Robert J. Coleman

Yep, I would wear those shades! When I saw the prompt I expected bright blue frames and mirror lenses! The reflections are so expressive, as always, of being outside sitting on a picnic table while the wearer is enjoying lunch, …… And that’s the point, putting your own story into the painting whether you are creating it or it’s someone else’s…[Read more]

A very fine woodpecker looks a lot like the hairy and downy woodpeckers we have all over the eastern USA. And l really like the point you make about you make about what we use to make art: the spark of creativity is so much more important than the pile of supplies one may amass. It’s way too easy to expect a new brush, a special paint or paper to…[Read more]

Renee, your command of watercolor makes it look like you have been painting since the age of two! Such intensity and blending in your portraits, the babies are wonderful. And what a difference a supportive partner makes – thank God you met your Kory. It’s great to see your work on Doodlewash.

Wow, 1500 sketches and counting! There’s truth in the old saying: time flies when you’re having fun! And four years, that’s a lot of fun! The link to your first sketch shows how much you have developed your own unique style. Writing and illustrating your book can be done a little at a time too, inspired by the inner child you have nourished for…[Read more]

Terrific pocket watch, a classic! And your technique for metals shines forth again! It’s great that you have so many hacks to accomplish what your imagination brings forth, like having a library built from experience. Practice every day builds that library and soon you’ll have the Library of Congress!

That is a well-executed PT-17 pre-WW2 trainer and a popular model flown by our local radio control aircraft club. Both the model and the real thing are very easy to fly, with the large wings to provide plenty of lift. I’ve never flown in one but sure would like to try, with the wind whistling thru the rigging wire and also my face! And painting…[Read more]

Sweet lovebirds! And the message of connection is not lost on them, as it holds true for all of us. Even if we asre alone, we need not to be lonely since your daily Wash provides that daily “Howdy!” we all need. Thanks, Charlie, for doing this blog and for being in all our lives.

Although I’ve never been to see the sign in person I admire the kitschy 1950’s design and am glad it has never been replaced. Your note that Betty never copyrighted the design provides a lesson to us all, that sometimes art can be a true gift for all from an artist driven to create. Keep creating, Charlie, it’s in your DNA!

Daydreaming when I was a kid consisted of lying on the lawn on a late summer day and watching the clouds create all sorts of fantastic beings in the sky. Dozing off meant a sunburned face, though, so we didn’t last long! We all have our curiously themed night dreams too. I find myself back at my old office job being more concerned with getting…[Read more]

Thank you for sharing your amazing work and your story, from which the art springs. Your paintings have so much life along with happiness and humor too; so many of the characters have a faint smile starting to cross their faces. Love it!

Great ship, letting Little Charlie’s imagination go to town with Big Charlie’s skills results in a realistic and inspired ship! Having built a few scale model ships, I’d say you got the fine details right. It’s magic indeed!

Wow, what a super leopard; she looks lik she is resting with a full belly, looking out at us deciding if one of us should be dessert! Your cats are really excellent, from the little kittens to the Big cats, like that lion cub a few days ago. And you really must get on track to learn French; the most important thing is training the ear and I’ll…[Read more]

Congrat’s for an outstanding WWM! And such a beautiful bird – the complementary color of blue and orange make it vibrate on the page. Complementaries are interesting: violet and yellow, green and red. We use them for holiday themes, but more so for U.S. football team uniforms! (And orange and blue shines in Florida, for the University of Florida…[Read more]

Don’t sweat the small stuff, a good rule of life. That lion cub is cute, for the few moments that he is small. He will grow up and then my worry would not be a small one. But it is interesting how humans can bond with wild animals and I am friends with a couple of chickadees at my feeder. But I am fearful of the squirrels…..

Yep, we are so busy wishing we were something else that we don’t find the time to be ourselves. We are only truly happy when we find the person we really are. Your sharing of that moment at the start of your freshman year is so touching, so real, and so maturing as you realize that being ‘you’ for yourself is what happiness is all about. Even if…[Read more]

Ah, those strawberries again! Maybe some shortcake too? Or chop some berries and mix them into the homemade ice cream! Such simple delights. I could never understand folks who need constant stimulus, adrenalin junkies I guess; they cannot be satisfied with what they have, and always want more. They will never find fulfillment until they stop to…[Read more]

I want Winsor & Newton! And I use them too. Love the bluebird; I imagine him sitting on the branch looking out over a field, searching for food for his fledglings. I had a family of bluebirds once in my back yard and fed them mealworms. It was a real hoot to watch the babies, as large as the parents, waiting noisily on a branch for the parents to…[Read more]

That is one fine flamingo, and your comment about its color is proof that you are what you eat! So don’t eat nothin’ ugly! Nice decision on posing the bird in a different position than mostly illustrated; seated instead of standing. And thanks for reminding us of the DO manifesto-it work for making rt and for life!

Such simple yet compelling images! Thanks for your honesty in describing both your life story and your art which helps you cope with life. Many of us depend on the “out of time” quality of watercolor. It’s a lot like fly fishing: time spent on the stream is not counted against you as part of your time on earth. I’ve added my name to the waiting…[Read more]

P.S., that shovel looks pretty serious, like a military trenching tool! Plan to dig for pirate treasure?!! Nice!