Some days seem to have a theme going on – today it was ducks!

This morning I was working at the Los Gatos Museums Gallery as the Staffing Artist.

It was first time since the new hanging that I’ve had the time to really pour over all the new work. I came across Linda Smythe’s ducks –  I so adore her painterly approach to her subject matter (often roses) nice and loose and buttery brush strokes! I  really enjoyed how she captured the boyant charm of the ducks with a minium of fuss and detail – No eyes but lots of great texture and those cheery orange beaksl

After my shift I wandered into Bunches, a fabulous little flower shop in Los Gatos. This place always puts me in a great mood and it’s not just the bouquets of magnicent blooms and the lovely people, but also because of Pete, this quacking cutie who can shake a tail feather with the best of them!

I had actually gone into the flower shop after my shift at the gallery to ask a gorgeous woman who works there if she would let me photograph her among the gargantuan dinner plate dahlias for a painting. It’s always an odd thing to ask of someone you don’t know, but at least I had a business card with my painting  of Blue Corse) on the front (a portrait of the woman who works in the knitting shop above the gallery just stone’s throw away). I guess I didn’t come across as a crazy person because she was game (she even wore the bright yellow gloves she had on for cleaning up after Pete) and I now have FANTASTIC reference photos for my next portrait in what I’m thinking might be my Shop Girl series.

“Girls” may not be accurate as I’m also eyeing the guy who works at the Whole Foods Fish counter with the great tatoos. I might hit up Icing on the Cake (cup cakes) and Frank (eclectic art, jewelry and garden salvage) too for more great models – really there’s no shortage of interesting, beautiful people who work in Los Gatos! I love when portraits have an environment which serves to inform the viewer about the person portrayed. Maybe I should paint Pete too!