Ode to Cousin Gordon

Norm told me many stories of his cousin "Gordie". He was the bad boy all the girls would fall in love with. He was kind of a family legend that died along time ago in a car accident.  

Norm found this picture of Gordie on his motorcycle which became an inspiration of his most recent painting: Lost Rider.  

Hopefully we will have it framed for the Rocky River Fall Arts Festival this Saturday in Rocky River, Ohio.

Hope to see you there.

A Day at the Beach

Part of the fun of going on vacation is taking pictures. Some of our pictures inspire paintings, like in this case of a cute little boy digging for treasure. He was so cute Norm and I knew he'd be a great  subject for a painting. We hope to be able to display him in the upcoming Lakewood Arts Festival on Saturday, August 4th.

Second Thoughts

When we printed the original version of this painting their were four people on the beach. It is funny how you can like something on screen and then when you print it, you have second thoughts. 

Norm and I both came to the conclusion to take out the sitting fisherman and change the clouds.

You can see the original on the March posting of this year and let us know if you like this version better. 

We have just come back from Emerald Isle, NC where this painting was inspired from. Norm had taken many pictures of beach with and without people. 

Here is a close up of the guys on the beach where Norm used suggestive detail.

The painting is 30" X 20" in size.

For me it captures those times we'd walk the beach seeing those who love to fish by the breaking waves of the ocean.

Sweetness in Pink

I confess it has been a busy May and I have had no time for blogging. Finally I have time to post some new updates. 

Here is a portrait Norman did of a precious little girl. Occasionally we offer a portrait in a charity donation as this one above.  We offered an 14" X 18" size which was a great deal.

This was a fun one and a pleasure to do working with her mom to capture the true sweetness of her daughter. Check out our children portraits on http://yourpreciousportraits.com Look for the link for Children Portraits on the home page.

Going Italian Style

It was quite a surprise to get an email from a book publisher in Italy that was interested in purchasing rights of one of our paintings for a book cover. Let me tell you it was quite a thrill.

Vladimir Nabokov is known for writing "Lolita" which later became movie staring James Mason. L'Incantatore is one of his lesser known works.

So "The Young Girl with the Red Umbrella" has made her debut in Italy.

 

Thinking of Summer Vacation

One of our favorite places to go on vacation is Emerald Isle, NC.  The beaches are beautiful and it is not uncommon to see the dolphins play in the water. 

Norm and I have taken many a walks on this beach and this painting he just finished captures the fishermen we would encounter. I can still hear the sounds of the ocean and seagulls.

This painting is 30" x 20" and prints are available on Fine Art America.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/fishing-at-the-beach-norman-drake.html

Second Thoughts: Making a Bigger Statement

Sometime Norm and I take a second look at a painting.

We felt something was missing.

It was The Flag.

We are very proud of this particular marine and his service to our country.

Thank you Joshua!

Latest Painting: The Marine

Norman loves to paint portraits of his children. His latest is of his youngest son Joshua entitled "The Marine".

Joshua in particular has been a favorite study. Maybe because Joshua is the youngest.  This is his third painting of him.

This one was of Joshua when he entered boot camp. 

This is his first one of Joshua before his decision to enter into the Marines. He calls this one "THe Dreamer"

To see other portraits of illustrated by Norman Drake click on the following link:

http://www.yourpreciousportraits.com/index.php/gallery/family