Revisiting old photos spawns a virtual art exhibition

Sloth in a tree at the Como Zoo in Minnesota

I was revisiting some old photographs looking for some pictures that my mom mentioned in a phone call last night, when I happened upon a collection of images taken at the Como Zoo and Conservatory in 2007. While they weren’t the pictures I was looking for, they were long-forgotten images that included a number that … Read more

Humorous Thrift Store Paintings

thrift store fishing painting

I always enjoy looking around at the Antique Emporium of Asbury Park, which has over 20,000 square feet of interesting finds, including furniture, art, ceramics, clothing, vintage jewelry and baseball cards, among other things. Here’s a pair of humorous paintings that I saw on a visit in the summer of 2020: at left, we have … Read more

A consistency of art style – or not

paintings by artist Mark McKinney

These are the last two paintings using acrylic on canvas that I’ve made, and I think you’d agree with me that the styles are quite different. The first one, titled “A Knowing Glance,” is a cubist-styled portrait, and the second one, titled “A Memory in search of Part 2 (Brant Lake),” is a landscape painting, … Read more

Vintage scoreboard as wall art

Fair Play Scoreboard next to art by Mark McKinney

I always find it interesting to see what people like to showcase as their background while doing Zoom interviews for news programs. There’s often a strategy involved to include some sort of art that makes a statement about the person being interviewed. I’ve seen all kinds of different things, but recently was the first time … Read more

A Mondrian Desk for kids

A Mondrian-style desk for kids at an antiques store

As I was exploring Hastings-on-Hudson over the weekend, I saw this colorful desk in the store window at “Suburban Renewal,” an antiques store on Main Street. It’s clearly sized for little kids, and the Mondrian design and color scheme seems perfect to inspire young artists, don’t you think? My kids are grown now, so I … Read more

The Cippus of Horus, a magical stone

Cippus of Horus from Egypt

I was visiting the Albany Institute of History and Art recently when I happened upon this piece in the section of ancient Egyptian art. At first it didn’t seem like anything special, a stone fragment with some hieroglyphics carved into it, but then I read the descriptive label, and was intrigued. It’s a “Cippus of … Read more

Clown art and positivism

Homer Costello Clown Art

I was in Hastings-on-Hudson NY back in June, for the “2023 RiverArts Music Tour,” and in-between a few performances, I made my way around town into various shops and an art gallery. In one antique store, I found this clown painting by Homer Costello, and found it interesting that the tag referenced him as a … Read more