Three Moab Homes

Friends –

One aspect that I love about this little desert town is the number of really sweet, unique and interesting homes with character. I am grateful for the lack of CC&Rs, general absence of tract homes, and also for the quantity of older buildings that really add funk. Even better, I now am acquainted with many of the individuals that live inside these places, and knowing them is such a pleasure. So, I did want to paint some of them to celebrate what I enjoy.

Coincidentally, these three dwellings are all next to each other. The first one I painted was "Two Wives", which is an old-style Mormon home, probably built around the turn of the century. Two front doors allowed for two separate households, which can be convenient if you are in to polygamy. Now the interior is remodeled, only one of the two entrances is in use, and polygamy here is gone.

The second painting, which I started plein air, but finished in the studio is "Jolly House".

It is a good name for the house because it has such a happy front, and even the inside is welcoming and warm. It is also the name of – and suitably so -- the owner of this dwelling.

Finally we have "Where the Iron Dog Lives". Bob and I have common bonds with this ultra-running, computer savvy owner of this house, whose sense of humor is perfecto. The Iron Dog (which also functions as a uniquely targeted sprinkler) and the bright green thicket that grows from the top of his chimney are emblematic of his style of funny.

I will bet that some of my Moab friends know who belongs to each of these homes. It is after all, a small town. Yet there are so many more to be painted. At some point, I will get around to doing more….. but for now, this is what I have done.

"Two Wives" has already been confiscated by the owner of the house in exchange for her donation to the Moab Valley Multicultural Center. The other two will be on the walls of Gallery Moab, so go there if you wish to check them out.

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