Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas! 12-24-10

                                          "Jingle All The Way" 6x6 oil on canvasboard NFS

         I'd like to wish everyone who has visited my blog during the past 3 months a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too. Please say a prayer for our troops who cannot be with their loved ones this holiday season. I'd also like to especially wish any servicemember, who may be spending this Christmas recovering from wounds or sickness in a hospital such as Walter Reed or Bethesda or Landstuhl,a Merry Christmas as well. I spent 15 months at Walter Reed myself, and as I need not tell you it can be extremely tough being away from home , especially now, when need for familly support is paramount to your recovery.Keep your head up,it gets better. I can only hope that seeing this blog gives you some slight spark of hope and inspiration that may lift your spirits.Get Well Soon! Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

New Painting 12-16-10

                                       "Late Night Slice" 6x6 oil on canvasboard $200 SOLD
           The arrival of cold weather up here in the northeast is already making me dream of spring, and evenings outdoors. I better toughen up, because it's not even winter yet.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Original Paintings Make Great Gifts

 " River Tug" 6x6 oil on canvasboard $200 SOLD

        Seasons Greetings to all. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I myself have been battling with bouts of depression, brought on by chronic pain and frequent anxiety. I dont mean to dampen the festive mood of the season , but its the truth, and as I've said before, painting helps to bring me back to a productive existance . This blog is meant to be first and foremost, one disabled vet's account of how art has helped him deal with his injuries.
      That all being said, I have been selling a great deal of artwork through this blog, and there are still a few good paintings for sale here. Just scroll down and take a look. I have included one of my most recent works above and I plan to post a few more within the coming days.There's still time to get one for that special Christmas gift. Normally I can ship these paintings out as soon as I recieve your check.You can also arrange to meet up witth me at my gallery in Middleboro,MA. If you wish to purchase a painting, please contact me by email at  dannyowen03@yahoo.com . I would also like to mention that one painting , wich was marked as SOLD , has been put back into my inventory and is currently for sale again. It happens to be one of my favorites, the one titled "Fall Windows" .
        Merry Christmas to all. Hope to hear from you soon.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Another Painting

   
  "Solitude" 6x6 oil on canvasboard  $200 SOLD

      Again, I apologize for the sub-par photograph of this piece, the reflected light coming off the frame and the varnish on the painting  make it seem a little washed out in my opinion ,but I still love this piece and I wanted to share it with you . I wish you could see it in person.
      I painted this scene over the summer from a photograph taken by my wife Jenn while we were spending some time in Savannah, Georgia a few years ago.We had just finished a delicious seafood dinner at the "Chart House" restaurant when we decided to get a drink and take a stroll down river. It was a beautiful  spring night , that time of the evening after the sun has just set ,leaving a radiant orange-pink glow on the horizon. The stars are just coming out, the lights are just coming on, and everything seems to be immersed in that orange-pink phosphorescence.We walked on down the river path, past all the tourists, vendors,and  various shops until it seemed we were all alone in our nocturnal quarry. Suddenly,we came upon two tugboats that were moored for the evening. We sat down on one of the many public benches anchored along the walk and just gazed dreamingly out at the river . I asked my wife to take a few photos before the afterglow subsided. It was a truly magic moment.

        Its moments like these that I didn't often pay attention  to before the explosion that killed my buddy, and severed my arms, very  nearly killing me. And I remember being  in the back of a humvee, racing to the Combat Support Hospital (21stCSH) in Iraq,begging Sgt Alvini not to let me die .I had lost a lot of blood and I could feel myself slipping away. I prayed to God like never before ,asking him to let me live, to get me back to my wife and kids. But I was dying.
    I later learned that when I arrived at the CSH they were going to pronounce me DOA , but for the efforts of some tenacious doctor, I was resuscitated. When  I awoke I was informed that my work partner and buddy ,Spc Paul J Beuche was dead. I resolved from  that moment on that I would do what ever I could to recover quickly and to live my life to its fullest potential. Paul was very young,only 19, and he had his whole life ahead of him. I wasnt about to squander mine with self pity. It would dishonor him to do so.
     So now I look at life from a whole new perspective, and I seek to freeze those everyday magic moments in time through  painting, and if I can evoke some small emotional response in someone through art, then I have accomplished something to me that is very worthwhile.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Veteran's Day Painting



                                  
                              "The Sacrifice" 6x8 oil on canvasboard available 11/22/10 $250 SOLD

        Happy Veterans' Day to all my fellow veterans and Happy Birthday to the Marine Corps! The response to this Vets Day painting has been overwhelming. I hope you all had a great day yesterday. A special hello to all my new Facebook friends. I want to thank Homes for Our Troops for posting this painting on their wall yesterday( especially Leonor) .Its extremely important for all Americans to place our Veterans first in our thoughts and prayers, not only this time of year but everyday.We all owe a great deal to those who have served to protect the rights and liberties we enjoy on a daily basis in this great country of  ours.America is the only place on earth where one is  truly free to rise to their fullest potential. A great  deal of blood has spilled, a great many losses have been made to protect those rights and liberties.Please remember to thank the ones who have preserved your freedom.



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Monday, October 25, 2010

New Painting plus Purchasing Info



"Summer Sidewalk" 9x12 oil on canvasboard $300 SOLD

   One of the biggest struggles about being a double amputee is that every little thing I do takes at least twice as long as it did when I was able-bodied. Add to that the unexpected  problems that can arise in everyday life and I often find myself overwhelmed and over-extended. For a long time, my continual solution to this problem was to shut down and withdraw from the pressure. A sort of chronic laziness and bouts of depression would set in. The pain from my injuries would get worse, adding to the mix, and a long period of idleness would usually follow.
  Painting has always helped me to ascend from these depths of despair. When I complete a peice that I'm proud of, I get a sense of empowerment that springs forth new hope in my life , and suddenly I feel as if anything I can dream of can be accomplished.
   The past few weeks have been a little rough for me. I'm currently working on a few different paintings and none of them are completed yet. Luckily, I've got a nice peice here thats ready to share with you. This painting was done from a photo I had my wife take for me while we were  driving down S.Main St. in Middleboro.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

2 New Paintings

I've  been doing a lot of small architectural studies lately, here are two. Both are from Middleboro.             
" Mansard Roof" 6x6 oil on board $200
                                                    "Arched Chimney" 6x6 oil on board  $200
                                                                                                                                                                                 

Update- museum review


"Freight cars ,Gloucester" by Edward Hopper

   Hey everyone,   I've been busy painting so I can have some more art to post for you guys. Sometimes an artist needs a dose of inspiration to get them going , so a couple weeks back I took a ride up to N. Andover to visit the Addison Gallery of American Art at the prestigous Phillips Academy. I would strongly encourage anyone who is interested in American art to pay a visit  to this wonderful museum.  This is a world class art museum wich ( in  my opinion ) bosts a much more impressive collection of works by American Artists than the MFA Boston . It may just be that I've been to the MFA alot in the last few years and I'm annoyed that they still have the gallery with the 20th century American realists closed , but this place really was great .I'm a huge fan of 20th century American art . My greatest intrests include Robert Henri and the  "Ashcan School" ,cityscapes by Edward Hopper,  Modernists such as John Marin, and American Impressionist Childe Hassam to name a few. The Addison fully quenched my thirst to see some of these great works in person. Admission was free, but it was kind  of hard to fiind a place to park. If you go , be prepared to walk a little ways. I'll include a link to the museum's website and post some of my favorite paintings from the collection. Also I'll post some more of my own work later today.www.andover.edu/museums/addison

                                 
"Sunday Morning....." by John Sloan

"The Circus" by George Bellows

Sunday, September 26, 2010

New Painting

 "fall windows" 6x8 oil on canvas board  $250 SOLD

I am constantly drawn  back to my hometown of Brockton ,Ma. for subjects to paint. I dont know exactly why that is. I've had this particular painting in my mind for some time now.Maybe its because the city is full of multifamily homes like this one and I feel a strong sense of nostalgia when I  think of them.Although it's considered an eyesore by many, Brockton was once a great city of industry. Many people flocked to Brockton at the turn of the last century to claim their share of the "American Dream". Working Class families, immigrants mostly,came to work in the city's numerous shoe factories. Now that industry is gone and the city has strugggled ever since , but the same hope of a better life is stilll alive for many people who make their home there. The city is still mostly "Blue-Collar" and it's proud "Brocktonians" , both presently and formerly ,woudn't have it any other way.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Thanks to all at Braveheart awards

I'd like to thank everyone for coming out to Wareham crossing last weekend for the 1st annual Braveheart awards. I'd especially like to thank Michele McPhee for hosting and Sen. Scott Brown for making a visit.I was honored to be a part of it.Thanks to Grassroots MKTG for giving me the oppurtunity.I was fortunate to be honored the privledge of presenting Sen.. Brown a small painting.SEE PHOTO BELOW

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Hello Everyone

Welcome to my blog.My name is Ret. Sgt. Pete Damon. I'm an Iraq  war veteran who lost both arms while serving there in Oct. of 2003.Since then I've been painting with oil paint and other media  both as a source of therapy and just because I love to do it.I've always been able to draw,but it  wasn't until after my injuries that I discovered painting. I've been pretty reclusive over the past few years, so in an effort to let people know what I've been up to I've decided to start blogging. I'll update this site from time to time with new paintings and let everyone know what I'm up to.Until then, I've put some recent paintings up and if you wish to purchase or inquire about any of them feel free to comment on this blog or e-mail me at dannyowen03@yahoo.com .