“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”-Nine of Nine

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”

Ninth of the Nine Oil Paintings displayed

“Pirates in a Bathtub”

March, 2014

18” x 22” Oil on Board

Referring back to the text in “She Loves Me Not” (Fourth of the Nine) posting, I mentioned a painting I had shelved in January 2013, because of technical issues. During the first weeks of 2014 (a year passed), I remembered this painting and the importance I attached to having it in the upcoming art exhibit of new works, now just two months away.

I resolved the technical issue, prepped the reverse side of the board and, knowing I only had eight weeks to complete it (in the midst of getting ready for a two part art exhibit), I started this painting again.

I finished the painting (March 13) two days before the “New Works” opening on March 15th.

Along with my gratitude over the past year (The “Ukazoo Journey” started June 3rd, 2013) to Eric & Laura, Jesse & Reeghan, Lee & Deborah, Katelyn, Laura, Judy, Karen and many other relatives and friends for their help and support, I again extend a thanks to Mac for helping with the hanging of the artwork for both exhibits (February’s Ukazoo Stories and the March Ukazoo New paintings).

As I close this portion of the “Ukazoo Journey” postings and now work towards putting the “Journey” into ’Book’ form I offer another reminder of the upcoming new project to be posted Monday June 16th.

Added to the flashing lights, musical fanfare, confetti, fireworks, jugglers with flaming batons, clowns on unicycles, acrobatic alligators, a Zeppelin with scrolling text, mimes releasing balloons, and a dozen daring debutante’s being shot (one at a time, of course) from a canon screaming

“COMING, NEW PROJECT, KEEP TUNED FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT”,

just before they hit the safety net, this announcement would not be complete without the releasing of a host of white doves and a thousand Butterflies (I counted).

As always, knowing my difficulty of making such a loud announcement, I say softy, please keep following my journey, more neat art stuff is on the way.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” are every Monday Evening.

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”-Eight of Nine

Posted by Craig L Haupt

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”

Eighth of the Nine Oil Paintings displayed

“Room With a View”

January, 2014

18” x 24” Oil on Board

In Private Collection

Working with a small “doodle” that caught my interest, the developing design was more conducive to a square format. Only having, at that time, a rectangle board prepped for painting, I found and added a second “doodle” from the same sketch book page. Hence, this painting.

A “thank you” to Katelyn. There is a thank you to Deborah, Anne, and Katelyn for unsolicited help with the setting up and replenishing refreshments in past art exhibits but a special thank you to Katelyn for agreeing to help me with the Ukazoo Art exhibit. Katelyn also kept track of sales/name and address information.

Another reminder of the upcoming new project to be posted Monday June 16th. Added to the flashing lights, musical fanfare, confetti, fireworks, jugglers with flaming batons, clowns on unicycles, acrobatic alligators, a Zeppelin with scrolling text, and mimes releasing balloons are a dozen, daring debutante’s being shot (one at a time, of course) from a canon screaming

“COMING, NEW PROJECT, KEEP TUNED FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT”,

just before they hit the safety net.

As always, knowing my difficulty of making such a loud announcement, I say softy, please keep following my journey, more neat art stuff is on the way.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” are every Monday Evening.

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”-Seven of Nine

Posted by Craig L Haupt

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”

Seventh of the Nine Oil Paintings displayed

“A Walk in the Park”

December, 2013

22” x 22” Oil on Board

Just after completing “Mating Calls” I turned my attention to the next ‘almost completed’ painting, “A Walk in the Park”.

This painting carries a small history.

The first painting using these ‘spherical characters’ was “King Me” (see Slide 13 in the Journey to Ukazoo). “King Me” also represents my last painting using Acrylic paints. During this acrylic painting, I felt the need to achieve more flexibility in my approach to layering/glazing techniques for creating shading/form and thus, four years ago, the stage was set for my learning to paint with oils .

“A Walk in the Park” derived from a ’doodle’ in my sketch book, dated December, 2009, containing these same ’spherical characters’. After completing a number of oil paintings over the next three + years, I decided to develop it as an Oil painting and, at the very least, see the progress of the shading techniques between the Acrylic “King Me” and the Oil “Walk in the Park”. Took a while to finally finish this painting but I am very comfortable with my transition from the Acrylic’s to Oils.

“COMING, NEW PROJECT, KEEP TUNED FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT”

Are many manic mimes releasing a vast array of brightly colored balloons.

As always, knowing my difficulty of making such a loud announcement, I say softy, please keep following my journey, more neat art stuff is on the way.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” are every Monday Evening.

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”-Six of Nine

Posted by Craig L Haupt

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”

Sixth of the Nine Oil Paintings displayed

“Mating Calls”

November, 2013

22” x 22” Oil on Board

During July to November, with the Ukazoo stories to be completed every week, three watercolors to work on, the long process of cutting of double mats and fitting them into 5” x 5” frames for 23 drawings called “Thumbnail Sketches” (to also be displayed at the Ukazoo Exhibit), the progress of four started oil paintings (one still unfinished) moved at a snail’s pace. It wasn’t till late November that, finally, one of those oil paintings, “Mating Calls” was completed.

Another reminder of the upcoming new project to be posted Monday June 16th. Added to the flashing lights, musical fanfare, confetti, fireworks, jugglers with flaming batons, clowns on unicycles, and acrobatic alligators is a graceful flying metallic gray Zeppelin sporting scrolling brightly lit text declaring:

“COMING, NEW PROJECT, KEEP TUNED FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT”

As always, knowing my difficulty of making such a loud announcement, I say softy, please keep following my journey, more neat art stuff is on the way.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” are every Monday Evening.

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

“The Ukazoo Exhibit”-Five of Nine

Posted by Craig L Haupt

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”

Fifth of the Nine Oil Paintings displayed

“The Couple”

June, 2013

16” x 20” Oil on Board

This painting is a departure from the norm. All my finished art over the past 143 years has been a chosen “doodle”, worked to a final outlined design on rough paper, then copied to tracing paper and transferred to the finish paper, canvas, board etc.

“The Couple” was my first experience with looking just at the “doodle” in the sketch book, a simple pen & ink outline of the two figures and bypassing all my usual steps. The changes to design, proportion, placement, color, and embellishments were made with paint directly on the board, as I worked and reworked the painting to a final conclusion.

I was extremely pleased with the result.

It was during this painting that I owe “thanks” to Judy. During a light conversation, at our painters group, reviewing my pro & cons of undecided locations for my next exhibit, it was Judy that suggested the Ukazoo Bookstore in Towson.

An ensuing email to Ukazoo, follow-up meeting securing a date ten months away, followed by three initial prints hung in Ukazoo bookstore, and three consecutive FaceBook, May 2013, postings of the displayed prints were the beginnings. By the second of the three posts I started to refer to them as my “mini Slide Show” which in turn triggered one of those “brightly lit light bulbs over the head” moments about a slide show and journey to the exhibit. A subsequent supportive discussion with Mac and Laura about creating a self-promotion project called “The Journey to Ukazoo” led to the June 3rd post of “Slide One”.

Another reminder of the upcoming new project to be posted Monday June 16th. Added to the flashing lights, musical fanfare, confetti, fireworks, jugglers with flaming batons, and clowns on unicycles of last weeks:

“COMING, NEW PROJECT, KEEP TUNED FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT”

Are seven amazing acrobatic alligators doing what acrobatic alligators do best.

As always, knowing my difficulty of making such a loud announcement, I say softy, please keep following my journey, more neat art stuff is on the way.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” are every Monday Evening.

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”-Four of Nine

Posted by Craig L Haupt

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”

Fourth of the Nine Oil Paintings displayed

“She Loves Me Not”

March, 2013

16” x 20” Oil on Board

After two months of holiday season and the distractions of reading several books I refocused on painting again, knowing if I was to seriously consider a next art exhibit I wanted to be able to complete an estimated number of paintings.

In late January, 2013, I started a painting that I considered to be my cornerstone of the next exhibit and a month later this painting was shelved by technical problems that arose with the undercoating. Frustrated and not sure about restarting it, I turned my attention to a new painting- “She Loves Me Not”.

As the “Still Life-Vase and Apples” was jokingly referred it as “my first serious” oil painting, “She Loves Me Not” was to be jokingly referred to as my “trek into tragedy”.

With April showers (an understatement) behind us and May flowers a-blooming, there is still the reminder of the upcoming new project to be posted Monday June 16th. Added to the flashing lights, musical fanfare, confetti, fireworks, and the jugglers with flaming batons of last weeks:

“COMING, NEW PROJECT, KEEP TUNED FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT”

Are clowns weaving back and forth on six foot high unicycles.

As always, knowing my difficulty of making such a loud announcement, I say softy, please keep following my journey, more neat art stuff is on the way.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” are every Monday Evening.

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”-Three of Nine

Posted by Craig L Haupt

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”

Third of the Nine Oil Paintings displayed

“Still Life-Vase and Apples”

November, 2012

16” x 20” Oil on Board

When beginning this painting, I have jokingly referred it as “my first serious” oil painting.

This is also the image I used for the postcard/email/social media invites, website Home page, and any promotion for the “Ukazoo Art Exhibit”.

Nod of thanks to close friends, Lee, Deborah and their daughter Katelyn, as well as their family members and close friends that attend their Thanksgiving dinners each year. Over the past several years, I have joined them for this Holiday dinner and part of the evening has become my annual “Show & Tell” of recently completed art work. Along with a few other pieces, “Still Life” was the most recent finished painting. It is their viewpoints and encouragement of my art during these once a year displays that always add a boost of confidence to my motivation to continue exhibiting my artwork publicly. With “Still Life” as the third finished painting (since the Antreasian Gallery exhibit), a fourth in progress and another painting being prepped to start, it was during this evening that I knew that I would start to consider the next location for another exhibit.

Not to forget, there is still the reminder of the upcoming new project to be posted Monday June 16th. Added to the flashing lights, musical fanfare, confetti and the fireworks of last weeks:

“COMING, NEW PROJECT, KEEP TUNED FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT”

Are jugglers with flaming batons.

And again, still it is difficult for me to make such a loud announcement, so softly I say, please keep following my journey, more neat art stuff is on the way.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” are every Monday Evening.

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”-Two of Nine

Posted by Craig L Haupt

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”

Second of the Nine Oil Paintings displayed

“Eye to Eye”

October, 2012

16” x 20” Oil on Board

Besides the Nine Oil paintings on display at the Ukazoo Exhibit, there were 23 additional Pen & Ink/Watercolor/ Color pencil drawings called “Thumbnail Sketches”. These finished drawings, only 2 1/4” x 2 1/4” (Five inches framed) are selected doodles taken from my sketchbooks, that although I liked the design, most have not been developed into larger, more involved, pieces of art work. One of these doodles, Eye to Eye, from October, 2006, I periodically debated if it would become a “Thumbnail Sketch” or a painting. The recent progression of learning to paint with oils cemented the decision to develop this design into a painting.

I give a nod of thanks to the “Studio Thursday Painters” group I belong to. Continually watching their wonderfully created art projects every Thursday evening and listening to their kind words of support as I tackled the learning process of various oil techniques was important in this early phase of the yet still unknown Ukazoo art exhibit.

There is still the reminder of the upcoming new project.

Don’t know if I should repeat:

“COMING, NEW PROJECT, KEEP TUNED FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT”

I could also add to the flashing lights, musical fanfare, and confetti of last weeks text:

SOME FIREWORKS as I shout,

“GET READY FOR THE NEXT BIG EVENT”

Again, this is difficult for me to make such a loud announcement, so I will again softly say, please keep following my journey, more neat art stuff is on the way.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” are every Monday Evening.

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”-One of Nine

Posted by Craig L Haupt

“The Ukazoo Art Exhibit”

First of the Nine Oil Paintings displayed

“Ice Scream”

Oil on Board, September, 2012

16” x 20”

The first phrase of the “Journey to Ukazoo” and the Art Exhibit have concluded.

There are many thanks to be given to friends that have helped along the way. I hope to mention as many as I can over the next nine weeks and the various ways they effected this wonderful journey.

With the posting of this painting, the first of the nine paintings I completed, the earliest participant in beginning to prepare for the next (yet unknown) art exhibit I mention a thank you to, is Karen. As my Thursday morning art teacher she helped push me (had a bruise on my shoulder for two weeks) to use the intense background colors in this painting.

It is only within the past three years I made the decision to learn how to work with Oils. During the past two years, Karen, is the second of two fine artists who have worked to teach me various oil painting techniques that I can apply to my subject matter and style of imagery.

“Ice Scream” is my lighthearted ode to Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” (The Scream of Nature).

On tap after the Art Exhibit Postings (June 9th) is a new project of which I have been given the advice that I should make this announcement in a grand matter.

Such as:

“COMING, NEW PROJECT, KEEP TUNED FOR THIS EXCITING EVENT”

I could also add:

FLASHING LIGHTS– FLASHING LIGHTS– FLASHING LIGHTS

SOME MUSICAL FANFARE

“GET READY FOR THE NEXT BIG EVENT”

SHOOTING CONFETTI FROM A CANON

MORE FLASHING LIGHTS

But I can’t seem to bring myself to do that Big Sell type of self-promotion, so softly I say, please keep following my journey, more neat art stuff is on the way.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia” Week 8

Posted by Craig L Haupt

The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”

Eighth week of Ukazoo Art Exhibit

“Blue I”

The Ukazoo Art Exhibit will close Saturday evening, April 12, with an informal closing reception. Arranged to meet with several friends and guests who were unable to attend the opening reception, as well as those individuals who had purchased artwork and would like to pick it up at the close of the exhibit.

Anyone still interested in stopping by the Towson Ukazoo Bookstore Saturday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. is welcome.

During the exhibit, I posted (including this one) for the eight weeks (Feb 17 to April 7), a second installment to the “Journey” entitled: “Snapshots and Memorabilia” which are part updates on the exhibit and part continuation of the “Journey to Ukazoo” slides and stories.

Starting April 14th, a Third Installment, for those not able to attend the exhibit, I will continue Ukazoo postings every Monday for the next nine weeks, each post highlighting one of the paintings featured in the Ukazoo Art Exhibit.

About Ukazoo, a few days ago I noticed on my bookshelf “Mya’s Poems for a Smile”, a book I purchased after attending her poetry recital in Chicago (Slide 25-The Cap).

While reading several poems from her book, I drifted in thought to the Ukazoo Journey. Reflecting on the past ten months of the journey and subsequent art exhibit, I found myself appreciative of the “Likes”, the “Shares”, the “Followers”, and viewership to Facebook and the Blog.

The kind words, encouragement and help, both during the journey and the art exhibit’s opening reception will not be forgotten.

Given these reflections, I found the last poem in Mya’s book appropriate for this posting:

“In this ink

There lies a tear.

Conceived not of sorrow,

Hurt, or fear.

With each form,

Each word I make.

My patient hand,

Seeks to relate.

To find those near,

And those afar

I thank your smile

Wherever you are.”

I took this picture of myself, (I guess I did a “selfie”) as I started typing Mya’s poem.

Recounting earlier attempts of taking a picture of myself during the journey, a decision has now firmly been made, I must get a new camera. I tried several more shots, held it at different angles, shook it, hit it on the table, even drew a lot of tiny lines on the lens, the camera still will not record my beard and mustache.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” Slides are every Monday Evening.

New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:

FaceBook: Craig L Haupt – “Journey to Ukazoo Album” or

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”

See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.

Ukazoo Art Exhibit , Feburary 16 to April 12, 2014, at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204

Informal Closing Reception-Saturday April 12, 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.