The Adventures of Wiley Dog and Sparky

GRASS VALLEY'S FIRST CAR

2010-04-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

" Nevada City October 19, 1947. Doris Foley at the stick. "

NEVADA COUNTY'S FIRST MLB PLAYER

2010-04-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

" William Henry " Hap " Hogan

NEVADA COUNTY'S MOST FAMOUS POSSE

2010-04-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

" Wild " Bill Ebaugh posse Carl Tobiassen Sheriff Nevada City 1946

WILLIAM HEARST and JULIE MORGAN

2010-04-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

THE BONNET

2010-03-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin Prepares For A Session Of Love Making

2010-02-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

Barry Bonds

2010-02-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

WONDER WOMAN

2010-01-24T10:35:00.000-08:00

" Wonder Woman "

IN THE VALLEY

2010-01-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

" In the Valley "

Martin Luther King Day 2010

2010-01-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

" Martin Luther King Day 2010 "

JOCKO

2010-01-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

" Standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona. "

FOLSOM PRISON

2009-12-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

" Folsom Prison "

THE YARD

2009-12-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

" The Yard "

BROAD STREET COMMERCIAL

2009-12-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

" Broad Street Commercial "

BROAD STREET: Hot air balloon

2009-12-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

" Broad Street hot air balloon "

CLAMPERS: Lil Clyde

2009-12-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

" Clampers Lil Clyde "

CLAMPER MAN

2009-12-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

" Clamper Man "

DAD and MOM: Christmas 1976

2009-12-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

" Dad and Mom Christmas 1976 "

MARY INA PARKER: June 15, 1914 - November 24, 2009

2009-12-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

" Mom and her Little Cowboy.... "

Sparky Doll 2

2009-11-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

" Sparky Doll 2 "

SPARKYVILLE : The dream

2009-11-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

" The Dream "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Jackson Pollock

2009-11-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

" Jackson Pollock "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts

2009-11-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

" Elmwood Avenue of the Arts "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: I. M.Pei

2009-11-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

" I. M. Pei "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: McKinley's Memorial

2009-11-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

" McKinley's Memorial "

WILEY DOG ROADHOUSE 2009: The Waffle House

2009-10-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

" The Waffle House "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Canton Ohio

2009-10-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

" Canton Ohio "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Frank Lloyd Wright

2009-10-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

" Frank Lloyd Wright "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Allan Herschell

2009-10-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

" Allan Herschell "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Anchor Bar

2009-10-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

" Anchor Bar "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: The Riviera Theatre

2009-10-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

" The Riviera Theatre "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Lockport Locks

2009-10-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

" Lockport Locks "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Green fields of New York

2009-10-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

" Green fields of New York "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Fairport Bridge

2009-10-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

" Fairport Bridge "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Lake Oneida

2009-10-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

" Oneida Lake "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Lock 17

2009-10-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

" Lock 17 "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Red Tugboat

2009-10-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

" Red Tug Boat "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Tugboat

2009-10-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

" Tugboat "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Straight ahead goes the Yippee

2009-10-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

" Straight ahead goes the Yippee "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: The Yippee

2009-10-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

" The Yippee "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Susan

2009-10-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

" Susan "

WILEY DOG ROADTRIP 2009: Waffle House man

2009-10-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

" Waffle House Man "

WILEY DOG ROAD TRIP 2009: Hold her steady

2009-09-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

" Hold Her Steady "

Wiley Dog Roadtrip 2009 : ON DUTY

2009-09-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

" ON DUTY "

Wiley Dog Road Trip 2009 : George

2009-09-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

George Patrick Dyer 2009

MOST MODERN

2009-08-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

" Most Modern "

acrylic

20" x 20"

2009

MIC

2009-08-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

" Mic "

acrylic

20" x 20"

2009

HAROLD

2009-07-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

" HAROLD "

acrylic

20" x 20"

2009

THIS YEAR'S SHOW

2009-06-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

MARIN

2009-05-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

" Marin "

2009-01-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

BIG BLUE

2009-01-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

" Big Blue "

2009

acrylic

20" x 20"

THE POSTERS: Nevada City

2009-01-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Wiley Dog

2009-01-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Wiley Cow

2009-01-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Trout Fishing In America

2009-01-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Simple Hollywood 2008

2009-01-18T00:33:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Public Resort

2009-01-17T00:29:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Public Resort

2009-01-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Paris

2009-01-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Modern Woman

2009-01-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Local Color

2009-01-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Graceland

2009-01-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Girl With A Big Fish

2009-01-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Enough About You

2009-01-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Enough About You ( Big E version )

2009-01-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Desert Solitaire

2009-01-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: A Cute Little Town

2009-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Cowboy Sparky

2009-01-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Citroen Roadster

2009-01-05T13:09:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Citroen 2CV

2009-01-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Bob

2009-01-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Big Monkey

2009-01-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

THE POSTERS: Ruby Saves The World

2009-01-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

Ruby Saves The World

2008-12-27T22:41:00.000-08:00

Ruby Saves The World Christmas 2008

2008-09-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

The day after we hung The Adventures of Wiley Dog and Sparky was Wednesday and it was the last moment of solitude for the show. My great friend and supporter Patti Foster had joined me for a special moment. That was when in the empty gallery we could enjoy the work. It was for me a most special occasion. The work just jumped off the walls and although there was just we two it seemed like a party.

THE ADVENTURES OF WILEY DOG AND SPARKY Hanging the show

2008-09-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Adventures of Wiley Dog and Sparky Show would like to thank Gene Thompson, Gail Damskey, Robert Benoit, Peggy Levine and Susan Barry for all their help in hanging the show. Here are a few pictures of the crew.

SHOWS UP THANKS GENE THOMPSON GAIL DAMSKY BOB BENOIT SUSAN BARRY

2008-09-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

FIRST EVER WILEY DOG AND SPARKY PAINTING

The 2008 show " The Adventures of Wiley Dog and Sparky " is up at the Center For The Arts in Grass Valley, California. A special thanks goes out to ; Gene Thompson, Gail Damsky and Bob Benoit for all the help to hang the show. I could not and it would not have been so much fun with out you guys. A special thanks also goes to Gallery Director Susan Barry who has helped me so much on this show and the two before . Come and see the work y'all.

WILEY DOG'S NEW SHOES

2008-08-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

" Wiley Dog's New Shoes "

2008

20" x 20"

acrylic

2006 SHOW

2008-08-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

The 2006 show was the first one - man show since 1983. And to have a breakout show at The Center was a dream come true. Thanks to Gallery Director Susan Barry, I once again had a chance to celebrate my color work. Barry had been a fan of my work since the 1970's and she told me that she had always wanted to put on a display of the work. The timing could have not been better for me as I had been painting non stop and was continually having break through with each piece. It was a time of great joy with my work. Feeling good about your work is a great feeling but even with that it can be a constant struggle with the canvas. Struggle in my book is a good thing for it really means you are pushing yourself. And pushing yourself is in my way of thinking the only way to get better at this craft. And it can be the smallest of details that you as an artist agonize over while in most cases the viewing public does not have a clue. I learned early on that those monumental " break through " pieces that mean so much to your artistic journey most times have little impact on the viewer. From this I have an understanding that all works should stand on their own merits and not be influenced by statements from the artist. It was a powerful lesson that freed me and my work from each other. And that allows my creative journey to move forward, alas, not without a few steps backwards now and then. In the early seventies I had tremendous failings in the process of completing a painting. When things would not work out I would abandon the work and move to the next. With at times the same frustrations. A friend and fellow artist Hazel Whitford insisted to me that my creative process was always going to fail if I continued this way of searching for the " perfect " painting. She convinced me that I must finish each piece and go from there. She was so right ! Each piece became a world of it's own and became a spring board to more quality work. It seems simple now looking back , but it was such a struggle at the time. Thank you Hazel ! In my college days I had such great teachers and I was such a poor student that I did not think that I had learned anything about painting. Many years later I realized that they had taught me the building blocks to be an artist. I believe that all artist must be self taught in their own way, but being told how to do things can make the journey sweeter. I think that Irving Marcus, a well known California artist and a teacher of mine, might have helped me the most. It was simple but direct, " If you want to paint a person with a green face, then paint them with green faces !". That sentence freed me from almost all chains in my artistic journey. It was such a huge moment for me and it has stuck with me for over 40 years. The 70's and the 80's were filled with success, many one - man and group shows my work grew but my artistic business skills were non existent. I was a rebel without a cause. Fighting your canvas is one thing but fighting the art world proved to be a hazard. I soon found that certain work would sell and I slowly drifted to that way of creating. And the results I was painting for the viewer and not for myself. I had lost my soul ! Many people would have done it different I am sure but for me I had to proclaim that I had killed the art inside of me. I stopped painting. For three years I did not pick up a brush, my being a artist faded away. Then the desire to create finally came back. This time I convinced myself that if I were to continue this path I had to find my own way. And I painted in obscurity for a decade letting no one see the work. Then I let a few people in on the work. And by 2006 I was ready to show again. And of the 14 pieces shown I had sold 15 and donated more money to The Center than any artist. I felt I was back. But just then I remembered in my early days of being an artist I was told you could not call yourself an artist if you had not sold anything, which I had not at the time. Well that is a lie, and unfortunately at the time I was not ready to rebuke that statement. Yes, I have now sold many works but that will never make me an artist. Creating makes me an artist, and I have been blessed with that for so many years....thank you.

LAST YEAR'S SHOW

2008-08-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Last year's show was a special show for me. I had just completed two and a half years of only painting. Keeping at it every day finally was reaping it's rewards. New ways of handling paint had been discovered as well as new ways to apply the paint. The show reflected this growth and that made the artist in me so very happy.

SHOW IN ONE WEEK

2008-08-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

In one week I will be hanging The Adventures of Wiley Dog and Sparky at The Center For The Arts. Of course there are the normal pre - show jitters but as a whole it has become very exciting. Another chance to show a year's plus of work. I really do like that feeling. Still a lot of details to finish but that should be accomplished without to much fan fare. After all as an artist all you really can do is put on the best show you have at the time, the rest is in other hands. Then again it is my way of thinking that all you have to do to be an artist is to create. You do not have to show or sell your work all you need is to continue to create. If that is done the rest will find it's course. That means that you must constantly strive to fulfill your goals with your work and with these goals some will be constant and some will surface as the work demands.
This years journey was filled in learning about materials and tools. After some 40 plus years of working with the same objects ( paints , mediums, canvas and brushes) I started paying closer attention. It seems funny to think that but that is what this year has been about. Learning how to paint is some kind of journey !