"Shoreline"

"Shoreline"  Oil on Hardboard  18" x 40"

A couple of years ago, my son gave me a memorable Christmas gift. A day with only him doing something he had planned and it was going to be a surprise to me until the last minute. I had no clue and I love to figure out mysteries. On Dec. 26th, we went to lunch and then he told me we were going Whale Watching! I was so excited. Then I thought, oh no, I'm going to enjoy that delicious lunch again over the side of the boat. To my surprise there were no white caps, no huge waves. The ocean was very calm, like glass. Perfect! This painting is my memory of gazing inland from a mile or so off shore. A storm was rolling by, but it never rained. Dense clouds cast shadows on the land. Whale Watching is magical! 

"Sister in a Rounded Veil"

"Sister in a Rounded Veil"  Oil on Illustration Board  18" x 24"

Curved shapes soften this image. The companion to this work is "Sister in a Triangular Veil."  To see the sister painting, check out the posting from 8-4-11.

"Sister in a Triangular Veil"

"Sister in a Triangular Veil"  - Oil on Illustration Board  18" x 24"

I learned early on that my penchant for fracturing images was undeniable. I foremost gravitate toward triangles, but circles, boxes and swirls frequently draw my attention their way too. So much so, that I painted a sister to this painting in curves, circles and ellipses. Check out my next post.

"Blood on the Road" 3-D Metal Sculpture

"Blood on the Road"   3-D Painted Steel Sculpture  52" x 36" x 3"

Steel was cut with a Plasma Cutter, welded & thickly painted with high gloss finish. It reminds me of a car accident, tire marks, skids and blood.

"Picket Fence" 3-D Wood Sculpture

"Picket Fence"  Oil on 3-D Wood Sculpture   72" x 66" x 6"  

The inspiration for this artwork, once again, is the sky. Although this structure looks like an old picket fence, it's painted to simulate a swirling, cloud scattered sky. The negative space is as important as the pickets. Are you looking through the fence at the sky or is the sky the fence?  

"Sky Lines" Soft Sculpture

"Sky Lines"   Hand Dyed Cotton Fabric  36" x 48"  

I believe our skies are the most intriguing part of the outdoors. I can't step outside without looking at the sky. In this soft sculpture, each vertical tube is molded to create a 3-dimensional surface. Included are bits of daytime skies, stormy skies and nighttime skies. It's moody, moving and one of my favorite fabric works. 

Calla Lily

I've been painting like crazy in this hot summer weather! Get ready to see several new paintings within the next week or so. Stay tuned!  Till then, I'd like to share some small flower paintings.  "Flower A Day"  4" x 6" Oil on Canvas

"Just Ducky"

"Just Ducky"  Oil on Hardboard   7" x 8"

Getting back into the swing of daily painting after a lengthy departure has been rough, but I'm working on it. This is just a little warm-up painting from an early morning exercise. I saw an old photo of a duckling standing next to it's Mama. I focused on the duckling. I also wanted to play with the ochres & grays in the background. Tomorrow should be a better day.

"Something to Crow About"

 "Something to Crow About"  

8" x 10"  Palette knife application - Oil on Museum Quality Canvas Board

I love Spring when the birds return in droves. The black birds are especially interesting to watch. They congregate in the trees across the street and are large and noisy. I was told that mystics believe crows are sent by spirits since past to extend love and good wishes to those loved ones connected to them on earth. Huh, something to think about... or maybe Something to Crow About! 

"Goat"

Goat   8" x 8"   Oil on Hardboard

This small painting is a piece using a limited color palette. It was great fun creating it.  Today I'm busy with a larger painting.  Not sure when it'll be done. Stay tuned!

Around the "Barn Cupboard Door"

"Barn Cupboard Door"

Oil on Old Wooden Barn Cupboard

This is another view of the old barn cupboard. We drove by this old church building a zillion times on our way to Grandma's house. Every time I see this painting I remember the long ride.

"Barn Cupboard"

"Barn Cupboard"

I'm working on a new painting. One that has taken me a while to develop new imagery. I hope to surprise myself as well as you. Look for it's progress in future posts. In the meantime, I'd like to share a cupboard I painted years ago. It's a cupboard that was in our family's barn on the farm in Camden. The inside of the cupboard still smells like hay, pungently sweet. I've sealed the interior, but to no avail. As a result, I never use it. I stored it away and it wasn't until recently that I came across it again. It was a fun piece to paint because it was the first time I'd ever painted around corners. This view is barn-side 1 of 4. 

   

"Daisies with Yellow Sky"

"Daisies with Yellow Sky"  Oil on Canvas  24" x 30" 

I'm currently working on a large painting, so I thought I'd share a lost piece from some time ago. Before I could finish this painting it had an accident. The canvas ripped in the back; truly unsalvageable. Only this photo remains. 

Henry Ford Quote

While cleaning and organizing my art room, that's one of my new years goals, "Get Organized," I came across a quote from Henry Ford that I've been saving. "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." So true. It's great to be surrounded by inspirational quotes and this one is a keeper. I believe I should tack this to my art room wall. Check!

Happy New Year 2011

It's Resolution Time! I like resolutions because they make me set goals and I'm a goal oriented person. I learned this "basic drive" about myself several years ago at a motivational seminar. Sometimes I veer off the road on my way to the goal, but I usually steer back and often times achieve my original ambition. Goals are great and I plan to make several this year. My first and foremost goal is to bring more notable imagery to my paintings. Imagery being the key word. Here's my resolution... "I intent to improve the imagery in my paintings." If that means that I need to travel to new places and take in new sights like, Nashville (planned for March), California, New York, the Caribbean, Europe (especially Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Germany, London, etc.) so be it. I'm willing to do whatever it takes. With that said and written in stone, I need to go plan my itineraries. Happy New Year to all and especially Cindi, Happy Birthday! 

Flower in Shades of Gray, 6" x 6" Oil on Hardboard

This small artwork is a warm-up painting done mostly with a palette knife. These small and quickly painted pieces help me to explore new paint strokes and surface techniques as well as color, or the basic lack of. I like black, white & shade of gray paintings. I'm not sure why, but I do. 

"Lily Lake" By by 2010!

"Lily Lake" Oil on Hardboard  12" x 12"

Happy New Year!  It's time to jump into 2011 with both feet running. I completed another pointillism painting and took it to the framer before I realized I forgot to take a photograph of it. I went to Art Leaders Gallery and I tried to snap a pict there, but the lighting wasn't ideal for my camera. It's not the best photo, but it'll have to do for now. It really looks like I was inspired by Monet on this one. What do you think?

Art Leaders Gallery News!

Exciting news! I'm very happy to say I have two paintings in Art Leaders Gallery located at 
Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, Michigan. The gallery is on the second floor near Nordstroms. This is a wonderful space and a great opportunity for me to show and sell my recent painting efforts. Art Leaders has two locations, the other one is in West Bloomfield. I hope you can stop in and take a look at the artwork they have on display! For more information about Art Leaders Gallery, please click here.

"Brothers" Garbage Cans In Situ

"Brothers"  oil on museum stretched canvas   30" x 40" each

"Brothers" is the title of this collective group of three paintings, but each has an individual name if referring to them separately. (l to r) Garbage Can with Bananas, Garbage Can with Detroit Water Manhole Cover and Garbage Can with Rain Spout Pipe. These images of metal garbage cans were painted in a fashion derived from Andy Warhol's famous Campbell's Tomato Soup Can painting. The cans hang in the conference room at Golder Assoc., Inc. in MI. Golder is an environmental firm that commissioned this artwork and I think this triptych suits their office's need for a punch of color. I took this photo displaying these paintings In situ. In situ means situated in it's original place or in position. In the art world it means to represent artwork in it's most likely setting. Having these pieces hanging in this office is a great opportunity to spread a cheerful sense of color. Of course I'm partial, but I think they look great!

"Germany's Oldenburg Church"

Germany's Oldenburg Church, 48" x 48"  Oil on Canvas

This painting was created after a trip to northern Germany. It's a collage of things I loved and admired on that trip:  Oldenburg's St. Lamberti Church, train tracks, bridge over the Rhine River in Dusseldorf, the sun setting over a cool evening near Hamburg and my son's crossed leg with boot (lower right corner.)  It was my first attempt at creating a collage of images.  I tied them all together with the over-lay of circles. 

"Charcoal Portrait"

I apologize for not posting much lately. I haven't painted any oil paintings much because I've been painting walls & furniture for a home remodeling project. Painting is painting, but I have nothing new on canvas to share right now. The remodel should be done in a week or two. Here's a charcoal study from my past efforts to share. I like using charcoal with it's dark, rich blacks. Maybe it's time to start sketching again. I can think of several people to portray on paper. Especially my brother the ball player. I can visualize him now at the plate swinging the bat. Another idea to add to the project list!

"Red Flame Maple"

"Red Flame Maple"  18" x 24"  Oil on Canvas

I like trees, all kinds of trees, but especially Maple trees 

in the fall. The colors run from pale yellow to rich, deep 

crimson. The maple lined streets are a vision to behold. 

I'm awed by their brilliance. Red Flame Maples are a blend 

of bright orange-reds, warm pinks and golds. Just brilliant!
This painting kicks-off the turn to cooler weather in the 
Midwest and the parade of fall trees to come.