that led to formation of an organization called New Orleans Fiber Artists (NOFA). Fiber art includes an array of cloth materials, paper materials and mixed media. I was unfamiliar with the fiber art category. My collage art qualified as fiber art. In August of 2007, the Dutch Alley Artist's Co-Op, located in the French Quarter, invited NOFA artists to exhibit for a couple of weeks. The gallery set aside space for the show. A reception was held on Dirty Linen Night, the second Saturday of August. A band played live music as people visited the gallery and
Dutch Alley.

Naturally I wanted to capture that night in a dot art painting. I looked for representative icons and colors from the show to make my design. To see more photos from that night, visit my blog, pic journal.

acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"

ej

Several times I have attended free screenings of films, before they open, at Clearview Mall in Metairie, LA. Prior to standing in line, I have dined at Seranno's which is known for it's Latin cuisine. Not only have enjoyed eating various menu items, I have also enjoyed viewing murals and decorative art.

For a while now I've pondered how to capture my experience at the restaurant with dots. I ended up with a radial design mimicking some images I saw inside. The biggest hurdle was simplifying my design. The result is an explosion of bright colors!

acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"

ei

In October and November of 2007, I did hands on workshops with some artists that are members of ARTinA, a local artist organization. The artists had a lot of fun painting with dots. Each of them went on individual painting tangents.

So, I decided I wanted to represent the experience with a dot painting. David Wargo's painting provoked my design. The curvy lines of the painting gave me inspiration. The colors used by the other artists influenced my palette. As I progressed I remembered I meant to include yellow. Well, that meant an odd ending on the right side of my canvas. I thought it mades the piece more interesting.

acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"

eh

The first Saturday night of the month is usually known as The ArtWalk in New Orleans. Art galleries have coordinated opening receptions. October's first Saturday is called "Art for Art's Sake." It is the "kick-off" for the season. In 2007 I went gallery hopping on Julia Street. While I was walking along Julia Street, I noticed a "chalk-drawn" mandala on the street. I had to take a photo.

When I made my list of items for possible paintings, I placed the mandala on my list. After many edits to my list I decided to go ahead and make a painting inspired by the chalk drawing. I worked with the pastel chalk colors involved, and attempted to capture the spirit of the drawing.

acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"

eg

For a year I set my small dot paintings aside. I did some preparatory work for some future ones, but mostly I spent time away from them. Well, now I’m ready to resume this group of paintings I call “e” Series Action. The last one I posted was ef.

Over four years ago my sister’s silver poodle, Frannie, had a litter of puppies. One was a black male. The other two were females, one black and one apricot. I chronicled the development of the puppies with videos I uploaded to YouTube. In fact one video became very popular. It remains popular still.

acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"

On a sad note, Frannie passed away in June of 2011. She consumed a parasite that poked holes in her lungs. She had trouble breathing on her own. The four squares of my painting depict Frannie and her three pups. Frannie is gray. Ginger Rose is burnt orange. Sweet Pea and Dugy are the both black.