Window Contest Missed by a Hair!

Today I did the outside of a classic car dealership that I've been decorating every year for the last thirty years. There was a windowpainting contest in the area, with prizes. Sadly, both the car dealer and myself didn't know that we had to register to win - and we would have won because we were the best!
The next one below is a detail of the one above. I did the lettering with three different colors of markers, outlining on both sides with shadowing.
Feeling festive yet?

Flying

Sometimes I get to make a picture of something besides classic holiday stuff. Like this bird...

Gearing Up For Window Painting

Got my markers and paint smearing equipment together. Now I'm on a mission to mess up people's windows for this year's holiday season. Yesterday did a really fun Santa on a bike for the Fairfax Cyclery. The guy who owned the store had the novel idea of trying to get more in trade for the cost of his window. So far, nobody has taken the bite, but he got a really nice Santa on the BMX. My apprentice Denise held up the bike while I drew it on the window.

Tomorrow on Friday I'll be taking her to the biggest job I do - the Marina shopping center in San Mateo. There are all kinds of businesses there - mostly small "Mom & Pop" stores such as a bakery, liquor, pharmacy, restaurants and even a barbershop. The place has a decidedly Asian theme, which makes for great lunch breaks. We'll have a great time, and we may even take a few more pictures of how the time got spent that we'll post here.

The hardest job on my plate these days seems to be cleaning out my RV. Unfortunately, somehow I aquired a pet rat who took up residence in the RV while I was gone. The challenge of finding a spot to schlep the stuff in the RV to is being solved by two friends of mine who have given me a place to stay. Thanks Martine and Gino!

There and Back Again

Now, it is November and I've flown off from the Big Island of Hawaii to mainland California since after election day. My objectives are to clean up my act and to paint up windows for the holidays.

Last week, I've already done a holiday window for a game store in Concord, CA. They deemed that having a winter scene with Bilbo Baggins in it would be suitably festive for the holidays. They mused that perhaps the same fantasy scene would do for attracting attention the entire year. This scene is supposed to depict the part of the story where Smaug, after talking with an invisible Bilbo, heads out to destroy the nearby town on the river. This was the first time this year's window painting apprentice got to see me in the mysterious act of drawing on windows.

Evidently, the story by Tolkien of "The Hobbit" is getting some attention in the news. Heard that Peter Jackson, who produced "Lord of the Rings" is going to be in on the production of "The Hobbit," slated to come out at the end of next year. So that's why it's all related and the images from the fantasy are going to be appropriate for the entire year. Hope it works for this game store!

After working, I discovered that next door to the place my apprentice and I were painting was an electronics store called Fry's. Wow, what a candy store. Went into there originally because I needed to replace the hard drive that stopped working on a computer I have that is still in Hawaii. Then I couldn't help but buy a toy which will allow me to create podcasts. (That would be a digital sound recorder.) Then, of course, I also found out that I had to have a little tool that created a USB drive on my older laptop that had been smashed so it didn't work...and on, and on. A hundred bucks later, I made my exit. But, it does means that I will have a way to make podcasts, a desktop computer, and a second laptop working now, whereas before I had only one ancient laptop.

Anyway, maybe this will get you into a festive mood already?