VACATION BEACH LADIES

"Vacation Beach Ladies" oil on board (12" x 24") 2011

So the summer is officially over after this weekend. But we know there is still plenty of time to enjoy the beach if good weather prevails. When asked what their favorite form of relaxation might be, a large number of people reveal that they fantasize lying on the beach. I like to sit on the beach under an umbrella while reading. And truth be  told I like to eavesdrop on my neighbors from time to time. It has something to do with the way the sea breeze carries sound across the sand. The ground feels so warm and dense as you rest your head on it. The merging din of measured waves, dampened voices and mashed footsteps  are funneled into your ears as if  filtered through a muffler.  The women here in my painting " Vacation Beach Ladies" might be interesting to spy on.  Listening in on strangers while on vacation is a form of entertainment for some of us. While working on this painting I could not resist the addition of a bathing cap on one of the women. I wonder if she doesn't want to hear all the details. But they appear to be  old friends on a summer fling in the days of chaperones and "safe retreat" hotels for women.

Roadside Lures

"Lunch, Dinners, Cabins" oil on canvas (30" x 20") 2004

More often than not, the earliest roadside stops were family owned. I imagine these three women in my painting might have been sisters or sisters-in-law. In my mind they spent most of their days and nights together maintaining their overnight cabins and dining room for weary travelers. The lady in the middle of this trio probably was in charge of making the dinners and lunches. She certainly takes pride in her uniform with the matching cap - tilted at a jaunty angle. I like to think that the long, thin redhead was a manager type, eyeing guests and asking them to sign the register. She might be the bossy one. The blond on the end helped with the cleaning and was good-natured about keeping the business humming along. She had a habit of photographing their guests from time to time. She kept these photos with descriptions in a private album hidden in her room.