Jim O'Neil's photos

Watercolor (Creatacolor Bricks) on Canson's 140 pound cold pressed, 12 by 18 inches

The end of the tale. Influenced by Oscar Wilde's fisherman story and annalucinka's painting depicting the start of the tale. Soft pastel on 12 by 12 inch colored card stock

Here I sketched the shadows only. At the Grange's life drawing sessions there's a little old lady artist (OK, she's probably 10 years younger than I am) who started drawing fairly late in life and worries a lot about proportion and perspective. Obviously not something that I worry about, -any more than I worry about run-on sentences! :-) None the less I (remember those of us that can't, or won't, do, teach!) suggested she try this, just doing the shadows, -that that would help her see the model a little differently and gain a better understanding of how and where things fit. So! I did this sketch as an example for her. Willow charcoal on Bee's 11 by 14 inch sketch paper

Willow charcoal on Bee's 11 by 14 inch sketch paper

It's said that Nome, Alaska's, name originated from a cartographer's mistake. It seems that, in drawing the map of the area the original cartographer wrote on the cape, or point, on the coast line; 'No Name'. Well along came another cartographer, copying the map and read 'Cape, No Name' as 'Nome' and wrote it that way. Then, gold was discovered there, in 1898, and the rush was on! By 1899 Nome was a city of 10,000 people. The Board of Trade, a saloon opened around 1900, was a nosey ruckus sleazy run-down place back when I was there in the '70s; in other words a fun bar! :-) Since then, I've heard it's been gentrified, cleaned up for tourists , not sure I'd like it any more. :-( Colored pencil and soft pastel on 12 by 12 inch colored card stock.

Done at Tuesdays' life drawings session at the Grange. Portrait it's not. Characterature it's not. Antiportrait, maybe. Water soluble oil pastels on Bee's 11 by 14 inch sketch paper

I had a lot of fun at the life drawing session at the North Pole Grange last night. Portfolio water soluble oil pastels on Bee's 11 by 14 inch sketch paper

Colored pencil and soft pastel on 12 by 12 inch colored card stock

Doodle on 9 by 5 inch scrap. Colored pencil & pastel.

This is the three color palette I've been playing with lately

Watercolors on Strathmore's Bristol vellum, 11 by 14 inches.

Multimedia, watercolor, soft pastel and charcoal on Strathmore's Bristol vellum

Spring time in Alaska. The trail to my river shop is a bit wet in places. :-)

The Riddle, the Enigma, the Riddle Wrapped in an Enigma ; A set of three from last night's life drawing session at the North Pole Grange. Watercolors working with a primary palette (only red, yellow, and Prussian blue) on Strathmore's Bristol vellum, 11 by 14 inches.

The Riddle, the Enigma, the Riddle Wrapped in an Enigma ; A set of three from last night's life drawing session at the North Pole Grange. Watercolors working with a primary palette (only red, yellow, and Prussian blue) on Strathmore's Bristol vellum, 11 by 14 inches.

The Riddle, the Enigma, the Riddle Wrapped in an Enigma ; A set of three from last night's life drawing session at the North Pole Grange. Watercolors working with a primary palette (only red, yellow, and Prussian blue) on Strathmore's Bristol vellum, 11 by 14 inches.

n my opinion, one of the wrong turns we made, as we stumbled up through history, was away from canals and toward roads and railroads for long distance goods transport. Yep we can move goods faster via truck train or plane but many of our day to day needs can be transported slower (and far far cheaper) without any harm to the goods (Rice, Portland cement, lumber, etc., etc., etc.) Consider: According to ‪A dictionary of science, literature, & art,‬ By William Thomas Brande, Joseph Cauvin 1872, A single horse and cart, could move about one ton (907 kilograms) from point A to point B, all day long and be happy doing it. Now consider: If you put the horse on a towpath next to a canal, run a rope from his harness to the canal boat he can comfortably draw 50 times that load (50 tons or 45,000 kilograms!). Now today, if we still had/used canals for goods transport, it wouldn't matter if we put a horse on the towpath or a one horsepower engine on wheels, we could still draw 50 tons! Oh yea, the picture: Done with a three color palette (red, yellow and Prussian blue) on Canson's 140 pound cold pressed watercolor paper, 9 by 12 inches.

I went out in the yard this morning and noticed some really BIG snowflakes falling! The snowfall didn't last long but the flakes were impressive.