Reflections in Red

 

Reflections in Red, 24 x 24, oil on canvas

This is another painting in my Stripes series. It features vintage cranberry glass and a silver bowl. And, of course, black and white striped fabric

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Music Box

 

Music Box, 10 x 8, oil on cradled board

I love vintage tin wind-up toys. This cheery little big was begging to be painting. He looks ready to great the spring day emerging from the cigar box into the morning light.

This is from my continuing series 'Toys in a Box'

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Red and Green - Candy Cane Painting by K Henderson

 

Red and Green, 30 x 40, oil on linen

I had a great time painting this photorealism still life. The striped background with the red and green striped candy and glass atlas jars along with their reflections was a wonderful challenge. I'm pleased with the results.

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Red Globe II - K. Henderson Still Life

 

Red Globe II, oil on linen, 30 x 30 

Stripes and silver and red: My favorites! I've been working on this painting, off and on, for a while now and I'm pleased with the results.

 The still life had a brass goblet which you don't see. The gold reflections still remain in the bowl adding additional color and design.

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The Birds at Lovetts Gallery

Sshhh!, oil on canvas, 24 x 18

Another opening, Another show at Lovetts Gallery The Farm Shopping Center, 6528 E 51st St, Tulsa, OK 74145
(918) 664-4732
October 24, 2015

The Birds

An exhibition of original works of birds, about birds and inspired by the Hitchcock classic (though not necessarily all of the above).

Exhibition opens Saturday, October 24th, 2015, 10:00 – 5:00

You're the Tops - Oil painting still life

You're the Tops is a small painting, 8" x 10", oil on board.

The still life shows spinning tops, a marble, a block and jacks including a jack of hearts card (trust me, that's what it is) These are sitting on a chess board.


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Happy Hour - Oil on canvas

Happy Hour, oil on canvas, 20" x 24".

 This is one of my most challenging paintings.

The draped black and white striped fabric reflects off the silver and brass goblets and cocktail shaker. The transparent glasses also pick up the reflections and the ambient colors.
Wow this was a real brain teaser and required a lot of observation to get everything just right.

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The Pianist

 

The Pianist, 10 x 8, oil on board

It's been a while since I've created a small painting based on a Vintage Game Card.  This card is from a game called Who's the Thief?

I like to paint these cards in groups of 3 with a similar theme. This is the third card in my Music trilogy. The other two are Tutor and The Singer

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Tutor Vintage Card by K Henderson

 

Tutor, 10 x 8, oil on canvas

Music. That is my current theme for my Vintage Card trompe l'oeil oil paintings.

First up is Tooty Tutor. He is from an Old Maid card game
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Captain Future

  Captain Future, 24 x 18, oil on cradled board 

 

Captain Future is a science fictional hero pulp character – a space-traveling scientist and adventurer – originally published in  American pulp magazines between 1940 and 1951. The character, Captain Future,was created by Better Publications editor Mort Weisinger during the 1939 World Science Fiction Convention. 


Captain Future, AKA mild mannered Curtis Newton, is accompanied in the adventures by an android named Otho, an intelligent robot called Grag, and Simon Wright who is an artificial floating case with a transplanted human brain.. Whew! What a team!

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The Adventures of Superman

 

The Adventures of Superman , 24 x 48, oil on linen

Superman's first appearance was in Action Comics #1. Superman became popular very quickly. By 1940 the amount of merchandise available increased dramatically, with jigsaw puzzles, paper dolls, bubble gum and trading cards available, as well as wooden or metal figures.

This 1940 game by Milton Bradley  is the first and rarest of the early Superman board games, which was also offered as a premium in the Superman Bubble Gum Club prize folder. The box shows Superman stopping an oncoming airplane.

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Buck Rogers Books

 

 

Buck Rogers Books, 36 x 30, oil on cradled board, detail

I love books. I collect books. I have lots of books. Oddly enough, I rarely have books in my paintings.

As a first step in remedying the situation I gathered up my Buck Rogers Big Little Books for this painting.

Buck Rogers first appeared in Phil Nowlan's science fiction tale titled Armageddon—2419, published in Amazing Stories in August of 1928. The Big Little Books were published between 1933 - 1943.


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The Mouse

The Mouse, 24" x 24", oil on canvas

This is a detail of my painting  The Mouse. The painting will be shown at CK Contemporary Gallery. Show Opening May 16.

This Mickey Mouse card game was manufactured around 1946 and was included in a 'six pack' of other card games. The box measures 2.75" x 1.875".

I love the old yellowed tape and the beat up edges. Mickey Doesn't mind. He just keeps on smiling. Did you know that Mickey Mouse had his 86th birthday in 2014?

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Atomic Pistol

 

Atomic Pistol, 24 x 36, oil on linen

In February of 1934, after the Buck Rogers comic strip and radio show had developed a significant following and a strong market potential for Buck Rogers' toys, Daisy introduced their first Buck Rogers gun, the XZ-31 Rocket Pistol followed in  1935 with the XZ-38 Disintegrator Pistol

After World War II, Daisy used the existing tools and dies from the Disintegrator Pistol to create the U-235 Atomic Pistol, this gun reflected the current fascination with atomic energy and was available with a blue finish, unfinished steel or gold. 

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Calling All Cars

 

Calling All Cars, 24 x 48, oil on linen

This is another painting in my Vintage Board Games Series. 'Calling All Cars' game was manufactured in conjunction with the radio program of the same name, which aired from 1933-1939 on CBS.

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Wonderful Cat

 

Wonderful Cat, 18 x 24, oil on cradled board 

 

I came across this Felix the Cat Crayon Box  while engaged in my never ending search for vintage toys. The colors of the box and the pencils screamed out "Paint Me!" so I did. I don't know if any of the pencils are original to the box but I don't really care.

This Trompe  L'oeil shows a box of colored pencils manufactured by the American Lead Pencil Company. These were called School Crayon Boxes although these are obviously pencils. Felix the Cat is painting up a storm!

By the way, Felix is one old cat! He first appeared around 1919 and is still going strong!

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One Lonely Night

One Lonely Night, 40 x 30, oil on linen

I love pulp fiction. I love the hard boiled detectives, the femme fatales and the witty dialogue. Mostly I love the cover art of the books.

This well used book cover decorates a crime novel written by Mickey Spillane. It features his most famous character,detective Mike Hammer

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The Case of the Sulky Girl

 

The Case of the Sulky Girl, 24 x 18, oil on linen

The Case of the Sulky Girl is  Erle Stanley Gardner's second Perry Mason novel. It was written in 1933.

I loved painting the packing tape on this painting. And if you look close on the painting you will see that all the Plain Brown Wrapper packages are addressed to fictitious detectives. This one is address to Miles Archer, Sam Spade's partner. (Sorry, you can't see it is this detail)

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Space Cadet

Space Cadet, oil on linen, 24 x 36

Tom Corbett, Space Cadet was another creation  born from the worlds fascination with Space in the 1950's. Tom Corbett — Space Cadet stories  were depicted in television, radio, books, comic books, comic strips, and other media. Tom Corbett first appeared on television in October of 1950. The stories followed the adventures of Corbett and other cadets at the Space Academy as they train to become members of the Solar Guard.

This paint set box showing Corbetts's ship, Polaris, was manufactured in 1953 by Peerless Playthings. 

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The Merry Puppet

The Merry Puppet, 20 x 40, oil on linen

The Adventures of Pinocchio written by Carlo Collodi 1883 is one of the creepiest children's stories I've ever read. I love it!

The mild Walt Disney movie animation was released in theaters in 1940.  It was initially a box office disaster.

In 1939 Milton Bradley created this board game based on Disney's motion picture.The box top depicts images of Pinocchio and his protector Jiminy Cricket.

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Boom or Bust Game

 

Boom or Bust,  36 x 36, oil on linen

 

I love the graphics an colors of this game. Parker Brothers manufactured this financial game in 1951

Players move around the board according to the throw of the Dice. Properties such as beauty Shop, Department store, etc are bought and sold at prices that rise and fall quite unexpectedly, depending on whether the conditions are NORMAL, BOOM times or BUST (Depression times) The game is quick- moving and amusing. The game ends when all but one player becomes bankrupt.  

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Car Key by K Henderson

 

Car Key, 18 x 24, oil on cradled board by K Henderson

I think this is my favorite car from my toy car collection. It's a 1948 Chevy. I love the details and that bright blue color.

This is from my Toys in a Box series which features vintage toys 'displayed' in a wooden box.

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Felix Paints En Plein Air by K Henderson

 

Felix Paints En Plein Air, 18 x 24, oil on cradled board

This vintage box of colored pencils makes me smile. It shows Felix the Wonderful Cat feverishly painting En Plein Air.

In this painting the box of pencils is surrounded by coloring book images that any cat would love : a cat friend, a mouse and and fish

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Sshhh!

Sshhh!, oil on canvas, 24 x 18

I have been invited to participate in a Bird Themed art show. While looking for inspiration I came upon a small black and white vintage photo of a woman in a bird costume. My second inspiration was a Scarlet Macaw. Combine the two (and lots of painting and re-painting) this is the result.

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The painting will be available at Lovetts Gallery in Tulsa

Dark Kiss by K Henderson

 

Dark Kiss, 20 x 20, Oil on linen

I've painting chocolate kisses several times. I'm not sure why because the colorful foil is one of the most challenging things I've ever painted. But I'm pleased with the way this turned out.




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With a Cherry on Top

With a Cherry on Top, 10 x 8, oil on board

I wanted to create a fairly simple painting and so I chose another Chocolate Tart image. Who can resist chocolate with whipped cream and a cherry on top?

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The Singer Vintage Card by K Henderson

 

The Singer, 10 x 8, oil on board

This is the second of three in my Music themed Vintage Card trompe l'oeil paintings.

My Contemporary Realism still life paintings tend to be complicated with lots of 'stuff' in them. With these vintage card paintings, my goal is to keep them simple and add nothing outside the card. I broke my rule by adding a scrap of sheet music.
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I Want to Ride, Ride, Ride

I Want to Ride, Ride, Ride, 24 x 18, oil on cradled board

Yes, I love my vintage toys. This painting features a Stick Horse , Marshall's Badge and Spurs. The photo of the cowboy is a friend and formal gallery owner, Thom.

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Grapes

Grapes, 14" x 11" , oil on board

 I love the way the glass distorts the view of the grapes.

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Ball Jar

 

Ball Jar, 24″ x 18″, oil on canvas.

 I like the contrast between the gray background and jar an the vivid colors of the candy.

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Forever Brave - Oil Painting

Forever Brave, 12 x 9, oil on board

This little guy is one of my favorite vintage  ceramic figures . He's a little warrior with a tomahawk.
He is standing in front of a wool blanket. Can you tell that I love the color Red?

As I've said before, I love painting the different textures. The roughness of the wool, the shiny hardest of the ceramic and the satin reflections on the table all come together to make a nice contrast

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Red Globes

"Red Globes" , oil painting on canvas, 30" x 30". 

The background is black and white striped fabric. The silver bowl and the brass goblet show the striped reflections. There are two red globes which are also reflected in the silver and brass.

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Saturday Matinee - oil painting

Saturday Matinee, 24″ x 20″ oil on canvas

Remember when movies cost a dime and the cowboy serials were all the rage? Ok, neither do I. But this painting Saturday Matinee brings those time back with a  Tom Mix poster, our favorite cowboy, Howdy Doody, a cowgirl sweetheart, American Indian, a horse and a six shooter. What more do you need?

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Coffee and Strawberries

 

Coffee and Strawberries,24" x 18" on canvas.

It's Strawberry season again! I love strawberries. I think they are the prettiest of all the fruits (until cherry season. Then they are the prettiest fruit)

The coffee pot is a 19th century family  heirloom which has been past down to me.  I chose this subject because I like painting reflections in silver.

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No Man's Girl - Cowgirls!

 

No Man’s Girl ,oil on canvas, 30″ x 40"

 

You gotta love Cowgirls! The title comes from the pulp fiction book cover in the background. Red is my favorite color and this painting has plenty of it!

The painting includes vintage ceramic cowgirls, a dog (or is it a coyote?) cactus, a six-shooter and an Indian blanket to keep the cowgirl warm at night.
You gotta love Cowgirls! The title comes from the pulp fiction book cover in the background. Red is my favorite color and this painting has plenty of it!

The painting includes vintage ceramic cowgirls, a dog (or is it a coyote?) cactus, a six-shooter and an Indian blanket to keep the cowgirl warm at night.

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Last of the Mohicans

 

Last of the Mohicans, oil on board , 9″ x 12″

The vintage American Indian ceramic figurines are shown with several antique books.

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In the Wind

In The Wind, oil on cradled board, 20 x 16

This is a Trompe L'oeil painting. Trompe-l'œil (French for "deceive the eye", pronounced [tʁɔ̃p lœj]) is an art technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions.

The 'frame', (not a real frame but painted onto the board) encircles a photo of an early aviatrix, an airmail envelope, parts from aviation games and more.

This painting will be included in the Traveling the West art show in Dallas later this year. More info to come about this show. Stay tuned.

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Batman Puzzle

 

Batman Puzzle, 30 x 36, oil on linen

 

Basic puzzle:  pieces are intended to be put together in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution.

British engraver and mapmaker, John Spilsbury, created the first jigsaw puzzle in 1700 when he mounted a map on a sheet of wood which he then sawed around each individual country.  Spilsbury used his product to aid in teaching geography.

My Batman Puzzle was manufactured by Milton Bradley in 1966.

The Batman Cookies (also a puzzle since they are pieces put together in a logical way) were baked by me last week.

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Licorice Allsorts

Licorice Allsorts, oil on cradled board, 16 x 20 

I love licorice! Any kind, any where, any time. Allsorts is my favorite. Not only is it tasty but it's also beautiful. It's truly Eye Candy.

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The Dentist

 

The Dentist, oil on board, 10 x 8

Welcome to my Vintage Card Game Series of paintings. These are small, fun trompe l'oeil oil paintings of  cards from vintage games.

My first offering is The Dentist from the 1938 game 'Who is the Thief'.

Note: No vintage card was harmed in the making of this painting. I scan my cards and print them on card stock. I them take the print and rip, smudge, stomp and tape to give them the Character that I want.
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Corny Cowboy by K Henderson

 

Corny Cowboy, 10 x 8, oil on board

 

This is the second  in my most recent Old Maid Cards trilogy. The theme of these three is Cowboys and Indians.
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Detective World

 

Detective World, 24 x 18, oil on linen

If you follow my artwork, you know that I collect Stuff to use as subjects for my paintings. I love 'Hardboiled' Detective pulp fiction and magazines. I love the men of action, femme fatales and witty dialogue. And the covers could be quite titillating. As I was planning a painting featuring a 1940's Detective Magazine I remembered the days when Risque publications were sent in Plain Brown Wrappers (are they still sent that way?) Ah! A new painting series is born.

This is the first in my Plain Brown Wrappers series. This Detective World from 1947 peeks out of the torn brown paper tied up in string.
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Robot Sam The Answer Man

 

Robot Sam The Answer Man, 36 x 30, oil on linen

Here's my most recent Vintage Game oil painting. Robot Sam is an electric quiz game made by Jacmar Mfg. Company in 1954. It's a battery operated game with question and answer cards. You touch a wired probe to the question and try to match the answer using the second probe . If you answer correctly a small light glows.

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Sunday Drive

 

Sunday Drive, 30 x 40, oil on linen

 

Toys! I love them. This Sunday Drive of the future includes tin rocket ships, robots, a poster from Forbidden Planet and an alien landscape. The rocks are all from my yard.

This is another in my Flight series

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Go Fish

Go Fish, 10 x 8, oil on board

I was digging through my card games with the intention of painting a Superman Card Box when I came across this great, vintage 1951 Go Fish game. I love the wear and tear on this box and the happy face of the fish.

Superman will have to wait for another day.

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The Case of the Drowning Duck

 The Case of the Drowning Duck, 24 x 18, oil on linen

The Case of the Drowning Duck was written by Erle Stanley Gardner in 1942. I love the title of the book. It's about "a chemist who drowns ducks and becomes a murder suspect.".

The Book Cover Woman looks like she's trying to claw he way out of her Plain Brown Wrapper.

Steve Scott Space Scout

Steve Scott Space Scout, 24 x 48,  oil on linen

Space Exploration. It was a busy time in the 1950's and our pop culture reflected it.

1952 -- Two Capuchin monkeys, Pat and Mike, and a pair of mice successfully recovered following a flight to 36 miles launched from Holloman Air Force Base.

 In this game Commander Steve Scott assigns his young Space Scouts exciting missions into outer space. The players  scout the universe, report on conditions, maintain outpost and police the planets.

The players must execute the orders as outlined on their Interplanetary Assignment Cards in addition to instructions on the Rocket Speed Indicator. The first player to complete his mission is the winner of the game.

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Spicy Adventure

Spicy Adventure, 12 x 9, oil on cradled board

Spicy Adventure pulp  magazine was published 1934-1942.

This painting is based on the May 1932 issue and is part of my Plain Brown Wrapper Series.

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Grape and Strawberry

Grape and Strawberry, 16 x 20, oil on cradled board

I love peanut butter sandwiches. I eat them plain or with any kind of jam of jelly!

This painting will be shown at The International Guild of Realism 10th Annual Juried Exhibition hosted by the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA.

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Maltese Falcon

Maltese Falcon, 36 x 30, oil on linen

 The Maltese Falcon is a 1929 detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally serialized in the magazine Black Mask beginning with the September 1929 issue.In 1998, the Modern Library ranked The Maltese Falcon 56th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.