Hello world, it’s good to be back!

Let’s start with a very brief history of Mary’s and my 2016……the long and the short of it…….middle of the year…..a pacemaker…not a big deal but with serious complications.  Lots of time in the ICU, then emergency open heart surgery……wait, wait there’s more…….then a stent and a re-attaching of a pacemaker wire.  Mary Anne tended to me 24/7…….literally. Every moment for five months!

Happily 2017 is off to a healthy, vigorous and alive year!

My point?  I have not been doing much painting or art making for many months.  Well, actually I did a painting….inspired by the recent visit of our famous Grandaughters – ages 12 and 14 – who are curious, crafty and among other things…….painters.  So I produced a mixed media painting on an old piece of plywood that needs to get to the framer.

Here is the photo studio the we were in.

And here is the painting covered in clear acrylic gel, ready for the framer.

Also did some work on a painting in the Sanibel studio.

And I did some drawings in my journal that I have done as preparation for painting.

I do have some concepts percolating away. Actually I did do some drawing in my journal. You do know what I was thinking about.

Because I am trying to catch up with the world here………..funny it kept on going quite well without me running about last year………here’s a brief bit about where I am coming from as an artist:

• Grew up in rural Oregon near the foothills of the Pacific Coast Range.  Although I think of myself as an “outsider” here’s where I spent some of my time as a youth:
  • Taylor University Liberal Arts Studies
  • Graduated from the University of Oregon, College of Arts and Sciences.  Minored in Drawing and Painting in Art and Architecture
  • Pacific Northwest College of Art – sculpture, two dimensional design and life drawing
  • Colorado State University Art Department – drawing, painting and portrait painting
  • Art Students League of Denver. I studied painting under Quang Ho and Dale Chisman and learned print making
• Began painting part time until 2001 when I became more serious about it and had my first art show.

Now that I am alive again my goal is to paint full time……..well at least often………maybe part time as I have the energy to do so.  And I want to make it clear that I do not feel as though “one of my children is leaving home” when a painting leaves the studio with a collector.  I actually love it!

I also have had some time to think about all the messy truth that Van Jones talks about it and I have been working on my first political painting.  I’ll show you more as soon as I am completely finished. Here is where I am so far………………

The working title so far is:  The New Gerrymandering.

Let me know what you think of the painting so far in the comments below.

So that is my “catch up with the world” statement for this wonderful bright sunny day in Denver.

– Daniel

“Restaurants in cutthroat New York City come and go like the seasons”.

Given those odds, restaurateur Danny Meyer’s track record is amazing. He has built an empire of 10 dining spots, from Gramercy Tavern and a burger joint called Shake Shack to his original eatery, Union Square Cafe.

People certainly come for the food. But Meyer says that what sets his restaurants apart is something that’s in the air, not on the plate.

Each diner “needs to believe that they’re the only one in the world that matters,” he said.

Good service is important but will only get you so far, Meyer says. Hospitality — the quality that makes customers feel good and want to come back — is what counts.

Meyer shares the secret of his success in a new book, Setting the Table. More than just the tale of a profitable restaurateur, it’s a guide for any business that deals with the public.