Saturday, August 24, 2019

LIFE IN THE JEWELBOX


Woke up to a beautiful Big Sur morning!  As I enjoyed the view over coffee I realized that it has been almost a year that I have been living in the tiny gypsy caravan, not to be confused with the VERY tiny gypsy caravan, (shown below)  that I pulled with my bike.


The tiny gypsy caravan that has been my home for the past year was given the name THE JEWEL BOX, by a neighbor.  I thought it was appropriate.  Living in it seems very much like living in a jewel box when the sun comes out.


It's pretty much an all-day light show inside...



Up here on the ridge, winters  can be pretty rowdy with lots of wind and rain. 


  Overall the Jewel Box held up well...a few leaks in the corners but they were minor and I will have them taken care of before winter comes around again.  I spent many days inside with the tiny woodstove cranked up keeping everything inside warm and dry while I worked on my small paintings at my easel.




So now summer is moving into fall.  One year of living in the Jewel Box and I love it so much.  Seems I am busier than ever these days...mostly painting my tiny oil paintings either here at home or, weather permitting, out along the Big Sur cliffs.  As seems appropriate with my love of tiny living, I am focussed mostly on very small paintings on Gessobord, 5"x7" and 6"x6".   So many things I love about working on tiny paintings...for one, I really enjoy how the paint works on the surface of the Gessobord.  It has a very fine tooth and is excellent for small details.  I also like the fact that I can complete them fairly quickly as it allows me to try lots of different things in a rather short amount of time. 

WATERFALL by Barry Allen Howard
6"x6" oil on Gessobord
SOLD

MAGICAL NIGHT by Barry Allen Howard
5"x7" oil on Gessobord
SOLD

miniature paintings in progress


 And the whole idea of it appeals to my basically nomadic nature...I could carry an entire art show around in a fanny pack.   I have just ordered some frames for the small paintings and plan to work on some framed three panel sets.  Stay tuned....I will be posting more on this in the not too distant future!  
Thank You for following my blog!


11 comments:

  1. What a delightful little house, must seem huge after the bike towed home. Love your tiny paintings, it's amazing how much you can get in a 5x7.

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  2. I really enjoyed this -- especially the chains at the corners of the little house. Pesky winds! Some of your paintings really appeal to me, but your little jewel of a caravan is best of all. So good to see a post from you. I'll look forward to more.

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  3. Keep up the great art Barry, Maui misses you!!!!

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  4. Amazing absolutely stunning! Love the Kaleidoscope of a home you have there. And the works of art is beautiful I might add. Would love to see more art from you.

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  5. Oh my goodness! I ran across your blog when I was looking for a vardo for mine and my partners wedding...the colors! Oh be still my heart its so amazing!

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  6. I love your Jewel box and the mini. Your artwork is sensational!

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  7. i love gypsy vardo. Are you in CA? where did you get the woodstove?

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    1. Yes I am currently in California. I got the wood stove from Cubic Stove company in Canada.

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