When LaVere wanted a break from the exacting styles typical of his Western series of paintings, he would paint abstracts. Some of the paintings were larger and more serious than others. "Forty Niners" and "Saturday Night" were intended to capture the feeling rather than the accurate details of activities around the Gold rush days. The smoke filled card rooms of Sonora inspired some of this work.
His smaller abstracts were intended as entertainment. His applications of a splash of paint here and there often touched a soft center in him. He had a rather dry sense of humor and found some of these images extremely funny. "The Master Speaks" has an uncanny resemblence to LaVere and Anne.
