Rotary Dial

While I love the iphone, nothing beats an avocado green rotary dial phone. (20 x 24)

Vertical Abstract

(30 x 40)

Gesture Drawing

Charcoal gesture drawings inspired a similar painted sketch over an abstract painting (11 x 14)

More Fall Color

Abstract mixed media (16 x 20)

New Painting

Abstract work based on fall foliage reflecting in water (30 x 40)

Wildflowers

Fall is still far off, but this weekend's hike on the grassy balds near Cold Mountain, NC certainly helped me get ready. The wildflowers were in full bloom.

Non Representational

Finished this painting last night (30 x 30)

Lemonade Stand

Given the great recession we continue to be mired in, I was heartened this weekend to see signs that entrepreneurship and capitalism remain alive and well with kids. Two little guys, about seven or eight years old, were selling lemonade in my neighborhood. They weren’t foiled by the Dow’s performance, or the balance in their 401K’s. And they weren’t gaming or texting either. We can learn from them.

Don’t wait on the market to come to you.

Their location was ideal, an intersection across from a school athletic field. They had signage. Still, these kids didn’t wait on their location and out of home media to feed their business. The above flier was handed to me more than a block away.

Have an eye-catching hook that resonates with your target.

There are loads of faculty and students nearby, so the university crowd is clearly a primary target audience. In addition to a sign, table, cooler and pitcher of lemonade, the kids had a trashcan made from an empty case of Miller Lite. One walk by made you think: “Are those kids selling cold beer?”

Follow up after the sale.

So often, retailers stop short of the obvious. After buying a cup, I was given more than a mere thanks, I was told that they would be there again tomorrow, and given hours.

Smart little guys. And now they have a web presence.

Highway 56

A recent painting of mine. A stormy view from one of the backroads going to Columbia from my parents' house in Spartanburg.

Naming the blog

My partner Cathy Monetti often jokes that I am a target audience of one, that no one sees the world as I do. She’s right, but not just about me. The tribes we belong to, or aspire to belong to, have been steadily melting away over the past few decades, and at an ever faster rate.

Marketers have gone from mass, to niche to individual. Mass media sure was fun, and there will always be a place on You Tube for the cheesy commercials I grew up with. Individuals, however, can be far more interesting.

So here goes. A little about me and what I’m up to from time to time, along with my take on the world around us.