RIP Rick Barber, and La Bataille d'Orthez

I haven't been an active historical boardgamer in over a decade. Closer to 15 years probably. But despite having gotten rid of dozens and dozens of games, I still have 2 or 3 bookcases full of board wargames in the basement. Someday, maybe...

Anyway, I stop by the Clash of Arms company website every now and then to see if there is anything new going on with them. It's not a regularly maintained website, and there generally isn't anything much to see, but Ed Wimble is a good guy and a friend, and some of my favorite games of all time are the "La Bataille" series of tactical Napoleonic wargames. They even published my only game design, La Bataille d'Orthez, back in...idk...when I had brownish blonde hair. It was that long ago.

La Bataille d'Orthez box

The maps for Orthez were some of the last hand-drawn maps done by artist and cartographer Rick Barber as he transitioned (or considered transitioning) to digital maps.

A small section (NW) of the Orthez 2-sheet map

In the news section of the Clash of Arms website, there was a note from back in May 2021 that Rick Barber had died suddenly at the age of 66. This hit me harder than I suppose it should have, or might have. In a number of ways. Having worked directly with Rick, it was hard to comprehend that he was gone...

Rick was a talented artist and cartographer, and his hand drawn maps, counters and cover art defined the Clash of Arms style in the company's formative years. Rick lived near the Gettysburg battlefield, and the Civil War (and maps) were his true passion. But his work defined the look of the La Bataille games, even into the digital age where Terry Leeds (who did the Orthez counters and supplemental artwork) and others mimicked his style in digital format. And that is not a criticism of Terry or anyone else. It is a celebration of the foundation that Rick put in place.

Not that working with Rick as a first time designer was easy. I spent a significant amount of time researching and creating the maps for Orthez, and delivered those maps of mine to Rick. A while later, I got a set of proof maps back from Rick that...weren't what I sent him. Specifically in the northeastern quadrant of the map area, he added a lot of terrain that I hadn't put on my draft maps. Woods. Swampy stream valleys. His rationale: it feels right and looks better. OK. We'll go with that; I had zero game designs to my credit, so who was I to argue. Not much of the fighting occurred in that area anyway.

There is one last thing that makes me chuckle. Rick and I agreed that we would put low-tech copyright protection into the maps. I added a named location to the map that simply doesn't exist. He did likewise. For any of the 2,500 people out there that own a copy of the first and only print run of Orthez, my elder daughter's name is Julia, and Rick operated under the name Black Cat Studios. Take a look at the maps and you will be able to find our copyright protection. If anybody else ever made an Orthez map with either of these names...

OK, there are technically a maximum of 2,494 people that own Orthez, since I have 6 copies. Although one of these final production boxes has all of my draft hand-drawn counters and maps instead of production components, so maybe there are 2,495.   :-)

La Bataille games, and a bunch of Orthez copies

Orthez is NOT a well known Napoleonic battle, although it is very interesting in its own right (if Napoleonics in secondary theaters of operation is your thing). This was mostly what made it interesting to me to design a game around, and the fact that qualitatively, this was probably the best army that Wellington ever commanded, certainly moreso than his famous Anglo-Allied army at Waterloo.

Not terribly long after Orthez was published in 2000, another game product with Orthez in it showed up on the market from a prestigious designer, complete with my fictional location referenced on their map. Uncredited. Tsk tsk. If I had lawyers, they would contact your lawyers. But I don't. And in 2021 I'm still alive and you aren't, so... I guess I win.

But I digress.

Rick was passionate about his art, and the mark he left on wargaming in general, and Clash of Arms in specific, will endure. His art, hand-drawn, hearkens back to a bygone era in wargaming. This should be celebrated. And is by me, at least. I won't ever be able to look at that shelf pictured above, at my game, or at any Clash of Arms games, and not think of you, Rick.

I find it hard to believe that my interactions with Rick occurred 22 years ago, but the calendar is cruel and doesn't lie.

Anytime I see a black cat I will remember you. RIP Rick.

GV Football - Playoff Game 3 vs Quakertown

Playoff game 3 saw the #1 seed GV Jags hosting #5 seed Quakertown. And it was a battle.

We scored on a 1 yard Shane Reynolds TD run. Then they scored. 7-7. Then we scored on an 18 yard Ryan Saunders TD run. Then they scored. 14-14. Then we scored on a Ryan Saunders 49 yard TD catch, and missed the extra point. Then they scored. Quakertown 21-20. Then they kicked a field goal and the half ended with Quakertown up 24-20. They had some speed and some good skill position players.

For the second time all year (the first being against Ridley) we trailed at the half. In the Ridley game, we made adjustments at the half and scored a ton of points in the second half to cruise to a convincing win. With luck, the same pattern would repeat itself here.

It did.

In the third quarter we scored 22 unanswered points. Our defense stopped the three Quakertown drives on a 4th down stuff and picked off their QB twice. This resulted in a Reynolds 68 yard TD run with Reynolds 2-point conversion, a Reynolds 1 yard TD run, and a Checcio 20 yard TD run with a passing 2-point conversion to Joey Halloran. 42-24 GV at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Reynolds goes for a 68 yard TD to take the lead

Quakertown started the 4th quarter with a drive ending in a TD pass, getting to within 42-31. Our QB threw an interception on the following drive, but we stopped another Quakertown drive, turning the ball over on downs. Our first play after the 4th down stuff was a 69 yard TD pass to Halloran, with a Halloran 2-point passing conversion. 50-31 GV.

With time winding down, Quakertown completed a long TD pass and 2-point conversion, getting to within 50-39.

On the next drive, with a 4th and 2 at the Quakertown 44 yard line, Reynolds ripped off a 44 TD run (his fourth of the game), and capped it with a 2-point conversion run, to put us up 58-39, which is where the game ended.

I'll give Quakertown a lot of credit. They had a lot of good players, and played hard all the way to the end of the game. We also played well. Our defense gave up some points, but made some big fourth down stops when we really needed them, and we had three interceptions (two by safety Drew Jackalous and one by our QB/CB Max Busenkell).

Our offense scored touchdowns on 8 of 12 possessions. Reynolds was the star of the day, carrying the ball 26 times for 261 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 two-point conversions. He also had the "Earl Campbell" play of the day, absolutely running over/through a defensive back trying to slow him down on a 40 yard run down the sideline.

GV is now 13-0 on the season, and in the 3 playoff games, Shane Reynolds has accounted for ~650 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns, and two 2-pt conversions. Not a bad three weeks...

Next up is the Division 1 AAAAAA championship game, which also serves as the PIAA state quarterfinal, against #3 Coatesville. In the 5 years pre-Covid, we met Coatesville in the Divisional playoffs 3 out of the 5 years and have lost all 3 times. They are a very good team, and have been our kryptonite. We have never won the Division 1 title class AAAAAA, while Coatesville has won a Division 1 title and a state championship just in the last few years. We have our work cut out for us...

Cavalcade of Bands - Hershey Finals 2021

On a cool day with rain threatening, the GVHS marching band took the field at Hershey stadium at 9:35am, in class "Patriot A", and performed the last judged performance of Grace's high school career. I'm not sure how we got to this point so fast...

Ready to start the show

Grace helps conduct the first and second movements from the right side-stand.

Beginning of the 3rd movement, Grace on the stand

...and then conducts the third movement from the center stand.

The full performance is HERE. Grace takes the center stand at 5:15 and conducts to the end...

I'm totally biased, but the third movement is the most musically complicated, and Grace nails it.

The GVHS marching band is in a transitional period of trying to rebuild the program as a competitive entity. These things don't happen overnight, and must be considered in the perspective of it being a multi-year endeavor.

At the Conestoga competition we scored a 34.x, which is not a fabulous score from a competitive band standpoint. At this Hershey competition, we scored a 37.x. While not a top-tier score from an objective/competitive sense, it is the best score that the GVHS band has recorded in at least the last 6-7 years. And it is a nice accomplishment for a band that is trying to find its identity balancing the desire to be competitive with the reality of accepting all band members who want to participate.

As a band parent riding buses to away games and competitions these last 4 years, I have had the opportunity to discuss the "competitive band" versus the "take all comers" band philosophy with the Director on many occasions. His perspective, which I agree with, is that we need to try to be the best band we can be, with the implicit limitation/consideration that many of our band members also participate in various sports and other activities. One of our drum majors is a tennis team player. One is a wrestling team member. One (mine) is a drama club choreographer and lead performer. Numerous members of the band have other activities. If you want to accommodate those other interests, you don't get to dictate that these kids do band as their first priority and nothing else. Some schools do. And those schools will likely always score better than our band.

But I digress, as I generally do. Our band went to the Hershey finals. They did great. And my little girl stood on the center stand and conducted the third movement. And they got the highest score that a GVHS band has gotten in at least 6 or 7 years...

GV Football - Playoff Game 2 vs Central Bucks West

Our round 2 playoff game in District 1, AAAAAA, was against the 8th seed, Central Bucks West. As the #1 seed, we had another home game.

CBW stunned the home crowd with a 2 play, 70+ yard TD drive, capped by a TD pass accounting for almost all of that yardage.

GV responded with a TD drive capped by a 10 yard TD pass to Joey Halloran. 7-7 game.

After a CBW INT and a subsequent GV punt, CBW reeled off a 40 TD run on the 1st play of their drive, and missed the extra point to lead 13-7 at the end of the 1st quarter.

To start the second quarter we had a punt followed by them having a punt.

GV then had a drive with a huge Sean Gallagher 14 yard pass reception on 4th down to continue the drive ending in a 5 yard Shane Reynolds TD run.

CBW punted on the following drive, and as band parents sitting in the stands, one of the other parents turned to me and asked "do you think we can score with only 39 seconds to go in the half?"

"Hold my beer".

After an incomplete pass, and with 33.3 seconds remaining in the half, Shane Reynolds took a center handoff and cut back to the right side and raced 57 yards to the end zone. 21-13 GV. Scoring drive: ~12 seconds. 

Reynolds goes for 57 yards, 33 seconds in the half

To start the second half, GV took the kickoff and reeled off a 76 yard drive, culminating in a 2 yard TD run by Reynolds, his third of the night. GV 28-13.

After a short CBW punt, GV had a 1 play drive: a 47 TD run by Reynolds, his 4th of the night. GV 34-13.

And the band played "And when the Saints go marching in". For the 80th or 90th time this year. I've lost count at this point... Go band!

CBW ended the 3rd quarter and into the 4th quarter with a drive that ended with a 4th and goal at the 1.5 yard line. We stuffed them at the one-half yard line, and took over on downs.

We then embarked on a 99.5 yard, 6 and a half minute drive capped by a Ryan Saunders 1 yard TD run.

41-13 Jags, and we ran out the clock on defense.

#8 Central Bucks West down, next week number 5 Quakertown up, in another home game.

Shane Reynolds had near 200 yards and 4 touchdowns on the night.

Band season isn't over yet!!

Conestoga Cavalcade of Bands

Grace's Senior year of band is winding down. We will have playoff football games to play at for as long as the team keeps winning. We have the big Hershey PA band competition finals next Saturday. And tonight we had the last regular competition - the Cavalcade of Bands event at Conestoga High School.

The link to the GVHS Band YouTube video of the performance is here.

Despite a scheduling snafu that had our band piling off buses 25 minutes before their scheduled performance time, and the fastest we have ever put props together, the students came through and performed very well, getting their highest score of the year. This should make them feel good going into Hershey next week.

Grace is on the right side stand for the first two movements, and conducts the third movement from the center stand before taking a bow on behalf of the band.

I'm happy. I'm a little sad. It was a good day.

GV Football - Playoff Game 1 vs Haverford

The Division 1 6A playoffs began tonight, with #1 seed Garnet Valley hosting #16 Haverford.

Three weeks ago we beat Haverford 55-14, but things can change, and you can't take anything for granted in the playoffs.

And of course that also means that marching band season continues, and Grace gets to lead the band in additional halftime performances (or pre-game in tonight's case).

Stop looking at me, Dad!

Tonight's band performance was their best of the year, and served as a good warm up for the Conestoga competition we will be traveling to tomorrow. But that's a different post...

...but I'm glad you care.

The game itself was...methodical. There weren't many spectacular plays, and we made some sloppy mistakes which will need to be corrected in the future against tougher competition, but we won easily 42-0.

Our offense was a little out of sync, but our defense was stout, and by the start of the second half we were playing backups and operating on a running clock, having gotten out to a lead of 35 points or more one drive into the second half...

We are now 11-0, having outscored our opponents 531-118.

Playoff round 2 next week will have GV hosting Central Bucks West. CBW is 9-2, and has outscored their opponents 257-159.

So GV's average game score is 48-11, and CBW's is 23-14. Hopefully our offense continues to roll.

More importantly, another week of band season.

Go Jags!

GV Football - Game 10 vs Lower Merion

This week's game was supposed to be a big deal. Homecoming weekend. The last game of the regular season. Putting an exclamation point on a fourth straight Central League title.

The reality was less spectacular.

The Homecoming Parade pre-game was in a steady cold rain. The halftime performance by the band was canceled due to weather, and what amounted to a pep band of brass instruments was all that got to perform.

We won a lackluster game, 38-14, playing mostly backups in the rain to preserve our players for the playoffs to come.

For the season, we have outscored the opponents 489-118.

We ended the season 10-0, and 9-0 in the Central League, completing the 4-peat, winning the league title all 4 years of Grace's high school career.

Notwithstanding the rainy conclusion to the season, we will go into the playoffs seeded #1 in Division 1 of Class 6A, and will have a round 1 home game against Haverford, a Central League rival who we beat 55-14 just 3 weeks ago.

With some pandemic-induced modifications eliminating neutral site games, we will continue to have home games as long as we keep winning in the Division 1 playoffs. That's a very good thing, and theoretically means our first away game could be in December! But there's a lot of business to the care of first.

Go Jags!

Band Senior Recognition Day

With all of the other events going on related to football and other things, our band has started a new tradition within the last few years of doing a Senior Recognition Day event in the football stadium on an otherwise athletics-free time. This year that meant last Sunday from Noon to 1:00 pm.

The audience is mainly band parents, especially Senior band parents, but it is always nice that Coach Ricci of the football team encourages football players to come out and support the band. Coach Ricci along with maybe 30 of the football players were in attendance, which was nice. The show of support was appreciated, and this was also the only time that these football people would ever get to see the halftime routine that we play at all of their games...

The band plays a bunch of songs.

Band in the Arc, at the Ready

The Seniors are announced and come to the middle of the field with their parent/family escorts.

Grace's Beloved Clarinet Section (Grace with Mace)

Many individual pictures are taken.

Drum Majors at Ease (Grace at right)

The Seniors rejoin the band to perform their halftime routine.

Drum Majors Saluting (Grace at right)

Seniors come to the front and the band, minus the seniors, plays a song or two to the Seniors.

Drum Majors, goofing off

The event comes to a formal conclusion, and a great many other section and group pictures are taken.

I've helped run a couple of these for other Seniors and their parents/families. Today I was prevented from working the event and got to walk with my Senior. It was...special.

We are still fairly early in Grace's Senior year, but too many "lasts" are happening.

Autumn Impression #4

I paint the same sort of thing a lot.

Autumn Impression #4 (oils on canvas panel, 8 by 10)

But I learn from each attempt.

And I really need to find a place to take pictures of these works that don't always have the glare coming in my dining room window from the left...  Someday.

A Melancholy Return to Springfield

As noted earlier, Garnet Valley traveled to Springfield for a Central League football game Friday night, which Garnet Valley won 49-6 to improve to 9-0.

But this isn't about that...

New SHS, north end

As a Garnet Valley band parent, we sat in the visitors' bleachers. I am told that we were the first event for which the visitors' bleachers were open. Which was kinda cool...

New SHS, south end

They were very nice bleachers, looking out across the new SHS football stadium and home stands to the new high school building beyond, which is an amazing-looking modern building.

Which is where the surreal part begins.

In addition to being a GVHS parent, I am SHS class of 1984, younger brother to another SHS graduate.

Our Springfield High School was a building that used to exist on the plot of ground that is now an empty muddy hole behind the visitors' bleachers; cordoned off as a dangerous construction zone.

Build the new school on the old athletic fields. When done, knock the old school down and make new athletic fields. Makes perfect sense. The old high school was built in the 1950's, and would certainly have gotten to the point where trying to renovate it would have become impractical.

But that doesn't make it easier to accept the fact that they have knocked down my SHS, and left a muddy hole in the ground. Even the muddy hole will soon be gone, replaced by an expanse of flat grassy athletic fields.

The new facilities look great from the outside; sleek and modern. And there is a nice alleyway called Cougar Alley (?) between the home stadium stands and the new school building that includes a bunch of bronze plaques honoring past Springfield honorees in the areas of sports, the arts and teachers/administration.

It was...bittersweet...to read these plaques and recognize that I knew some of these people. Braden Montgomery, a favorite AP English teacher of mine who died too young. Tim McFadden class of 1982 who I was in trumpet section with and went on to play trumpet professionally. Teachers and students in band, orchestra, chorus, theater, the sciences, and on and on.

The names of teachers and administrators come flooding back (mostly high school, but some E T Richardson Middle School). Earl Knorr (principal). Luca Del Negro (band and orchestra). Richard Miller Jr (my middle school band director) and Richard Miller Sr (my first trumpet teacher). Dennis Bartow (biology). Joe Zumpano (physics and Moody Blues fan!). Helen Sebold (math and Scott's Hi-Q). Peg Lamb (Scott's Hi-Q and the best English teacher I never actually had for classes). Braden Montgomery. Mr Zappacosta. And others too numerous to mention. But...the ones I have mentioned played a huge role in my high school years...

And the friends and classmates... It was a long time ago. But not so long if you concentrate hard enough.

I'm not quite sure where this ramble is going, but it is nice that the travel trip to this particular football game stirred up so many memories.

And also bittersweet to accept the fact that these memories are tied to a physical place that is gone forever.

I suppose that this kind of thing is where the phrase "gone but not forgotten" comes from.

Indeed. Gone but not forgotten.

GV Football - Game 9 at Springfield

The 8-0 Garnet Valley Jaguars traveled to my alma mater, Springfield, for a Central League away game last night. The game was played in Springfield's new stadium, in the shadow of the new high school. It was surreal, but more on that later.

We got out to an early 6-0 lead, were tied at 6-6, and then pulled away to a 36-6 halftime lead. There were rushing TDs and passing TDs. A blocked punt. A kickoff flubbed by Springfield that we recovered. A 62 yard off tackle TD run by Shane Reynolds. A 40 yard TD pass to Sean Gallagher. Two more TDs each by Ryan Saunders and Joey Halloran. Lots of good stuff.

Grace in the Stands

Springfield was sloppy, and the best analogy I can make was that it was like a tennis match where all you really needed to do was keep the ball in play and wait for the opponent to make an unforced error. Of which there were plenty. And then you methodically take them apart piece by piece.

Conducting Stand Tunes

And sloppy brings me to another point. GV looked like a unified force, all players wearing exactly the same uniform, down to the pink cancer awareness socks worn by the players. Springfield, by contrast, wore nice uniforms of dark royal blue with gold (yellow) trim. But many of the players were wearing jerseys the equivalent of half shirts. And under these jerseys were t-shirts in blue, yellow, light gray, dark gray and white. Some had long sleeves. Some didn't. It kinda looked like a bunch of kids rolled in off the street and put the uniform jersey over top of whatever they happened to be wearing. Sloppy. Very sloppy.

This annoyed me probably way more than it should have, but in addition to being a parent of girls that are GVHS classes of 2017 and 2022, I am, and will always be, SHS class of 1984. When kids put on the SHS uniform, how they look reflects on themselves and on all of the SHS students that came before them. You represent many thousands of us. Including me and my classmates. Show a little pride in the blue and gold. Your band wore a uniform. Your football team wore a do-it-yourself kit. It's a small thing but it matters.

You can make a strong case that discipline and teamwork starts with the small details and works outward from there.

Anyway, I digress, as I often do (what with it being my blog and everything)...

Backups played most of the second half, which was a methodical exercise in grinding out rushing yards and winding down the clock. Final score GV 49-6.

We have now outscored opponents 451-104, or an average of 50-12 per game, and are now ranked #7 in the entire state of Pennsylvania, up 1 spot from last week, and 2 spots from the week before that. All this with pulling starters early and not running up scores just for the sake of it.

Max Busenkell's 21 passing TDs in a season (including 3 more today) extends his record, with the old all-time GV record being 17. Sean Gallagher's 11th receiving TD extends his all time season record, with the GV record formerly at 6. Ryan Saunders had two more rushing TDs, giving him 16 total TDs for the year (14 rushing, 2 receiving).

More importantly (!?!) the band has played Saints 64 times.

All of the football and band stuff aside, this return to Springfield was...surreal...bittersweet...or perhaps just weird. I was going to add my thoughts on this to the end of this game recap post, but that would not do it justice. Look for another post soon.

Autumn Impression #3

Happily playing with paint...

Autumn Impression #3 (oils on canvas panel, 8 by 10)

I'm trying to paint something every day. Practice makes better. I hope.

Angry Painting

Sometimes I sit down to paint something nice (why would you intend otherwise?), and the result is just bad. Being human, it's easy to get frustrated, or even downright angry. After the failed painting I posted earlier this evening (which has since been scribbled out and thrown in the trash), I had one of these angry moments.

I picked up a brush and used whatever I had on the palette to do this mess: (the Cowboys were beating the Patriots in overtime at the same time...this didn't help my mood).

Angry Painting, Take 1 (oils on canvas panel, 8 by 8)

Yuck. But maybe salvageable. So I cleaned up and defined what I guess might be a tree, and another little tree next to it.

Play Time, Take 2 (oils on canvas panel, 8 by 8)

That's a little better. Perhaps if we put these trees on a recognizable ground...

Play Time, Take 3 (oils on canvas panel, 8 by 8)

Better still. Maybe at this point, just add some darks to define the trees a little bit better, add some bright greens and yellows to define the ground...

Play Time, Take 4 (oils on canvas panel, 8 by 8)

So...a strange evening's painting. I set out intending to do one thing, and hated the result. Got frustrated, splashed some paint around, saw the possibilities in this impromptu mess, and ended up with a little painting that I like quite a bit. A takeaway from this for me to remember is that the final "Take 4" version of this little painting has some incredibly thick paint application, and it works really well...

Autumn Impression #2

Or...Listen to the voice in your head...

The below is a work in progress (?), and has become problematic in a number of ways. I wish I had a picture of what this looked like 30 minutes ago, because honestly, it looked much better back then.

30 minutes ago it was a simple straight-forward autumn sketch of a stream with a tree line in the background and a single focus tree in the left foreground.

Autumn Impression #2 (oils on canvas panel, 12 by 16)

I liked a lot of it for the most part. But maybe not the foreground tree. So a few more brushstrokes. Not helping. Stop. But I can probably fix this with a few more brush strokes. Or not. So maybe a few more. Or touch up the water. Or add more highlights to the distant tree line. And so on. And on. And on.

The funny thing is, with each step along the way, I knew that I should just stop, and that every time I added something I was going to get further away from where I wanted to be. But the urge to fix is hard to set aside.

So onward I went, and this sloppy mess is the result. Once you feel yourself sliding down that slippery slope, one part of you says stop, and one part of you says "but I know I can fix this."

Perhaps not.

After a downward spiral of good intentions, I ruined the foreground tree, then overworked the stream, and then ruined the distant tree line.

I do wish I had a picture of what this looked like a while ago, because it was actually pretty nice back then.

Now...I don't ever see myself going back to this after it dries. This is most likely destined for the trash, and deservedly so.

Live and learn. Maybe. Or maybe not...

GV Football - Game 8 vs Haverford

Game 8 was a Central League match with Haverford High coming to GV. Haverford came in 3-4 overall, and 2-4 in the Central League.

Grace on the Stand

When we were pushing band props into the stadium, I was thrilled to see our star running back, Shane Reynolds, back in uniform in warm ups for the first time since the opening minutes of game 2.

There was some extra energy in the crowd when Shane went out as one of the captains for the opening coin toss, and the fans were rewarded pretty quickly. Haverford took the opening kickoff, and after a short four or five play drive were forced to punt. The punt was a good one, and took a great bounce and roll, ending up at the GV 18 yard line.

On our first play, maybe two minutes into the game, Shane took a pitch on a wide sweep left, turned the corner, and put on the afterburners for an 82 yard touchdown run, running right through the only would-be tackler that came near him. Welcome back. The crowd erupted, and the band played Saints.

We cruised from there, with the score of 42-7 at the half, meaning a running clock for the second half. We played a variety of backups in the second half, and the game ended 55-14. Somewhere in there we had another 80 yard TD pass to Sean Gallagher who took a simple slant pass and outran the field. And a bunch of other highlights.

GV is now 8-0, and 7-0 in the Central League. We have outscored the opponents 402-98, or an average game score of 50-12. The band has played Saints roughly 57 times. Go Band!

We are now ranked 8th in the entire state of Pennsylvania. Someday Grace will hopefully appreciate how lucky she was to be a drum major for a band that played for the best football team her school has ever had. Shane Reynolds, our running back, is going to Navy to be a running back. Our quarterback, Max Busenkell, is going to Notre Dame to play lacrosse. Our wide receiver Sean Gallagher is going to Navy to play lacrosse. That doesn't happen often around here.

Next week we travel to my alma mater, Springfield. We just beat Haverford 55-14. Haverford beat Springfield last week 41-15. So.... Keep the focus. After Springfield we have a final homecoming home game against Lower Merion. After that, the playoffs.

Edits: After watching some of the YouTube broadcast of the game...  Max Busenkell threw 4 TDs to Sean Gallagher, all in the first half before sitting the second (for 29, 33, 80 and 45 yards). This gives Busenkell the all-time GV record of 18 passing TDs in a season, with two games to go. Gallagher now has the all-time record of 4 receiving TDs in a game (formerly 3 held by several players), and the all-time record for 10 receiving TDs in a season (formerly 6 held by several players). All with two games to go.

Autumn Impression #1

Now that we are getting into the fall season, I expect that I will be doing a lot of autumn sketches, with predominantly browns, reds, yellows and oranges.

Autumn Impression #1 (oils on canvas panel, 8 by 10)

So here's the first of what will likely be many. Many many.

I'm working on this off and on while watching the infuriating Eagles play the Buccaneers on Thursday night football.

Red and Yellow Fields

Here's the aforementioned palette-cleanser, using up the reds and yellows I had left on my palette before scraping it clean and moving on.

Red and Yellow Fields (oils on canvas panel, 8 by 8)

It's bright!!

Sunrise on the Point

I had some pinks and yellows and reds on my palette, so I painted this last night.

Sunrise on the Point (oils on canvas panel, 11 by 14)

I've painted a lot of water in the last year and a half, most of it badly. But I think I'm finally getting better at it. The main thing to remember, which has taken a very long time to get into my thick head, is that water rarely looks blue...

In looking at this now, the one thing I will want to touch up when it dries is to vary the height of the trees. They are too uniform now.

Next will likely be a small hyper-colorful palette cleanser before cleaning up and moving on to something else.

GV Football - Game 7 versus Radnor

So...Radnor isn't very good. And the game reflected this.

We got out to an early lead. And then more of a lead. And then the backups played. Early.

And then there was halftime, with the running clock in the second half  because we were up 35 points or more. And then the third and fourth string players got to get some snaps. They were calling names I had never heard before.

And then we won 41-0, and there were fireworks afterwards, courtesy of the church adjacent to the high school grounds. It was nice to get a shutout.

So we are now 7-0, and 6-0 in the Central League. We remain ranked 9th in the state of Pennsylvania. Go Jags! 

Water Gap Study

Before there was the larger attempt at this painting, there was this small 9 by 12 study.

Water Gap (oils on canvas panel, 9 by 12)

I continue to struggle with the results of a small, quick, spontaneous study versus a larger work. Larger isn't necessarily better....

Late Summer Sunrise

After working on something larger, coming back to a small canvas is always...I don't know...comforting?

Late Summer Sunrise (oils on canvas panel, 8 x 10)

This was primarily an exercise in trying to keep things loose and paying attention to my brushstrokes. I think this was more successful in the center "light" strip and the lower left, and less so in the upper and lower right.

As I look at this photo while writing the post, there are a few things that I don't like at all, and I may try to fix them. For something this small, I generally won't do that, but there are enough things about this that I like such that I feel like an attempted "fix" might be worthwhile.

Against my better judgement, I went back over this one (a half hour after the first pass).

Late Summer Sunrise, take 2...

I think it helped.

Delaware Water Gap, phase 1

I finished the first phase of the Innes-esque tonalist painting of the Delaware Water Gap.

Water Gap (oils on canvas, 18 by 24)

It needs some additional work, but the painting needs to dry completely first, so it will be a week or so before I get back to it.

Working on a larger canvas than I am used to is definitely a different experience. Yet another thing I could use more practice on...

A Painting to be

This is the basic sketch of a painting I hope to work on in the near future. 

Delaware Water Gap (canvas, 18 by 24)

It is a rough copy of a George Innes painting of the Delaware Water Gap, not that far from my home (world-distance speaking...). It will be a yellow and brown and orange tonalist painting. I hope...

Two Trees #3

Some paintings you like, some you don't. 

This one...there's nothing terribly bad about it. But there's also nothing particularly good. So...meh.

Two Trees #3 (oils on canvas panel, 11 by 14)

In its defense, it actually has a good bit of color and contrast, and probably looks better in person than in the picture. On the other hand, nothing jumps out at me when I look at it, so...meh.

But there it is, for better or for worse. Fair is fair.

Two Trees, Abstract #2

I keep telling myself I need to work on a more representational painting, and then I find myself painting a semi-abstract semi-impressionistic thing anyway.

The below is a tonalist landscape using about 4 or 5 colors (burnt umber, burnt sienna, a primary yellow, Charvin's "deep shell" and white, plus I think, a dab of orange).

Two Trees Abstract #2 (oils on canvas panel, 11 by 14)

So I guess, why fight it. Paint what needs to be painted.

I like this one.

And the Centurion primed linen panels from Creative Mark, a Jerry's Artarama higher-end house brand, are very nice to work with...

GV Football - Game 6 at Ridley

GVHS Football (and band of course) traveled to Ridley for a Central League away game last night to face the 5-0 Green Raiders. I've disliked Ridley since they used to beat up on Springfield back in the day. This game appeared to be the toughest game left on the schedule, with both teams at 5-0, albeit with Ridley having had a much easier schedule so far. We were strongly favored.

They gave us a scare for a while. We were incapable of defending the pass in the first half, and they have a good quarterback and some fast wide receivers. I can't remember the last time we gave up so many big plays, especially on desperation 4th downs.

After going up 21-7, we were down 34-28 at the half. Other than shooting ourselves in the foot with a few bad penalties and a turnover or two, we were moving the ball pretty much at will. Discussion among the band parents was that if we could just play a little defense, we'd be OK.

Fortunately, we made defensive adjustments at the half and ran away with it in the second. After allowing a short field goal on the first possession of the second half, we scored 37 unanswered points turning a close game into a rout, with a final score of 65-37. According to the Delco Times, we ran the ball for 412 yards at an average of 8 yards per carry.

Ridley has a rowdy and rude crowd who were feeling pretty good about the prospect of pulling off an upset, so it felt very satisfying to crush them in the end. Of all the places we have traveled to over the years, I don't think I've been to another place where the student section boos the opponents when introduced at the start of the game, boos them again when coming out after half time, and have students consistently saying rude things to you as you walk around the place as an opponent. Not a pleasant place to go. I won't miss it.

Oh well. We are 6-0 and they aren't.

We have now scored 306 total points to our opponents' 84, or an average score of 51-14. Go Jags!

Wasted on the Way

I've become increasingly aware in recent years that certain things resonate very differently as you get older. In a good way, I think...

Search YouTube for Crosby Stills and Nash, Wasted on the Way. Good stuff.

--

Look around me
I can see my life before me
Running rings around the way
It used to be
I am older now
I have more than what I wanted
But I wish that I had started
Long before I did

And there's so much time to make up
Everywhere you turn
Time we have wasted on the way
So much water moving
Underneath the bridge
Let the water come and carry us away

Oh when you were young
Did you question all the answers
Did you envy all the dancers
Who had all the nerve
Look round you know
You must go for what you wanted
Look at all my friends who did and got what they deserved

And there's so much time to make up
Everywhere you turn
Time we have wasted on the way
So much water moving
Underneath the bridge
Let the water come and carry us away
And there's so much love to make up
Everywhere you turn
Love we have wasted on the way
So much water moving
Underneath the bridge
Let the water come and carry us away
Let the water come and carry us away

--

Amen

Makes me more glad that I got to see Graham Nash live in a very small venue every time I think about it...

This video, and others like it, make several undeniable points. First, CSN is a group where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Second, Stephen Stills is an underrated treasure. Third, if you try to isolate David Crosby's vocal part anchoring the melodic middle between Nash's top end and Stills' gruff lower end, you can begin to understand why the band was willing to try to accommodate his bulls#$t for so many years.

On that sidetrack, this video of a Byrds reunion in 1990 has more of David Crosby's fantastic backing vocals on Turn Turn Turn. And then a mile-high mess with Bob Dylan, but I digress.......

Anyway, there is wisdom in these lyrics...

GV Football - Game 5 at Strath Haven

Friday night's away game at Strath Haven was being billed as the Central League game of the year, and the game that would likely decide the Central League title.

Downingtown West was going to be our game of the year, the game against the team we couldn't beat. We demolished them.

Last night...more of the same. We got off to a bit of a slow start before getting out to a 21-0 lead. A touchdown on our last possession of the first half coupled with a touchdown on our first possession of the second half put the game away, leading 35-0 just into the 3rd quarter. Our backups rode the lead to a 42-0 score before allowing a garbage touchdown late in the 4th quarter. Final score 42-7 good guys.

Total scoring for the year is now 241-47, or 48-9 per game on average.

Many more playings of "Saints" by the band, bringing the year's total to 37.

State rankings updated following the week's games now have Garnet Valley as the #5 team in the state of Pennsylvania in division 6A, and #9 in PA overall. Grace probably doesn't realize how lucky she is to be the drum major of a marching band that is supporting one of the best football teams in the state, and probably the best team Garnet Valley has ever had...

Anyway, we have yet another "game of the year" coming up this week, at Ridley, who is also 5-0 and 4-0 in the Central League, but on a pretty soft schedule.

I hope the team stays focused, and plays up to their abilities. If they do, we should be fine...

Desert Bluff

This is another little palette cleanser in oils, on a small 8 by 10 canvas panel.

Desert Bluff (oils on canvas panel, 8 by 10)

These quick little paintings are fun, but I need to get back to planning and executing a larger painting. Doing too many of these little panels in a short period of time starts to feel like a cop out (which it admittedly kinda is...).

Hopefully that would be a new post in the near future.

Art versus the Internet

As I fumble through the baby steps of my painting journey, I frequently stumble across the difference between what my heart tells me, and what the internet tells me is "correct".

The picture below is of an original oil painting. It is a 13.5" by 18" oil painting on canvas, by Filipino artist Andres Cristobal Cruz, dated 1968. It is a view across the verdant foliage of the Philippines, past some settlements in the distance, and on to the hills and mountains beyond.

Andres Cristobal Cruz, 1968

In person, it is a wonderfully colorful and vibrant painting, evocative of the scene it is intended to represent, and just all-around mesmerizing.

In the past couple of years, I have watched an awful lot of YouTube videos on art theory and instruction, technique, composition and every other conceivable aspect of painting. It's overwhelming at times, and thus under the conventional wisdom approach to this painting I would note the following:

• Rule of thirds is followed vertically, in general, with the sky being the top third and the land being the bottom two thirds. Rule of thirds on the horizontal plane is not followed at all.
• Composition is flawed, since the bright yellowy-orange patch in the middle of the painting draws the eye to almost the exact center of the canvas.
• Another compositional visual focus is the orangey-red-brown strip along the bottom edge of the painting. This draws the eye to the extreme edge of the painting, which is not what you want. You are always told to draw the eye inward to a specific point, and not outward, and thus potentially off the edge of the canvas.
• Atmospheric perspective would demand that the distance is rendered in lighter/duller washed-out colors. The blues and greens in the distance are just as vibrant as the foreground.
• Color harmony is important. Rich and vibrant viridian blue-greens don't mix easily with dull reddish olive greens, and so on.

So... Is this modest little painting good or not?

The internet art-advice conventional wisdom on learning to paint would probably say "not so much".

I've seen it in person. I know better. It breaks conventional wisdom rules, and it is magnificent.

But I'm biased, so what do I know...

All that being said, it reinforces the point that it is important to remember to stay true to what you want to paint, enjoy the process, and leave it to others to tell you whether what you have painted is good or bad. And then perhaps more importantly, pay absolutely no attention to what they say. As long as painting gives you joy.

A Few New mid September Paintings

Here's a few things I've done in the last week or so.

The first is a small "palette cleanser" using some of the darks and earth tones left on my palette at the end of an evening. Seems I've been painting a lot of pinks and purples recently. And that's fine.

Sunrise in the Hills (6 by 8, oils on canvas panel)

The next is a larger more tropical scene using brighter happier colors.

Tropical Shores (16 by 20, oils on canvas)

The last is a small semi-abstract color study.

Two Trees (8 by 8, oils on canvas panel)

After a year and a half of painting, and copying lots of other artists' styles, I finally feel like I am starting to develop a style of my own. I'm not there yet by any means, but baby steps....

GV Football - Game 4 vs Upper Darby

Garnet Valley football went to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Central League with a 61-12 win over Upper Darby. We have outscored our opponents 199-40.

QB Max Busenkell was 7-7 for 211 yards, 2 TDs and a passing 2 point conversion, all in the first half before being pulled for the second and third string. We've been watching GV football for about a decade now, and I don't ever remember a more consistent and effective passing attack. We generally run. And run. And run. And then run some more. This year we actually throw the ball, and with deadly efficiency.

It also seems like our star running back will be back from injury in the next week or two. He's been out since the second play of week 2.

From the band's perspective, we have now played "When the Saints Go Marching In" a total of 31 times in 4 games (29 TDs and 2 safeties).

Next up is a road game at Strath Haven, also 4-0, which may well be for the Central League title, despite only being week 5 of the season.

Fingers crossed.

Abstract Sunset #1

It's the end of the day and the house is quiet. Grace has had her friends over and they are gone. Julia is done her Penn State football watching, and they won. Amp has watched her US Open women's tennis final. All is right with the world.

Having painted a lot of very small works recently, I wanted to do something larger. So I pulled out an 18 by 24 canvas and painted this. It took perhaps 30 minutes. Probably less.

Abstract Sunset #1 (oils on canvas, 18 by 24)

I think I like it quite a bit.

Squint, and then look closer.

I think I like it even more.

Weekend Painting

Getting home from the GV football win last night required some "cool down" time before going to bed, so I painted a pair of very quick beach studies.

The first is a 6 by 8 canvas panel similar to what we see at the shore in Avalon every year. The shoreline is far too regular, but that can be easily fixed. I'll try to remember to post an "after" picture...

Beach in the Evening (oils on canvas panel, 6 by 8)

The second is a more dramatic 4 by 6 "postcard" of similar theme. I am content with painting similar content multiple times in the hope that I learn something from each effort and get better over time. The wet sand is too dark of a purple color, but in general I like it. I won't ever go back and touch up a 4 by 6.

Beach at Night (oils on canvas panel, 4 by 6)

Today, I started a couple more things, one of which is shown below. It is yet another version of a path through the fields. Again, it's a learning experience. This one was more about painting a foreboding sky that anything else...

The Road Goes Ever On (oils on canvas, 10 by 20)

Eagles season starts tomorrow. The first day of the hopefully-long Jalen Hurts era. We shall see. Go Birds!

GV Football - Game 3 vs Marple Newtown

Our first scheduled home game, but second actual, was against Marple Newtown, who we played (and beat) in last year's abbreviated-season Central League Championship game.

Without our star running back, we were still able to beat the Tigers handily 42-7 in a somewhat dull game. We scored a little over a minute into the game on our first possession, and then allowed penalties and dumb plays to let Marple to take up most of the rest of the first quarter on a very long drive. We scored a couple more times, they scored once, and it was 19-7 at the half (extra points apparently aren't our strength this year...).

In the second half our defense clamped down, our offense was solid but not spectacular, playing mostly backups, and we got the win. I haven't seen the stats posted online yet, but our QB had another ~80 yard TD pass which was the biggest play of the game, and coming early in the second half, pretty much put the game away.

Drum Majors getting some last minute instruction (Grace at right)

This was the first game this year that our band wore their full uniforms and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it gave me a great deal of pride to see Grace in the Drum Majors' dress whites. Proud Papa.

From a football perspective, we are 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the Central League, with a combined score of 138-28. From a band parent's perspective, with 6 more TDs and 1 more safety, we have now played "Saints" a total of 22 times in 3 games (20 TDs and 2 safeties). Not bad by either measure...

Shattered Skull Pass

As I've mentioned before, I like to mix in a fantasy painting for our D&D campaign amongst the other stuff that I am working on.

Tonight, I wanted to take one of the cheapo 10 by 20 Michael's brand basic "value" bulk canvases and start a beach scene for practice.

I did this instead.

Berith and Shattered Skull Pass (oils on canvas, 10 by 20)

In our D&D campaign, this is a view westward past the lakeside ruins of Berith toward Shattered Skull Pass and the Orinak Peaks beyond.

I like most of this as a first layer, with the exception of the woods on the near right side of the rocky ridge in the middle distance.

Running Before the Storm

The following is a picture of stage 1 of a new painting. I intended to start on an alpine landscape. I did this instead. Go figure... It's a 12 by 16 canvas panel done in oils.

Running Before the Storm (oils on canvas panel, 12 by 16)

There will be touch ups needed, especially with the lighthouse. But it's a good beginning.

GV Football - Game 2 vs Conestoga

Last night, GV Football played our second game of the season, beginning our Central League schedule. We were supposed to travel to Conestoga, but in the aftermath of the power outages, flooding, and water supply problems that came with the tail end of Hurricane Ida, it was moved to a GV home game due to issues with the Conestoga field and facilities.

The final score was GV 55, Conestoga 14. Our quarterback, Max Busenkell, had an outstanding game, especially given that we run the ball almost exclusively, completing 12 of 13 passes for 165 yards and 3 TDs (by halftime). That makes him 15 for 18 for over 300 yards and 6 TDs in two games...

Part of this air attack may have been caused by our star running back Shane Reynolds leaving the game after just a few plays with a sprained ankle. News after the games was good: low ankle sprain, no fractures, and expected to miss maybe 3 weeks.

From a pure football perspective, we are 2-0 with a combined score of 96-21. From a band parent's perspective, we play "When the Saints Go Marching In" for every GV score (TD, Field Goal or Safety), and after 2 games we have played "Saints" a total of 15 times (14 TDs and 1 Safety).

Go Jags!

Palette Cleanser 9/4/21

I've posted a few others like this... At the end of an abbreviated painting session tonight, I grabbed a 6 by 6 canvas panel and did the "what's left on my palette" thing.

I had Payne's Gray, yellow, orange, and a Charvin color called "Pink Shade" which is a dark purplish brown.

So...literally 5 minutes, and this is the result. [Try sitting back and squinting...it gets better that way]

Last Light (oils on panel, 6 by 6)

Tomorrow I want to start an alpine mountain scene (with composition planning and everything!).

August Paintings

As my often-impaired attention span dictates, I go through stretches of doing one thing, and then move to another, and another, etc... I had done a lot of painting in late spring/early summer, and then didn't lift a brush in the six weeks or so leading up to our week at the shore in early August. For whatever reason, coming back from the beach inspired me to pull out the paints and brushes, and paint. A lot. Here are a few of the things I have done over the course of the last month. (Another post will have to cover the rest)

The first is a 9 by 12 canvas panel with a scene of a path along a stream. Revised from the version posted a while ago. I try this kind of scene often for a couple of reasons. First, I like the subject matter. Second, I don't do water well. Colors are off, too much blue, and not realistic enough. I am OK with just about everything in this work but the stream, which is pretty important in the composition. Keep practicing... [When this dries, I will have another go at touching it up, and I will post the results to see if I got closer to what I wanted]

Path Along a Stream (oils on canvas panel, 9 by 12)

The second is a 9 by 12 stretched canvas with another scene of a path along the shore of a lake, with distant hills in the background. Also revised from the preliminary version posted earlier. This is...better. I think.

Lakeshore (oils on canvas, 9 by 12)

The third is a 9 by 12 canvas panel indulging my penchant for painting scenes that are evocative of our Dungeons and Dragons RPG games. This is a scene of a vibrant red and orange sunset behind Blackthorn Keep.

Blackthorn Keep (oils on canvas panel, 9 by 12)

Lastly, a tiny 6 by 6 canvas panel of the kind that I often do when I get to the end of a painting session and ask myself "what can I do with the excess paint left on my palette?" The answer is generally something like this, a simple impressionistic sketch done in a matter of minutes. As I have noted before, there is something free and spontaneous about these little sketches that I sometimes find lacking in some of my other paintings.

Distant Lakeshore (oils on canvas panel, 6 by 6)

Anyway... Practice, practice, practice. Be accepting of the fact that you will probably get "meh" more often than you get "I like that!" And don't forget to appreciate the moments when you do get that feeling of "that's pretty good!"

It's a process.