Today we are going to Muse about the barber shops.   If this is your first visit, welcome to Musings. If you have been here before, welcome back. Over time we are going to talk about many things: the past, the present, perhaps the future, travel, art, society and more. Wherever my musing takes me. I hope you will come along with me.

Colored text is a link.  So is a word underlined in dots like “Musings” in the above paragraph. Clicking on the text will provide additional information about the subject.

The Barber Pole

The other day I was driving home, through a less than affluent part of town, when I came to a stop at a light.  As I waited for  it to turn, I noticed out the window, on the adjacent building a column painted in a wrap-around red, white and blue descending stripe.  It was a barber pole!  A barber pole! Imagine, a barber pole!.  I haven’t seen one of those in years.

That brought back a flood of memories.  When I was a kid we went to a barber shop, not a hair salon.  It was a manly place!

There were hair creams, face lotions, hot towels, large aprons.  There were always interesting magazines!  Not People Magazine or Entertainment Today. The barbers dressed in white and worked Tuesday through Saturday.

The only time I remember a woman being in the shop was when a mother brought in her son for his haircut, usually his first.  After a short time we boys learned how to negotiate that transaction alone.  

One time, about  age 6, I went alone to the barber and ordered a “butch”.   That would be style 27-29 below.  I had longer hair at the time, parted on the side.

The Barber asked, “Is this OK with your mother?

“Oh sure!  She said it was OK.  All the other kids have butches.”

So off went the hair and I came home looking like fur ball.  That night I cried because I couldn’t comb it.  I liked to comb my hair.  Today I don’t have too much to work with.

The barber shop was unlike any other place in town.  As I said it was a manly place.  And you knew where it was because it always had a barber pole.  I could spot the barbershop a block away.  It wasn’t necessary to read.  When I went to a different town, like to visit my grandparents, I could spot the barbershop.  And, I knew I would be welcome even though I was unknown to the barbers.

That’s another thing!  Barbers with an “S”.  Most shops had four chairs.  In the city there were often more.  Always there were at least two.  At least that is what my memory tells me.

Today the barber poles are mostly gone.  When I first arrived here I had a terrible time finding a barber.  It never occurred to me to use the white pages.  I was looking for the barber pole.  Now even white pages seem to be history.

And today barber shops are rare.  What we have are mostly hair salons today with not too interesting magazines.  The “Manly” shops have changed!  And they are hard to find without a barber pole.

 My friends recommend this place, but I can’t find it.

More to come

If you like Musings, take a moment and click the sign up button on the side-bar to the right so you will be notified by e-mail when I make a new post.

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GREETING CARD

I PHONE CASES

Thomas-Tribby.pixels.com is now offering I Phone Cases, Coffee Mugs, Throw Pillows, Greeting Cards, Bath Towels, Hand Towels, Shower Curtains, Duvet Covers , Yoga Mats, Tote Bags,Women’s T Shirts, Men’s T Shirtsand more with reproductions of my artwork.  If you want to check them out, here are the steps:

• 1.  Click on this link: thomas-tribby.pixels.com.  
• 2. Click on one of the categories in the menu bar at the top: Wall Art, Home Decor, Lifestyle, Stationery or Apparel.  It will list a number of options.
• 3.  Click on option.  
• 4.  Click on image and a sizing slide will open allowing you to adjust the image to the way you like it..

Have fun.

My work is available as traditional prints on canvas, paper or metal, but it also available on greeting cards, phone covers, tote bags, shower curtains,  t-shirts and more.  It makes for some very personalized gifts.  Below is the link to the site.  I hope you like it.

Click on:     thomas-tribby.pixels.com

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Books by Thomas L. Tribby Available Click on title below to preview

Works on Paper

On The Waterfront

Impressions of Florida

 Works at

thomas-tribby.pixels.com

Click to see

Click to see

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For information about these or other original works of art, please feel free to contact us:

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Hello

Today we are going to Muse about portrait painting.   If this is your first visit, welcome to Musings. If you have been here before, welcome back. Over time we are going to talk about many things: the past, the present, perhaps the future, travel, art, society and more. Wherever my musing takes me. I hope you will come along with me.

Colored text is a link.  So is a word underlined in dots like “Musings” in the above paragraph. Clicking on the text will provide additional information about the subject.

Birthday

Birthdays are special, a time to celebrate and to anticipate. Jeanette’s is just around the corner . It is also our wedding anniversary so it has double significance.

We have decided to celebrate by playing in a croquet tournament in July up north. However, I wanted to do something tangible before then. My decision was to do her portrait in watercolor.

The lesson

I thought I would show you the process, sort of a miniature lesson in painting.

Watercolor is unique in that light colors are created by using thin applications of paint which allows the whiteness of the paper to create the tint. The painting is built by painting the lightest areas first and continuing to the darkest areas last. And, to create a darker shade the painter can apply multiple layers of glaze using the original color.

Getting Started

So, the first step of course is to set up the work area.

Here you see from left to right, a couple of brushes on paper towels, a strip of paper for testing the color before application, mixing bowels for glazes, a pallette, three jars of water and a spray bottle. Behind the pallette is a jar of brushes.

And now the work

On the left is the stretched paper with the start of the portrait. You can see some of the light sketch. The paper is gray because I have applied a thin wash of blue and brown (which creates gray) to tone it down.

The paper has buckled because it is wet from the application of the wash of color. When it dries, it will shrink and be pulled taut and flat. The process takes time because it is important that each layer is dry before attempting to paint over it. If it is wet the paint may lift and ruin the work.

Once the paper has dried, another wash of the same color mixture is applied but not on the areas that are to remain lightest. As you can see the image begins to build.

And again, the darker areas are covered with the same color mixture creating more definition.

At this point I have introduced a warm color wash, the first of many.

The gray underglaze establishes the basic value pattern, light s and darks. Thin washes of color are beginning to define the face. Areas such as the nose and forehead are not given as many washes as the darker parts of the face.

At this point I began to add burnt umber, raw sienna and a touch of payne’s gray to the hair.

And now green for contrast. Note that the green scarf is created by a thin wash of green over the existing dark and light value underpainting.

The darks are enhanced. Her coat is painted with a mixture of a Indanthrene blue, paynes gray and burnt sienna which reads as black but is much richer. The details of the face are delicately applied using a dry brush technique.

The gift

On a different note:

Told to me by a friend who will remain unnamed:

It had been a long, long day, and John, the truck driver, really wanted to just get home. Living in Washington D.C, he knew traffic would be bad this time of evening, but to his horror, a traffic jam reared ahead of him larger than anything he could have anticipated. Bewildered, since he hadn’t heard anything yet on the news, he stuck his head out and just kept seeing cars slowing down and then driving off. Nothing was moving.

Suddenly, a man knocked on the window. John rolled down the window and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Terrorists have kidnapped the entire US Congress!”
“Oh my gosh!” exclaimed John. 
“And they’re asking for a $100 million dollar ransom.”
“Jeez Louise!” moaned John. 
“Otherwise, they are going to douse them all in gasoline and set them on fire!” 
“Lord have mercy!” cried John. 
“We are going from car to car, collecting donations.” 
“How much is everyone giving, on average?” asked John. 
“About a gallon.”

more to come

If you like Musings, take a moment and click the sign up button on the side-bar to the right so you will be notified by e-mail when I make a new post.

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thomas-tribby.pixels.com

GREETING CARD

Thomas-Tribby.pixels.com is now offeringCoffee Mugs, Throw Pillows, Greeting Cards, Bath Towels, Hand Towels, Shower Curtains, Duvet Covers , Yoga Mats, Tote Bags,Women’s T Shirts, Men’s T Shirtsand more with reproductions of my artwork.  If you want to check them out, here are the steps:

• 1.  Click on this link: thomas-tribby.pixels.com.  
• 2. Click on one of the categories in the menu bar at the top: Wall Art, Home Decor, Lifestyle, Stationery or Apparel.  It will list a number of options.
• 3.  Click on option.  
• 4.  Click on image and a sizing slide will open allowing you to adjust the image to the way you like it..

Have fun.

My work is available as traditional prints on canvas, paper or metal, but it also available on greeting cards, phone covers, tote bags, shower curtains,  t-shirts and more.  It makes for some very personalized gifts.  Below is the link to the site.  I hope you like it.

Click on:     thomas-tribby.pixels.com

****************************************

Books by Thomas L. Tribby Available Click on title below to preview

Works on Paper

On The Waterfront

Impressions of Florida

 Works at

thomas-tribby.pixels.com

Click to see

The Twist
Click to see

Click to SeeFor information about these or other original works of art, please feel free to contact us:Shortcode

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Hello

Today we are going to Muse about some things that are not as they seem.  If this is your first visit, welcome to Musings. If you have been here before, welcome back. Over time we are going to talk about many things: the past, the present, perhaps the future, travel, art, society and more. Wherever my musing takes me. I hope you will come along with me.

Colored text is a link.  Clicking on the text will provide additional information about the subject.

It Ain’t Necessarily So

We hear and read all sorts of things these days. Some are fascinating. I came across this the other day:

This is based on an actual radio conversation between a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier (U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln) and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October, 1995. (The radio conversation was released by the Chief of Naval Operations on 10/10/95 authorized by the Freedom of Information Act.)

Canadians:  Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid collision.

Americans:  Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.

Canadians:  Negative.  You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans:  This is the Captain of a US Navy ship.  I say again, divert YOUR course.

Canadians:  No, I say again, you divert YOUR course.

Americans:  THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES’ ATLANTIC FLEET.  WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE  DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT  VESSELS.  I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15  DEGREES NORTH–I SAY AGAIN, THAT’S ONE FIVE DEGREES NORTH–OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

Canadians:  This is a lighthouse.  Your call.

The U.S. Navy has officially denied this took place.

It ain’t necessarily so . . .

A friend of mine is in the hospital with pneumonia. I went over the other day and visited with him. We had one of those casual conversations, focused on nothing in particular.

As I sat there I noticed the “white Board”, you know, the where the nurse’s name is written as is that of the nurse’s attendant and of the doctor. I saw “Doctor Baker”.

Hey, I said. We have the same doctor. Doctor Baker is . . . OPPS!

Doctor Baker is our veterinarian. Hmmm!

It ain’t necessarily so . . .

On another subject . . .

The Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antique Show

The Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antique Show is at the Convention Center.

Jeanette and I and a friend, Lovejoy, went yesterday afternoon. It was a good time to go. The crowds are heavier later in the day.

The highlight for me was running into several artists I have exhibited with in the past.

There was Helmut Koller, known for his colorful animal series. He and I shared a booth at the International ArtExpo in New York some years back.

And, there was Ray Gross the sculptor. He and I have exhibited together.

And we ran into Henry Kaye, a local attorney, who used to participate with me in Life Drawing classes at the Armory Arts Center in West Palm Beach. His drawings were wonderful. He tells me that he making sculpture at Robert St. Croix’s foundry. It is a small world and good to see them all.

The Palm Beach Fine Crafts Show,

Open at the convention center at the same time is The Palm Beach Fine Crafts Show, mostly Jewelry and Wearable Art Clothing.

more to come

If you like Musings, take a moment and click the sign up button on the side-bar to the right so you will be notified by e-mail when I make a new post.

If you have subscribed in the past, please renew your information. I have made some changes to my site and the subscription list went with it.

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thomas-tribby.pixels.com

North County Road GREETING CARD

Thomas-Tribby.pixels.com is now offering Coffee Mugs, Throw Pillows, Greeting Cards, Bath Towels, Hand Towels, Shower Curtains, Duvet Covers and more with reproductions of my artwork.  If you want to check them out, here are the steps:

• 1.  Click on this link: thomas-tribby.pixels.com.  
• 2. Click on one of the galleries to open up the page of images.
• 3.  Click on an image you like.  It will open up a side bar with a number of options.
• 4.  Click on “HOME DECOR“.  It will open up a menu of products.
• 5.  Click on the product and it will open up a sizing slide so you can adjust the image.

Have fun.

My work is available as traditional prints on canvas, paper or metal, but it also available on greeting cards, phone covers, tote bags, shower curtains,  t-shirts and more.  It makes for some very personalized gifts.  Below is the link to the site.  When you click on an image in the site,  a menu of products will appear.  I hope you like it.

Click on:     thomas-tribby.pixels.com

****************************************

Books by Thomas L. Tribby Available Click on title below to preview

Works on Paper

On The Waterfront

Impressions of Florida

 Works at

thomas-tribby.pixels.com

Click to see

Click to see

Click to See

For information about these or other original works of art, please feel free to contact us:

Please follow and like us: