Adopting

My paintings are available for adoption to a good home. Actually, I'm not particularly fussy about how good the home is, but it helps if it has walls. Once the paintings are semi-dry, they move from my studio to foster care at Gallery903 in Portland's Pearl district. The gallery's owners, Susan and Hershel, are very kind to them, and they seem to like it there. They are, however, a bit self-conscious about all of the strangers checking them out. If you visit, please be considerate and keep unflattering comments to yourself.

The adoption fee supports my shelter for hard-to-place paintings.

I usually paint in oils, almost always on a wood board. The paint is often applied thick and three-dimensional—"impasto." Even if a painting is dry enough to be adopted, the paint may be soft and fragile for a year or more. Don't touch the paint, OK? The boards do not need to be framed as the edges are also painted, but my gallery thinks the paintings are more likely to be adopted if they are framed. Go figure. Some of the boards are heavy, and need to be hung by a stout hook, which is included as part of the adoption fee.

Please be patient as the painting adjusts to its new home and you get to know each other. For some paintings, this is a difficult transition. It is important to talk to a new painting everyday—a bored painting can become mischievous. Adopting a pair is often wise as they can entertain each other.