Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.138

Welcome back.

This week we will be continuing with the new painting that I started last week, the Victorian house in Las Vegas, New Mexico, seen in the photo directly below. As usual, I'll be using acrylics. This one is large for me, the canvas is 11x14.



When last seen, the painting appeared as it does in the photo seen directly below.



Since that time, I have continued to work on the painting. Seen in the photo directly below is the house with its features now outlined in white. This is for the placement of the various windows and woodwork, the shapes and color will change later on.



After that, I painted in blue to begin the heavy shadows and roof. The color will change before we're done. This is seen in the photo directly below, the current state of the painting.



That's about it for now. I'll see you next week. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

Plane Stupid

Recently, New York State enacted airline passengers rights legislation, the first of its kind, to address recent extended delays on the tarmac.

NYT link

Under the New York law, the only of its kind in the country, airlines could be fined up to $1,000 per passenger if they failed to supply water, fresh air, electric power and working restrooms during lengthy delays. A federal judge in Albany upheld the law in December, only to be reversed on Tuesday by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

A federal appeals court has now deemed the law preempted by existing federal legislation.

The appellate judges agreed with the Air Transport Association of America, an airline industry group, that New York’s law was pre-empted by the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and hindered the Federal Aviation Administration’s ability to maintain uniform standards for air travel.

“If New York’s view regarding the scope of its regulatory authority carried the day, another state could be free to enact a law prohibiting the service of soda on flights departing from its airports, while another could require allergen-free food options on its outbound flights, unraveling the centralized federal framework for air travel,” the court said in its decision.

The association, which brought the case, said in a statement that the court decision vindicated the airlines, noting that “a patchwork of laws by states and localities would be impractical and harmful to consumer interests.” The group added, “This clear and decisive ruling sends a strong message to other states that are considering similar legislation.”

Sure, other states were just waiting to join in on the fun and prohibit soda, peanuts and perhaps even < gasp > pretzels. And really, having fresh air and water available for those 6 hour stays on the tarmac might signal the ultimate decline and fall of western civilization. Better to just leave well enough alone. < cough, cough >

Tribal Council-Biblical Reference Edition

Clinton operative James Carville recently deemed Governor Richardson to be a "Judas" upon his endorsement of Senator Obama. When asked about this, he indicated that:

Link

“I was quoted accurately and in context, and I was glad to give the quote and I was glad I gave it,” Mr. Carville said. “I’m not apologizing, I’m not resigning, I’m not doing anything.”

The original comment, of the you're with us or against us variety, indicates that only strict loyalty will be tolerated by the Clintonistas. Conform or be cast out, as the old song goes.

For many of us, there just isn't enough kool-aid.

Mr.Carville, you are ejected from the virtual island of Left Blogistan. The tribe has spoken.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.137

Welcome back.

This week we will be continuing with the new painting that I started last week, the Victorian house in Las Vegas, New Mexico, seen in the photo directly below. As usual, I'll be using acrylics. This one is large for me, the canvas is 11x14.



When last seen, the painting appeared as it does in the photo seen directly below.



Since that time, I have continued to work on the painting. I've started to paint in the sky. At this point I couldn't help but notice that a simple change, painting the upper area blue, had made a dramatic effect. This phase is seen in the photo directly below.



After painting in the initial strokes of the sky, I continued on to the body of the house. I used an ochre color that ended up looking like a mix of olive green and ochre. This strange mix, the current state of the painting, is seen in the photo directly below. Hopefully your monitor shows this accurately.



I'm not sure if I will use this color or try to bring it closer to the color seen in the photo. I'll continue to work on it.

That's about it for now. I'll see you next week. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

For FM

Our friend FM is feeling a bit under the weather. If you are so inclined, go over to his place and wish him well.
Feel better, FM.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.136

Welcome back.

This week we will be continuing with the new painting that I started last week, the Victorian house in Las Vegas, New Mexico, seen in the photo directly below. As usual, I'll be using acrylics. This one is large for me, the canvas is 11x14.



When last seen, the painting appeared as it does in the photo seen directly below.



Since that time, I have continued to work on the painting, but not to the extent that I would have liked. At the office I was involved with a trial that concerned me a great deal. It all worked out in the end but I was not able to get my head in the right place to do much with this piece.

I did start and finish the underpainting. The upper portion above the house is red, the lower is a deep pink. Hopefully the photo portrays this accurately on your monitor. That's all I've got for now.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below.



That's about it for now. I'll see you next week. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

Gerri Jumps The Shark

Geraldine Ferraro:

If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position.

According to this line of deep thinking, being a member of a sizable minority group is now an advantage. And being a white male is generally accepted as being advantageous. Continuing this line of reasoning to its "logical" conclusion, it would seem that most, if not all, of the population would be at the advantage in a presidential race. Makes sense to us. Not.

Carry on.

Tribal Council

After enduring the multi-year snoozefest that was the Pataki administration, it was with great anticipation and excitement that the staff of New York-based SLB looked forward to the inception of Governor Elliot Spitzer. His prior record as New York's very bold attorney general was impressive, much of his efforts aimed at the excesses of Wall Street.

Today's admissions marked what is likely the end to his promising political career. In the end, he was another politician undone by his his own hand.

Farewell Governor Spitzer. You are ejected from the virtual island of Left Blogistan. The tribe has spoken.

Saturday Painting Palooza Vol.135

Welcome back.

This week we will be starting an entirely new painting. We are remaining in the southwestern United States, but natural beauty is not on the menu. Instead, I'll be attempting to capture some man-made beauty, the shadowy Victorian-era house in Las Vegas, New Mexico, seen in the photo directly below.



I've painted similar structures before, but usually with less color than this example. The initial lines were painted without going through my usual proportional analysis. (Examining the proportional sizes of the main elements and then painting with those in mind.) Instead, I simply started painting.

The current state of the painting is seen in the photo directly below. I'll probably make some adjustments later on.



That's about it for now. I'll see you next week. As always, feel free to add photos of your own work in the comments section below.

Get A Room

Who says nothing new comes out of DC. Veteran partisans Mary Matalin and James ragin' cajun Carville managed to give new meaning to the old term gag me with a spoon.

Link

Mary Matalin got a little bit naughty with hubby James Carville on Sunday during "Meet the Press'' online-only "Take Two" feature. The couple (along with Tim Russert, Mike Murphy and Bob Shrum) were making a bet on the 2008 presidential general election and here's how it unfolded:


MATALIN: I'm going to bet on McCain in the general

CARVILLE: You got it. What do I get?

MATALIN: You get it everyday. You're living the dream.

(LAUGHTER)

RUSSERT: Thank God this is the Web.

Eww. Just eww.

Yes, thank god.

Blogrolling etc.

Reviewing the SLB blogroll, it appears that a cleanup is in order. Some of the links no longer exist, others have changed. Removing the dead links is like losing a link to old friends. But time moves on. In the next few the revised blogroll will appear, current and fully functional.

In other business, SLB hereby endorses Senator Obama. (But still pines for Edwards!)