Two Paintings Explore Same Theme

On the left we have "Blue copyright 2010 by Martha Putnam." This is a painting of a wild dog that Martha's sister took in several years ago. He is half coyote and half husky or maybe Samoyed.
Below we have "Spiderweb copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam." Sometimes a painting is purely abstract on Earth but on another planet the image depicted is completely representational. And so it is with Spiderweb which shows a web constructed by the dominant species of a planet only a few light years from Earth circling Proxima Centauri. The spiders on Proxima are twenty feet tall and their webs are larger than football fields.
How are these two paintings related? The alien spiders have eating habits similar to wild dogs. Both have enormous appetites and both gobble their food with little attention to table manners. The lesson? We can find underlying similarities to overtly disparate objects if we only look closely enough.

Volcano copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Only the most seasoned collector should consider owning this piece because it evokes the power and fury of an active volcano. Contemplating this painting during a heat wave like the one engulfing the east coast could raise your core body temperature and endanger your health. On the other hand, some people see two squids mating when they stare long enough into the painting's depth. In this case the only downside is an irresistible urge to eat calamari.

Homage To Jackson Pollock copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Over the years Jackson Pollock has proven to be the hardest midcentury modern master to imitate or counterfeit. Actually it is impossible to create a Jackson Pollock counterfeit. Since he would sometimes throw paintings in a dumpster, which people would later find, a counterfeiter could claim that a fake painting was a real Jackson Pollock and potentially get away with it, except nobody can reproduce his style. All this energy at creating forgeries is misdirected. Instead let's learn from the late master and extend his school of art. In this painting I use a base of arylics and a top layer of oil paint, a technique not possible in the mid 20th century because these materials had not been invented; and a way to bring inner light up out of the canvass. I am therefore able to advance in a small way Pollock's legacy. An art expert would know instantly that my painting is not a real Jackson Pollock. Good, that is exactly the point. This painting is in Santa Fe at akhoudre@aol.com

Dave and Martha Both Paint The Big Ouch

To the left we have "Blackberry Patch copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam." This is an abstract depiction of what happens when you are seduced by the lovely blackberries calling out to you sweetly from their vines, but when you pick them the nasty thorns painfully jab the heck out of you. Ouch, it's barely worth it.
Below we have "Bolt copyright 2010 by Martha Putnam." Another painting of our American Bulldog puppy. But this one was made when Bolt was at that age where he would chum you in for a pet with a friendly look and a wagging tail and then take a bite out of you. Ouch, it's barely worth having a beastly puppy like that.

Muted Rhapsody copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

This painting is supposed to encourage quiet contemplation. And what better time for reflection than the 4th of July weekend? Stare at the painting for a few seconds and ponder what it would be like if America had never broken away from Britain. A moment of abstract expressionist induced meditation will convince you it was a good decision to break away from mad King George. If this hadn't happened we would today be eating over-boiled food with no nutritional value. We would be forced to watch boring soccer games rather than baseball and football. Worse of all, our beer would be served at room temperature. Muted Rhapsody is on display at akhadoure@aol.com, our gallery in Santa Fe

Two Forces Of Nature

On the left we have "Kirby copyright 2010 by Martha Putnam." Kirby is a little Pug with a big attitude. Through sheer force of will this little dog is able to dominate Rottweilers and most of the other big dogs in our neighborhood. They might snarl and snap at him but his Yoda-like stare always seems to cow the big dogs. In a way Kirby is like a force of nature.

Below we have "Ocean Tempest copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam." This painting could represent galaxies colliding as seen through the Hubble telescope, or an ocean surge churning a bed of corral, or even microbes devouring each other: all elemental forces not unlike the powerful gaze of a tiny Pug with a big attitude. Ocean Tempest is at our gallery in Santa Fe: akhadoure@aol.com

Dave and Martha paint two sides of one coin

On the left we have a painting entitled: "Bear copyright 2010 by Martha Putnam." Bear was a male American Bulldog who lived to be 13 years old. He was the kind of dog that a caveman would need to defend his home from fearsome prehistoric monsters; a mixed blessing because Bear once stampeded a herd of cattle through a fence, tore up several steers, and endangered several cowboys. He would administer the same treatment to raccoons and other varmints.
Below is a painting entitled: "The Cave copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam." Here I am trying to give the feeling someone would experience if he or she lived in a cave and had a ferocious bulldog as a protector.