Art Of Dan McCole

Registration Closing

2010-04-19T11:39:00.005-04:00

New Painting - The Devil's Run ... Aquarium Gorge - City Point

2010-04-15T15:22:00.002-04:00

The Devil's Run ... Aquarium Gorge - City Point

A COUPLE OF NEW WATERCOLORS

2010-04-13T13:17:00.002-04:00

STOKER - On the Street - New Orleans

SINATRA - This One's for My Baby

WATERCOLOR CLASSES BEGIN - TUESDAY, APRIL 27

Call Me: 617 464-4237 or Email: artdanmccole@aol.com

www.danmccole.com

Watercolor Classes

2010-04-05T16:04:00.005-04:00

CALLING ALL NEW ENGLAND GALLERIES, ARTISTS AND COLLECTORS!

2010-03-29T15:07:00.002-04:00

Fundred Truck will be here MAY 1st!

JOIN US FOR A FUNDRED-MAKING EVENT @ SAMSØN or make your own from home.

Be a part of the Fundred Dollar Bill Project, an artistic project connecting and collecting the voices of 3 million youths across the country. By creating interpretations of $100 dollar bills, students will support the clean-up of lead-contaminated soil in New Orleans. In April, the special Fundred Sous Terre armored truck will take Massachusetts Fundreds to Washington D.C. will be here to pick up our Fundreds!!! Participate now. Make a Fundred Make a Difference!

How it works:

Individuals draw their own Fundred Dollar Bills --- original, hand-drawn interpretations of US $100 bills --- which we will deliver to Washington DC. Your Fundreds will be picked up by a special armored truck and presented to US Congress with a request for real funding to make safe lead polluted soil in New Orleans.

Participation is fun, simple, and free!

1. Distribute one Fundred template per person: you can download the template here www.fundred.org/get-involved

2. Individuals draw their own original artworks

3. Send your Fundred to a local collection center: Urbano Project or Mass College of Art & Design

4. The Fundred Project will collect and deliver your drawings

Interested in participating?

For more info contact New England Fundred Coordinator, Louisa McCall email: louisa@artistsincontext.org phone: 617.686.408

MassArt Casey Engels, 621 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, casey.engels@massart.edu

Urbano Project, Alexia Mellor, 29 Germania St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, alexia@urbanoproject.org

SOUTH BOSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER

2010-03-24T15:27:00.000-04:00

I’m raising money for SOUTH BOSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER - please make a donation by visiting my Firstgiving page: http://www.firstgiving.com/danmccole

You can donate online with a credit card. All donations are secure and sent directly to SOUTH BOSTON COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER by Firstgiving, who will email you a printable record of your donation.

2010-02-04T10:30:00.000-05:00

February Meeting alert !!!

SOUTH BOSTON ARTS ASSOCIATION

This Saturday

February 6 at 9:30 a.m.

L Street Bath House – M Street entrance

Guest Artists

The Literary Gazette Gang

Dave Connolly

Jack Canavan

Susan Mahan

Rick Winterson

SBAA Poetry Reading

2010-01-14T10:06:00.001-05:00

SORRY, Slipped-up on the date in the headline.

The SB Arts Association 'Poetry Reading' is

this Saturday, January 16

---------------------------------

The South Boston Arts Association

Presents a

Poetry Reading

This Saturday, January 16

SBAA members (and poets) Dotty Morris and Susan Mahan very much would appreciate any and all attendance at the Poetry Reading Series at the SB Library, this Sat, Jan. 16, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Attendees are welcome to read their own poetry or a couple of favorite poems (or short story) of their choice. Five minutes per person will be allotted. Open to adults and teenagers. Free. Light refreshments will be served.

For further information contact deamorris@yahoo.com.

January Meeting

2010-01-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

Hot January Meeting alert !!!

Hot meeting alert !!!

(OK … January is kinda cold but … it’s warm and toasty

at the L Street bathhouse where the S.B. Arts Association meets)

SOUTH BOSTON ARTS ASSOCIATION

This Saturday, January 9 at 9:30 a.m.

L Street Bath House – M Street entrance

Baby it’s cold outside

It’s supposed to be chilly … it’s New England, isn’t it?

The L Street Bath House and January has long been known for

people in Bikinis and Speedos jumping in the frigid bay.

But that was New Year’s Day and now that the Brownies are all thawed out

it might be wise to come on down to the L Street Bath House

Saturday morning and enjoy the city-paid heat In the Curley room

and the creative warmth of creative friends.

And right after schmoozing and a quick business meeting

See some great Mongolian photos from our guest artist

Photographer

JUDY WEST

Merry Christmas To All !

2009-12-22T11:44:00.002-05:00

SOBACC … South Boston Arts & Cultural Center … News Break … Dec. 17, 2009

2009-12-17T16:54:00.000-05:00

Tuesday evening at the Harpoon Brewery’s VIP Tasting Room, SOBACC held a Holiday friend- raiser. There was a great turnout.
Admission garnered over $500 in contributions and 30 letters of support from the guests. The event was in keeping with our attempt to keep the South Boston community involved and aware of the workings of the task force.
Local musicians - Dave Connolly and Bob Metaluna entertained and food was donated by Arpeggio’s Café on West Broadway.
And because of the successful turnout the people from Harpoon have given SOBACC use of their facilities next Tuesday, December 22, for a ‘SOBACC Christmas Party’. Same time 5:30 to 7:30. The public is invited.
Music by Dave and Bob will be back. Also Keith at Arpeggio’s Café will again donate the food. Same admission situation. $15 … but just $10 with a signed letter of support. Bring a letter from a friend if you brought one at this week’s event.
MORE GOOD NEWS: During Tuesday’s event Terry Hillery of The Hillery Holding Company, West Broadway, revealed that a civil engineering firm has offered to work pro bono for the Arts Center project. More details will be given as they emerge.
The SOBACC concept - that an arts and cultural center be constructed in the abandoned South Boston District 6 Police Station on D Street – has the backing of the South Boston community and has received unsolicited pro bono offers from the architectural firms, Perkins & Will and MapLab and the Boston law firm of Nixon Peabody.
Along with the community support, the architects’ and the law firm’s involvement, the encouraging news of the pro bono Civil Engineering firm’s offer has giving true validation to our project.and elevated our resolve to make the South Boston Arts & Cultural Center a reality.

Dan McCole,
Chairman, SOBACC

CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOUR

2009-12-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

TROLLEY TOUR

2009-12-02T12:15:00.001-05:00

SOLO ART SHOW

2009-11-18T11:11:00.004-05:00

Dan McCole … This Thursday
November 19 … 6 to 9 pm
Dan McCole … Solo Art Show … Watercolors
The Distillery Gallery
516 East Second Street, South Boston.

Check out my latest painting. STREET of DREAMS
Street scene from New Orleans

EXHIBIT

2009-11-12T10:37:00.001-05:00

Exciting Meeting

2009-11-11T15:40:00.002-05:00

2009-11-11T13:59:00.002-05:00

Important

MEETING

SOBACC

Task Force

(South Boston Arts and Cultural Center)

MONDAY NOV. 16

6:30 TO 8 PM

at the

South Boston Community Health Center

Conference Room

386 West Broadway

SPECIAL NOTE:

A timeline detailing the activities of the task force

can be downloaded and is shown below.

February 5 - The Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) called a meeting at the Condon School to address the disposition of the old South Boston District 6 Police Station.

February through March – A n ad hoc group of Southie residents for a South Boston Arts and Cultural Center (SOBACC) met at informal meetings to discuss ideas and agreed on planning for an Arts Center on the site of the abandoned police building. They proposed the idea at a meeting of the St. Vincent Neighborhood Association and the response was positive.

March 25 – A Public Meeting for South Boston residents was called by SOBACC at the Condon School to propose their plans for an Arts Center and discuss ways and means.

April through May - Meetings continued and outreach made to civic associations began. Response was positive.

June 3 – The City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development held an official pre-advertised meeting to further discuss proposals. Over 250 residents showed up and two proposals were presented. SOBACC presented its proposal for an arts & community center, and the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation (SBNDC) presented it’s plan for 30 units to be developed …15 for veterans families and 15 for veterans in transition. The SOBACC proposal was overwhelmingly approved by the residents in a 10 to 1 show of hands that was called for by State Senator Jack Hart. The application for the RFP proposal was to be available within a month. Sen. Hart also requested and received an agreement with John Feuerbach of DND to extend the regular 30-day return for the RFP proposal, to 120-days.

June – SOBACC was offered and accepted an unsolicited pro-bono proposal by Perkins & Will, an international architectural firm. Pat Cunningham an architect in the firm’s Boston office, heard of the arts center proposal and took the idea to John Fuller chief operating officer of the firm. They offered their work on RFP and suggested another architect, David Silverman of MapLab located at the Design Center, who volunteered to assist John Fuller.

September – Met with John Feuerbach, senior development officer at the DND office for a progress report. He informed us that the RFP would be delayed until water could be removed from the basement of the building. The RFP application would not be available until December.

September 29 –Talked with John Cyphers, records manager, at the DND office who offered plans for the building. Visited with John Fuller of Perkins & Will and apprised him that we had the plans. Tom Cipolla, graphic artist, kept plans to work up graphics.

October – Met with John Fuller and Pat Cunningham of Perkins & Will for a progress report.

October 23 – Met with John Feuerbach at the DND office, once again, with a progress report.

October – Accepted pro bono offer from Boston law firm to handle Non-Profit application.

October 26 –Met again with John Fuller and Pat Cunningham of Perkins & Will, to hand over the blueprints of the building plans and apprise them of our progress.

November 6 – Met with Madeleine Steczynski executive director of Zumix, East Boston’s Art Center, located in old fire station. She was very forthcoming with much information about their project. She said we need to concentrate on three things. 1 ) Community Support. 2 ) Evidence of ability to finance. 3 ) Plan for the sustainability of the arts center.

November 9 – Met with Sen. Jack Hart. who suggested and agreed to set up meeting with all other elected officials.

SAVE THE DATE . . . . .

2009-11-10T09:45:00.001-05:00

Opening reception for

Dan McCole’s

one-man, watercolor show

Thursday evening, November 19

From 7 to 9 pm

At the Distillery lobby gallery

516 East Second Street, South Boston

REMINDER

2009-10-24T14:48:00.002-04:00

South Boston Open Studios

2009-10-20T10:52:00.002-04:00

This Saturday!!!!

2009-10-07T14:17:00.000-04:00

THE ANDREW SQUARE MURAL

2009-09-28T10:12:00.007-04:00

The Andrew Square mural, depicting the area in 1940 with Electric Street Car Trolleys entering and leaving the old Andrew Square subway station. When the local Civic Association asked if I would paint a garage wall I thought, “Whoa … are they crazy?” And then … when I heard myself saying, “OK.” … I thought … “Whoa… am I crazy?”I mean … there I was … a watercolorist who usually paints in my studio hovering over the work on a horizontal surface and using dinky-sized brushes and pieces of paper. I’ve only attempted acrylic painting twice before. And trust me … it’s different, very different from watercolor painting. It’s very much like oil painting. I get nervous just thinking about it. Oil and acrylics never agreed with me. Throw in that the largest paintings I’ve been doing with watercolors are on 22 inch by 30 inch sheets of paper and you might begin to see my inner torment.I was agreeing to paint an acrylic mural with big brushes on a very rough-surfaced cement block wall 32 feet wide and 9 feet high … right out there in the public eye. It would be like a having a woman driver who … just because she can slap on eye-makeup while speeding to work on the Mass Pike … hops up on a scaffold with a ten-inch roller to help Michelangelo paint ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Not that the garage was the Sistine Chapel or that I was any Michelangelo … but you get the drift.And for more drama the garage used to belong to a funeral home. Add that to the mix. Now then … there I was … a couple of hours a day for a couple of weeks … painting outside in a parking lot at the very busy Andrew Square area in South Boston. And guess what? It was a blast … every minute was a pleasure. What better way to paint than being right in the middle of the sights and sounds of the city. There’s nothing that will clean out a troubled sinus cavity like a fire truck firing up its siren from four blocks away to blast a clearance through the six street intersection of Andrew Square. And how better to get down with the peeps than listening to the drivers at red lights chatting with each other verbally, offering advice and suggestions … some using finger-based sign language.Art critics came by and made comments all day long … the young, the elderly, those in transition, family units … crossing over from out of the subway … heading in town … and from the projects … picking up stuff from the shops … long-time residents … newcomers … baby carriages … bicycles … skateboards … scooters … and the don’t-remove-these-from-the-shopping-mall-parking-lot shopping carts. Actually the conversation was cheerful … but the Southie zinger was always evident. “Whaddaya doin’ … community-service?” Also there was mumblings about me being on. rehab-work-release. For the rhythmic sounds of the city … the boom-boxes kept blasting out from cars halted at the red lights. It brought a certain salsa and hip-hop tempo to the stroke of my brush. And the spare-change people were out and about … enjoying the good weather. One guy came up and asked for money to do his laundry. Very creative. You know … you can’t make that stuff up.Officially the mural was finished on Labor Day … but I sneaked back a couple of times to touch up or changes a few things that I forgot … and now it’s really done. The Andrew Square Civic Association people commissioned the mural and lots of their people pitched in and helped with the painting … and with the cheerleading. It’s not in the T Station but on the garage wall in the small parking lot of the Andrew Square Convenience Store on the corner of Dorchester and Preble streets … diagonally across from Dunkin’ Donuts. Check it out.The accompanying photo shows the garage before … along with an image of the initial watercolor painting and a couple of pics of the finished mural.

Metting This Saturday

2009-09-10T12:48:00.000-04:00

Andrew Square Mural Almost Done!

2009-09-03T11:20:00.001-04:00

If you’re out and about in Southie on Labor Day weekend … take a look at the mural I’ve been involved in at Andrew Square. The Andrew Square Civic Association commissioned it and its members have helped in the painting. The theme is the Andrew ‘T’ Station and the Street Cars, circa 1940. The mural is almost completed … It will be finished for Labor Day. Being basically a watercolorist (largest sheet has been 22 inches by 30 inches) I never painted anything near this huge anywhere at any time and it has been a blast. It’s 31 ½ feet wide and 9 feet high. Check it out … the garage wall in the small parking lot of the convenience store on the corner of Preble Street and the square. Photo of the uncompleted painting was taken yesterday (Wednesday).

SUMMER SOLSTICE

2009-08-19T10:58:00.001-04:00

Be sure to join us and have a great time !!

THIS IS JUST OFF THE EASEL !

2009-07-31T09:45:00.001-04:00

This is just off the easel ... It's entered in the Marina Bay show ... I hope I don't lose it.

My Irish Art Movie

2009-07-08T16:00:00.002-04:00

Just a quick little movie to view some of my Irish Paintings!

The ‘CELTIC TIGER’

2009-07-07T14:29:00.002-04:00

“Celtic Tiger” is a term describing Ireland in its period of rapid economic growth that began in the mid 1990s and transformed the country from one of Europe's poorer nations into one of the wealthiest. It’s a bit different now … since the economy has pretty well tanked during the past few years. However great changes took place during the surge … all basically for the better … yet somehow you’d wish certain things could be kept as is. (Being from Boston it might be necessary to make a note that the word ‘Celtic’ is pronounced with a ‘K’ sound (Keltic) not a ‘S’ sound (seltic) like in Boston’s roundball athletic team.)

On a trip to Donegal last September I came upon and painted an old thatched cottage. Thatchers are dying out and are taking their secrets and their talents with them. The tatch on many older thatched homes has been stripped and replaced with tin, slate or tile. And many others are left to the elements … or retired to serve as storage and work sheds.

I call this painting “Celtic Tiger”. Note the old homestead, which had served nobly and well as a family home for many generations. At the right an old abandoned tractor also sits in rustation, its glory days have also gone by.

Then sweeping to the left … there’s the sheep. The rest of the flock are in the far field but … there’s always the one that’s a bit different now, isn’t there? Very Irish.

Still on the sweep to the left … ladders, planks and saw horses are visible in and around the open doorway, jammed into areas where, for many years, and for many generations life began, evolved and passed. That life cycle is over and the home is now a storage area and workshop.

Up above … roof-grass is growing in the thatch. Without heat from the turf-fireplace the thatch besomes Impacted by seeds blown in by the Gaelic winds … and the thatch becomes prey to the Irish weather and bog-like dampness that characterizes the island nation. In time the thatch becomes so laden with soil, seed and rain … that the weight is too much for the slender timbers … also weakened by the dampness … and the thatch roofs collapse.

Back to the painting. Further to the left, sitting majestically behind a tall fieldstone gate post … the Mercedes … powerful and proud as a ‘tiger’. And beyond the Mercedes … unseen but implicit … the new family home … a handsome Irish McMansion completing the storyline for the “Celtic Tiger”.

So now … a toast to the ‘thatched houses’ … beautiful in their settings and economic necessities in their day … that now have become impractical as the new wave of “Internet Ireland’ took the youth from the green fields of home into the greener fields of finance. Still, the thatched cottage epitomizes visual Ireland … alongside the cross-patch meadows and grazing fields with their 48 shades of green. To the thatch and to the ‘Celtic Tiger’ … Slante!
-- Dan McCole

A Southie guy at the White House.

2008-12-10T10:58:00.004-05:00

I am returned home from a reception at the White House last week. Yep, That’s right … me at the ‘White House’. It’s not that I was trying to get there before Obama … but back in July I was asked if I would like to paint an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree.
Duh, I said …let me think …
Of course I said yes and snapped up the invitation. This idea was sponsored by George W’s wife, Laura Bush, and each congressional district in the country was asked to propose an artist. Thank ya … Congressman Steve Lynch.
So in September, in the mail comes a large shiny silver ball … about 5 ½ inches in diameter.
Note … we’re talking about a shiny ball. The surface … Shiny. No, not just shiny … but really shiny … shiny as in a large ball of mercury. I’m a watercolorist. Watercolors do not work very well on shiny metal surfaces. Think like trying to paint on a toaster. The stuff rolls right off like … uh … uh … well … a large ball of mercury.
So I had to switch to acrylics. This is a kind of paint that I can hardly spell … let alone use well.
For a while … in the spirit of fairness … I thought I should do the right thing … give it up and let someone with acrylic and shiny ball painting expertise paint the ornament But then I says, “Screw that!”
And … after much mental anguish (mental anguish is what we artists call thinking) … and a drop or two of Jameson’s … I started sketching and decided on Southie as a theme. And what better to represent the 9th Congressional District than Southie’s Castle Island and the people who enjoy it.
But how do you hold this shiny slippery ball to paint it? First I hung it down on a piece of string, but that was like working out on a speed punching bag. Then I I tried a flat surface but it was rolling all over the table. Then I used my head … and some duct tape, bubble-wrap, a soup bowl and a hunk of non-skid rubber stuff that’s used to lay under carpets.
This steadied the ball and I went acrylic. Painted Castle Island’s Fort Independence, with walkers, roller-bladers, bike-riders, and moms with baby carriages circling the fort, and sent it off.

Then comes an invitation to the White House reception for me and one guest. I took my daughter Catherine. Her two sisters and brother might start talking to me again by the time Obama is up for re-election.
The tree and the reception was in the East Wing in the Blue Room …like I’d know what a Blue Room was … right? Well it was blue wasn’t it? Getting into the White House wasn’t too much different than say … going through sixteen-seventeen airport security checks.
However, there we were among five hundred or so other painters and guests from all over the country … good looking Army, Navy and Marine guards in dress uniform … and a bunch of black suits with a squinty eyes, tight lips and computer chips in their ears. Also in this Blue Room was a large catering staff and a great spread of food and beverage. We’re talking about some serious lobster and shrimp … and it just don’t get much better than that.
Somewhere … at some time … I heard that private funding paid for the reception. I hope so and I accept that concept just to keep from feeling too guilty.
OK … now for the tree. It was what you would call a Big Tree. A twenty-footer. Covered with these magnificent ornaments from top to bottom. Some were incredible and most were fantastic and the whole scene was magnificent..
I was already to blast out that mine was at the top nuzzling against the angel … because the tree was so high no one could really see it to prove me wrong … but … uh uh … there I was at the very bottom. Well I was not about to let any negativity get between me and my White House moment …and after a short spell I came to the conclusion that my ornament was supporting the whole tree … and besides, you could see it better than the show-off ones on the middle or on the top … particularly if you were you on all fours.

But wait a minute. Don’t the Bushes have this dog that bit a reporter last month? What was I having … a Woody-Allen-worry/guilt-moment? The ornament was too big for a little doggy to bite … so give it up … what else could a dog do to it? Hmm … let’s not go there.
Well after two hours of living the high life with pride and gluttony … we were cleared out for another party coming on. I did manage to swipe two or three napkins with the White House seal. OK … they were paper napkins … but they were hardly used.
Thank you Congressman Steve and wife Margaret.

Off to the White House

2008-12-02T10:08:00.005-05:00

Today, Tuesday, December 2, I’m off to a reception at the White House. Yep, That’s right … the ‘White House’. It’s not that I’m trying to get there before Obama does … but … I was … uh … there’s a … hmm … like every year … alright … let me start from the beginning.

Back in September I was asked if I would like to paint an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree. Duh …let me think …

Of course I said yes. This idea is sponsored by George W’s wife … Laura Bush and each congressional district in the country can propose an artist. Thank ya … Congressman Steve Lynch

So in the mail comes a large shiny silver ball … about 5 ½ inches in diameter.

Note … this is a shiny silver ball. It’s like painting on a toaster. I’m a watercolorist. It doesn’t work. Rolls right off like a ball of mercury.

So I have to switch to acrylics. This is a kind of paint that I can hardly spell mush less use well. But after much thought and planning … I decided on Southie as a theme. It's not a Christmassy thing ... but what better to represent the 6th Congressional District then portraying Southie’s Castle Island and the people who enjoy it. See the images below.

So I did the acrylic thing with people circling the fort and sent it off. And today … tuh-dah … I’m off to D.C. Thanks again to Stephen Lynch and the lovely Margaret.

ARTS AFFAIR - AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

2008-08-06T14:10:00.003-04:00

Well, summer is in full swing and the annual Arts Affair on the Boardwalk at Marina Bay was held this past weekend. This year I was fortunate to be awarded the "William E. Beyer Award of Excellence" for my painting "Marina".

Paint first ... ask questions later (Story of my first painting sale)

2008-03-13T13:13:00.005-04:00

As a young guy learning how to paint at a summer workshop in Provincetown in the summer of 1951 I had no thoughts of making a living … or that someone would want to pay money to me for things I was learning to do. I was just training with brushes and colors … in between late night parties and laughter. Never thought much about making a living
Five mornings a week I painted and seven afternoons and evenings a week I bussed tables at the Moors Restaurant, out near the beach. One afternoon a very pretty woman came in with her two small children and her mother … or maybe the mother-in-law.
I schmoozed with them as I set up the table and, I guess because of my city-street attitude, the woman asked what I was doing in P’town. She was genuinely surprised when I told of the painting workshop ... then asked if she could see some of my work.
You know, I was macho and comfortable enough chatting them up while setting the tables for them … but she wanted to see my stuff … what was that all about? Why would she want to see my stuff? I began stuttering and shuffling because I sure as hell didn’t want anyone to look at my work. I guess I figured it was cool to talk about being a painter and let them wonder how good I was rather than to let them see the work and probably remove all doubt.
I had my gear in my locker including three or four paintings I had just finished. I was pleased with one of them … a painting of a fish processing plant jutting out into the harbor on a fog-drenched morning. I liked it … It was a good painting.
I remained firm in my refusal to show my works for about fifteen seconds. Did I mention that she was pretty? So I went off to my locker.
When I returned to the table a man had joined the party. Rats … must be the husband, I thought. Parking the car. I handed the paintings to the woman and went off to fetch some water. And when I cane back the guy says to me … “How much are you selling these for?”
Whoa … having to show them was bad enough … now he thinks I was trying to sell them. I took a bit of an issue with his question and his tone … like I was some kind of a gypsy selling roses from table to table.
I said I was not selling them. He gave me a look that was like … Yeh, Right.
He said “What do you mean your not selling them?”
I said, “I’m not selling them. The lady asked what I was doing in Provincetown and I told her I was in a workshop. I work here afternoon and nights … and I paint in the mornings … and I really didn’t want to show them. I don’t show my paintings … I don’t sell my paintings.” I had my dignity.
And now I was really getting agitated because I was trying to explain something very simple and doing a bad job of it.
He said, “You don’t sell your paintings!”
I said … “You got it.”
Then he holds up the painting I liked … the foggy fish plant … and says … “Well if you were selling them … what would you sell this one for?”
Now I figured he was playing games … having a little sport with me. I was into a slow burn. They were all looking at me … so I figured … “To hell with it.” I really wanted to bust his chops and make him look silly in front of his very pretty wife.
I thought to myself … let’s see if he can put his money where his mouth is. I smiled, leaned forward … locked into his eyes and said, “Twenty bucks.”
So the guy reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet picks out a twenty and holds it out for me.
I looked at the twenty … then at my painting … that was getting better looking and better looking as the seconds ticked away.
Now don’t forget … this was 1951 … and back then twenty bucks would go a long way for me in P’town. Rent … Food … Nights of splendor. Mostly the splendor.
I licked my lips … seven, eight, nine, ten … I grabbed the twenty and said, “You’re not getting it back.”
Now everybody laughed and I went off to my other chores filled with a bittersweet joy of selling my first painting ever … but one that I really didn’t want to sell.
Later in the afternoon, as things slowed down, I was chatting up with the bartender and he asked, “What was going on with the Fords?”
I said … “The Fords,”
He says, “The Fords.”
I says … “What Fords?”
He said “The Fords … the party against the window … you were showing them some of your paintings.”
I said, “Them! Oh yeh! They were nice Although the guy was a wise guy … he was busting on me. But he bought one of my paintings.”
The bartender said, “Henry Ford Jr. bought one of your paintings?”
I said, “Henry Ford Jr.? … like in the beep, beep, beep, Henry Ford … Automobile-Ford? … Model T-Ford? … Fords?”
He said, “Yeh … That was Henry Ford Jr.”
I thinks … “How do you like that? I coulda nailed him for forty bucks.”

LESSONS LEARNED:

· Don’t argue with a client.
· Why paint something that you don’t want people to see?
· Painting for money is nice.
· All paintings are Af-FORD-able.

Blog me back and share your the story of your first painting-sale. Or poem ... or song ... or photograph ... or whatever.

Dan McCole

artdanmccole@aol.com

www.danmccole.com

Happy St.Patrick's Day

2008-03-13T10:12:00.006-04:00

Well, it is that time of year again when shamrocks and green prevail. Here are some views of past parades.

It's That Time Again

2008-02-19T11:06:00.003-05:00

Well with spring training starting up I thought I would give you a look at one of my new paintings - "BIG PAPI" David Ortiz.

Cityscapes

2008-02-19T10:49:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my cityscapes from a different viewpoint than most. My works will soon be showcased in a new DVD. Visit my website at http://www.danmccole.com/

Walk Through My Gallery

2008-02-19T10:45:00.000-05:00

I thought you might like to take a quick walk through my virtual gallery.