cherry glaze

Here's a painting for my Gallery Piquel in PA. Also, I made a little movie too.

cherry glaze, 2007

24" x 24", oil on gessoed panel

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slip

I've been listening to a fantastic book on tape ( yes, on tape...) by David Niven called "Bring on the Empty Horses". This book is read by Niven and is FANTASTIC! He tells the story of his career path in old Hollywood and the really big freinds that he made along the way. Fred Astaire, Bogart, Cary Grant, and Errol Flynn to name a few. He tells little cool stories about these stars and the impact they had on his life and career ( the Errol Flynn stuff is great).

One really good story is about Charlie Chaplin and an after-dinner drinks discussion about filming the famous banana-peel-fall-on-your-ass scene. The discussion was about how to make a tired and old bit funny. Chaplin's method was a scene-by-scene narrative of how this could play out effectively on film.

First, shot of large woman in high-heels carry a load of packages.

Second, shot of banana peel

Third, woman approaches banana peel...Walks around it...and falls into an open manhole.

-slip, 2007

6" x 6", oil on gessoed panel

Click HERE to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

watermelon and fork

I'm working to get some big work done for my gallery in PA ( I'll post some pics this weekend). I've been listening to some real "gems" too. Beach Boys "Sunflower", the new Rush album, and an old favorite Seals and Crofts "Greatest Hits". I get into a situation where I'll listen to a group of albums through a painting OVER and OVER again.

Here's the weird thing ( well two weird things). First, and I do this without really thinking about it, I'll keep many paintings going at once, but I'll only listen to a certain group of albums for each different painting. Weird! Like, I'll get up and change the album ( LP or CD...Hey, I can't be limited by availablity).

Second, when I hear certain songs I get a little touch of deja-vu of a particular painting ( I'll remember painting it or a portion of a painting). Also weird!

In the beginning of a painting, I'll be working along thinking that "Hummingbird" is AWESOME! Cut to day three, and I start to think ,"Man, this really sucks! Who is this mellow?"

Doesn't matter. I'll go back to Seals and Crofts eventually. I always do. It really is AWESOME...isn't it?

-watermelon & fork, 2007

6" x 6", oil on gessoed panel

Click HERE to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

Red Rock Rose

Tonight is for big fun! The second season of "The Incredible Hulk" come out. David Banner ( Bill Bixby) is actually the entertainment part of that show. It seems every week that David gets some REALLY crappy job ( or even better...they make up jobs just to make him lose his cool...poison taster...bullet catcher...whatever), and gets REALLY involved with the lives of his co-workers ( by "involved" I mean he meddles...). If I turned into a big green monster everytime I got mad, I would probably turn down the job of snake wrangler.

-red rock rose, 2007

6" x 6", oil on gessoed panel

You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

Mom's toasters...

My Mom is a collector of many things. She has a HUGE collection of vintage chrome kitchen items. The great thing is that all of these cool things look and work like new. When we've been out on the prowl for things she ALWAYS gets the best stuff. She has got "the eye". What's funny is that it seems very normal growing up in a kitchen with 40+ chrome coffee makers that she used in a rotation style. There's one that I found ( and she bought) that is chrome with a glass body with LIGHTS INSIDE that show all the percolating action.

-toast, 2007

8" x 8", oil on gessoed panel

Click HERE to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

pin cushion ( home made)

Hey, when you need something...sometimes you need to make it yourself. I've not researched this, but where does the whole tomato-styled-pin-cushion-thing come from? Oh, and what is the deal with the little strawberry thingy attached to it. Why are there no apples with blueberry things attached? I'm sure this is some information that everyone but me knows.

-pin cushion ( home made), 2007

6" x 6", oil on gessoed panel

Click HERE to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

Rubik, Robert Evans ,and Patton Oswalt

One of the best comedy album's I've gotten in a while is Patton Oswalt's Feelin Kinda Patton. I had tickets to see him and David Cross ( also super awesome!) perform here in Athens at the world famous 40 Watt club a few years ago.

Well, through some mishaps I didn't get to go. I was a little mad, but...Okay, it turns out that the album Feelin' Kinda Patton was the ACTUAL RECORDING of the SHOW I MISSED!!The point is that there's a great bit about Robert Evans involving a Rubik's cube. I've had one since they hit the market, but I now can't look at one without thinking about that bit. I owe some thanks to Patton Oswalt.

Incidently, this was a color mixing feast!!"

Rubik's Cube No.2" , 2007

12" x 12" , oil on gessoed panel

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

I'm a Pepper

I have several things to say about this one. First, if you actually drank Dr. Pepper a 10:00, 2:00, and 4:00 you might not have any teeth or high level of kidney function after a while. Secondly, I have a relative ( who shall remain nameless) who actually had a brief "situation" with David Naughton ( the "I'm a Pepper" guy). I think she thought that he was going to take her away with him to Pepperland ( "we're in love and NO ONE will stop us!!").

Yeah, that never happened. I wonder what I'm going to call the second one of this series? Hmmm...

Incidently, there is no reserve on this one.

"I'm a Pepper" , 2007

14" x 14" , oil on gessoed panel

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

Some large stuff

Here are two paintings I did for Gallery Piquel in PA. These are on canvas ( the boards get to be REALLY heavy when you get over 30") and are 36" x 36" each. You can contact Gallery Piquel for purchase info on these. Here's the title info on them respectively:

-Redneck Slinky, 2007

36" x 36", oil on canvas

-Pep-O-mint, 2007

36" x 36", oil on canvas


I'm finishing up some more paintings for ebay this weekend of some of my antique silver and glass collection. My favorite venue for antiques is now gone in Atlanta so it looks like I'll have to find a new one ( there's an indoor one once a month but its not the same...). Pin It Now!

does anyone have a fork? I'm not good with tools...

This is a larger version of the Chinese rice carton ( 16" x 16"). I've been asked to do some larger works and here is one of the first of the batch ( group, series, ?...).

I put this one on with a reserve of $500.00.


does anyone have a fork? , 2007

16" x 16" , oil on gessoed panel

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info.

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Chinese rice

I guess angst is relative. I know that red hot anger when I drop, spill, break, ruin...anything. But...its really important to remember that things can be picked-up, cleaned, fixed, and reworked. Everytime I see E's True Hollywood Story I feel that things are gonna be okay.

I listen to a Frank Sinatra radio show from the mid 50's called Rocky Fortune. He's this drifter that gets into misadventure through his "employment agency" ( AKA the plot moving device). Well, in one episode he's applying to be a rocket test pilot ( yeah...I know...) and Rocky has to get a physical.

Doctor: "Is your health good?"

Rocky Fortune: " Nah, but I ignore it."


"chinese rice", 2007

8" x 8", oil on gessoed hardboard

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

a twist of Lemmon

One of my favorite performers is Jack Lemmon. His 1959 album A Twist of Lemmon is fantastic! His vocals are great ( it sounds like Jack Lemmon singing in tune) but his real strength is his piano playing. I think his son wrote a biography about him under the same title. Hey, where did the triple-threat actor/singer/dancer go? Gene Kelly was really the only one to pull it off with precision AND a little masculinity. He also has a great singing voice ( Our Love is Here to Stay... its wonderful...or should I say ...S'wonderful?)

"A twist of lemon", 2007


8" x 8", oil on gessoed hardboard


Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

blue oreo

"blue oreo", 2007

8" x 8", oil on gessoed hardboard

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info.

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Aron Packer Gallery

I have some of my larger works on display at the Packer Schopf Galleries in Chicago and Three Oaks, Michigan. Please feel free to contact them for info on purchasing larger works of mine. I'm in the process of finishing up a new body of paintings ranging from 6" x 6" to 36" x 36" and I'll be posting my progress regularly. Pin It Now!

pink kiss

I have a favorite joke.

Ham sandwich walks into a bar and orders a drink. Bartender looks at the ham sandwich with distaste and says, "I'm sorry...we don't serve food here!!"

I've been fooling around with my mediums and working process. I exclusively use Gamblin paint and mediums ( I HIGHLY recommend anyone interested in painting go to this site - its PACKED with information about how to use his products properly). I've been trying to make my mediums conform to MY working habits, and its a trial and error process.

I work in an indirect style of painting where I build up my surface in layers. This requires a lot of planning,but ultimately I feel I have more control over the finished piece. Over the course of the next few weeks I'm going to show a painting in progress from start to finish. I would love to exchange ideas and working methods with people.

"pink kiss", 2007

8" x 8", oil on gessoed hardboard

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

granny core

Okay, so I'm cutting some wood for the fireplace on my porch ( it's like 20 degrees here so...). I'm using a little hand held axe ( commonly referred to in the South as a "chop-axe"...Yeah, I know), and some guy comes up to me and says, " I see you're choppin' some wood there! I have some wood you could have, if you're interested". Okay, on my street there are like 20 or 30 people a day who walk up and down the sidewalk for exercise or whatever. My house is like 50 feet from the sidewalk , but anytime I'm in the yard people seem to deviate from their trip to say "Hello, "Howdy-do", or "Hey".

Okay, back to the guy. I just got a little puppy, and my Mom, wife and dog are sitting on the porch having a little coffee ( not the dog) watching me cut some wood and having a little chit-chat. I've had this puppy for about 2 weeks and it hasn't made a peep ( it sits by my feet while I paint...really), but as soon as guy walks up the barking starts. It turns out that guy doesn't want to give me wood...he wants to sell me some wood. Dog still barking through his wood pitch. I let her bark. Finally, guy says, "you know, you should really get that dog trained to be nice to people". I say ( which my Mom scolds me for later), "Yeah, we're on a program,but we haven't gotten to the part on dealing with roving wood peddlers". That guy still left me his card.

"granny core", 2007

6" x 6", oil on gessoed hardboard Pin It Now!

ceci n'est pas une pig

Todays toys are kind of crappy. Yeah, you've got the xbox 360 ( awesome !) and your Idog ( not awesome...at all), but whatever happened to Lincoln Logs? I know they still sell them, but they don't exactly fly off the shelves like Elmo TMX. I always ( even as a kid) examine toys like this little pig and kind of revere the unsung artistry of the sculpting. Some guy carved this pig really well, and we will never know his name.

Okay, maybe I'm reading a little too much into it, but when I was a kid I had a smaller amount of toys. I knew EVERY detail on every one. The nose on my Mego Joker ; the hair sculpting of my Stretch Armstrong; and, the underside of the head on my Rockem Sockem Robots ( sometimes they wouldn't come up and you had to monkey with them a little). Hey, its important!

Should I have used cochon instead of pig?

"ceci n'est pas une pig", 2007

6" x 6", oil on gessoed hardboard

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info.

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come fly with me

This was actually a TWA plane, but I like the fictional star logo better. Two things:

First, I love the Sinatra album come fly with me. I rank it roughly third behind songs for swingin' lovers and a swingin' affair. These albums are the best of the Capitol years ( right around the time Frank does the INCREDIBLE Rocky Fortune radio shows...24 episodes of pure gold!).

And second, I made a new pal! I happen to live within a couple miles of one of the finest art ground and support makers IN THE WORLD. Okay, I'm totally serious. The company is the Howard and Daniel Corp. ( realgesso.com ). They use the traditional gesso method with the rabbit skin glue, crushed marble ( not that gypsum crap...), and food-grade titanium oxide.

I went to the factory and saw his production. Super Cool! As soon as I listened to him talk about the mating seasons of rabbits affecting the quality of glue AND discussing the production quality in terms of microns...I knew this was my guy. I can now concentrate more on my painting and less on prep. This is why we have specialization!

"come fly with me", 2007

9" x 12", oil on gessoed hardboard

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

cheesecake

I live for dessert. I actually have kind of a bland palette when it comes to meals ( the dinner part...), but I LOVE dessert. The meal seems like the whole labor / reward philosophy. If you manage to make it through the broccoli and cube steak...you may have some sugar.

I once got into a fight ( well some pushing and a wrestling-fighty-thing) with a good friend over cube steak at work when I was in college ( the first time...the fun time). We'll call the friend "Steve" ( because his name was Steve...sorry, Steve!)

Me: "cube steak sucks...its always too dry!"

Steve: " No Man! Cube steak is awesome! My mom makes it and its great."

Me ( being a jerk, as I know this will have the effect that I want): " No Steve, cube steak is hamburger meat that poor people pretend is real steak."

Steve: " Oh yeah, well maybe your momma ( we're in Georgia) can't cook worth a damn, but mine can!!"

Me ( getting the response I wanted): "Well...you asked for it..."

Fighting ( or whatever?) insues, and this is kind of fun until he gets mad ( "Damn Man! that really hurt!!"). This was a third-shift stocking job, and there was a need to keep things lively at 4:00 in the morning. As they say, 22 year old boys will be boys.

"cheesecake", 2007

6" x 6", oil on Masonite panel

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info. Pin It Now!

Red Rooster

There's two stories to this one. First, I wanted a cast iron rooster for my kitchen. A red one, too. We were shopping last year at the Atlanta Scott Antiques show ( this huge antiques market with tons of cool stuff), and I saw this red cast iron rooster. Well, after some debating, I didn't get it. Months later ( after searching and paying more than the first one I saw...the red one), I end up with a blue one. It is now red ( thank you, Mr. Krylon).

The second thing is that ( and I know this is somewhat childish) I wanted to call this painting "Big Red Cock". This has since been shot down by everyone I know over the age of 14. My Mom, wife , and I went to the malls after Christmas, and I asked many a clerk if they had any "cocks I could put in my kitchen". My family indulges me quite a bit when it comes to "bad behavior" or at least juvenile funny-time. Mother and wife agree that the only reason that I wanted a kitchen rooster was so that I could make my many "cock statements and remain totally within the law". Hey, these things really do bring good luck!

Listen, I don't get many of these opportunities to exercise my adolescent funny-bone. If you insist on making up these rules, I'm going to have to be forced to find the loopholes.

"Red Rooster", 2007

12" x 12", oil on Masonite panel

Click on the image to bid on this painting or to see my other work listed on ebay. You can get on my mailing list by subscribing to my google group above ( I send out a note when I list a new painting) . Also, check out ottolange.com to see more work and get more info.

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