Out of order on this site, actually my second fruit. It’s hard to mix the right green color, I missed but I think it’s still a natural apple color.
Here’s the same painting with some really cool light coming from the window.
Fruit Two
Just for Laughs
I had an inspiration to start doing comics again. Here are a few drafts. I never know if anyone will thinks my comics are funny, so let me know if they are worth the effort.
Carnival
Thought I’d try something new, didn’t plan anything and just started painting ice cream cones. Added stuff as I went. Almost torched this one, but it turned out ok. It’s large, 3′ x 4′.
Wine in It’s Infancy
Number 3 in the fruit series, and number 7 in veggies and fruit. Lots of redo’s on this one until I could stand it.
A Short List of Very Funny Books
I was having lunch with a friend yesterday, and we got to talking about how much we like books that make us laugh out loud. So I put this list together for her, and I will share it with the world, because God knows we all need something to laugh about these days.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple, is about a woman who fulfills all of our fantasies and just runs away from home. I also liked her latest book, Today Will Be Different, about an unrepentant snob.
The Financial Lives of the Poets,by Jess Walter is a hilarious book that no one will read because of the title. Read it anyway, one of my favorites.
It Won’t Always Be This Great, by Peter Mehlman, who was a writer for Seinfeld. MOT’s will especially like this one, but you gentiles will laugh too.
Nobody’s Fool, by Richard Russo, is about a curmudgeon who would cut off his face to spite his face. Russo’s early books are all funny. These days he is more about being profound, ugh.
The Fundamentals of Caregiving, by Jonathan Evison is an irreverent look at living with a debilitating disease. But it’s funny and charming anyway. I like his other books, too.
Kitchens of the Great Midwest and The Lager Queen of Minnesota, by J Ryan Stradal are insiders’ accounts of being midwesterners. More warm and compassionate than humorous, but still full of out-loud laughs. The chapter in Kitchens about bars is a classic.
The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simpson is one of Bill Gates’ favorites. You’ll see why pretty quickly. This book is very funny, and he’s written a couple of sequels that are more of the same.
This Is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper. He’s written several books about interfamily warfare, this is my favorite.
High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby, is about a purposeless slug. It’s full of wisdom about uselessness. His other books are good, too, I liked About a Boy.
Skinny Dip, by Carl Hiassen is my favorite of his many books about nutty folks in South Florida. There is no shortage of material for him there.
Then We Came to the End, by Jonathan Ferris, is a wry, true tale of working in an office. The best I’ve ever read about the absurdities of the jobs most of us do.
*PG Wodehouse doesn’t really fit on this list, his books are older and many of them are short stories. But if there is a Pope of humor writing, I would elect him. I can revisit his books at any time I want a few laughs. I can almost recite the story about the gambling syndicate formed for the second grade picnic by heart.
There you have it, my favorite humor novels. Let me know if you try any of them.