Monopoly Go To Jail - Daily Painting - by Darren Maurer

6" x 6"

I have visited this theme before but the race car game piece and the go to jail square just go together. I can't resist painting the two together when I think of my Monopoly painting possibilities. I completed a commission similar to this idea a couple of years ago for a client that wanted to give it to a friend that had several speeding tickets. This is painting 287 in my Painting A Day Series. (Click Here to Bid on eBay or to Check the Auction)

Four Cantaloupe Wedges by Darren Maurer

5" x 7"

Did you know that cantaloupes and melons are in the same gourd family as squashes and cucumbers? Another interesting piece of trivia is while squashes are considered vegetables, cantaloupes are considered fruit. The difference in categorizing them is in the way they are used. It doesn't make sense to me. I do know my wife was cutting up this melon and I stopped her when I saw these four pieces in our kitchen being backlit from a nearby window. I loved the way the wedges were lined up with the light hitting them from the back. This is painting 286 in my Painting A Day Series. (Click Here To Bid or Check the Auction)

Monopoly Passing Go - Daily Painting by Darren Maurer

5" x 7"

I finished a set of Monopoly themed paintings a couple of years ago. They are fun to paint and bring back several memories of playing the game when I was kid and even as an adult. I always liked passing GO and collecting my $200. When my younger sister would pass GO she would also collect her $200 and then stash it somewhere out of sight from the other players in the game. We would be watching her cash pile getting smaller and smaller. Just as I would be planning her demise in the game she would pull out a huge wad of play money and buy houses and hotels everywhere on the board putting the rest of us in severe financial danger. It was always interesting. (Click Here To Bid or Check the Auction)

Lake Okoboji, Iowa - Commission Painting by Darren Maurer

14" x 18"

I have been working on several jobs the last few weeks and this commission painting was one of the projects that was finished last night. Working from a great photo supplied by my client was a real treat. A nice series of cloud formations in the sky to go along with the sunset made the painting more interesting. Although my client lives in New York City their family is from this area of Iowa and they own some property on the lake. This is a view of the lake from the cabin. Commission Painting - Sold.

Little Debbie Snack Cake - by Darren Maurer

5" x 7"

How can someone not love these? Frosting and cake all rolled up and covered with chocolate. "Absolute genius." I say. This painting 284 in my Painting A Day Series. This is also a commission painting and is sold.

Watermelon Wedge with Bites - by Darren Maurer

5" x 7"

Here is the same piece of watermelon with a few juicey bites out of it. I'm wondering now if listing the painting on eBay yesterday was a mistake or not. Maybe I should have offered this two painting as a set. This is painting 283 in my Painting A Day Series. Painting at Auction - Painting Available $100 (Click Here for Purchase Information)

Watermelon Wedge - by Darren Maurer

5" x 7"

I will be back to posting some new paintings more often now. I have been busy painting but not the fun kind of painting......we have been working hard repainting our entire home. The job isn't quite finished yet but it is far enough along that I can spend some of my time painting again.

Watermelon wedges should be the official symbol of summer. I proclaim as of today from here forward the watermelon wedge is the official symbol of summer. The next miniature painting I post will be related to this painting. It is sort of a before after type of thing. I will post it soon. This is painting 282 in daily painting series. Painting Available $100 (Click Here for Purchase Information)

New York Mets Logo Baseball by Darren Maurer

6" x 6"

After I painted the baseball in my previous blog post I received a request from a collector in New York City to complete a commission New York Mets baseball. Lettering and logos always provide a challenge when included in a painting. It always makes me crazy seeing bad letter structure in paintings. I have been an art director at a sign company for over twenty years and lettering structure mistakes jump out at me very quickly. It can really make or break your piece when done well or poorly.

While I was working on this I could not get the old Garrett Morris skit from Saturday Night Live out of my head. Morris' most famous character was Latino baseball player Chico Escuela who best line was, "Baseball been berra, berra good to me." The funniest thing to me in the skit was the tell-all book he wrote entitled, "Bad Stuff 'Bout the Mets" Then he gives an example in the interview about "Ed Kranepool, a Mets player in the 60's and 70's, "He borrow Chico's soap and never give it back". Classic funny stuff. I'm laughing while I'm writing this. This is painting 281 in my Painting A Day Series. Commission Painting - Sold.

Baseball - Daily Painting by Darren Maurer

6" x 6"

The start of baseball season usually means spring is here. I painted this to signify the simple aspects of baseball. The kids, little league, home town rivalries, and going to Dairy Queen afterwards win or lose. That's what we did when I was younger. Usually members from the opposing team were there also. We all sat together and talked baseball. That was fun. That was baseball to me. This is painting 280 in my Painting A Day Series. I will offer this piece on eBay starting Wednesday evening unless someone emails me before then to claim it. $100 UPDATE: Painting sold at 8:08am

Now That's A Big Pickle!! by Darren Maurer

16" x 48"

I finished another painting that has been in progress for awhile. Showing it on the easel will give you an idea of the scale. I somehow got this vision of a pickle spear in my head about a month ago and knew I wanted to paint it. I am really having fun painting some larger paintings in between my miniatures. I just need to find a place to market them now.