"Zen Sky"

A few weeks ago, I was at an outdoor jazz concert. As I listened to the music my mind wandered. And then I looked up in the sky and saw a small group of clouds that seemed to appear out of nowhere. They slowly changed shape, and just hung there, motionless. I thought they were the perfect visual accompaniment to the beautiful music. And they looked like they'd make an interesting painting. Voila! 

"Sidewalk Runes"

You just never know where you'll find something worth painting. As it turns out, I spotted this little vignette in front of our house. One of the utility companies tagged the sidewalk for some work they had planned. It's cryptic nature reminded me of ancient runes for some reason. I took a snap of it and filed it in my "to do" bank of images. I finally got around to committing it to canvas. I couldn't get the color of the spray paint quite as neon-like as the original, but you get the idea. 

"Window Silliness"

Packrats? Guilty! We have a bunch of tchotchkes on the window sill in our kitchen. It started with a few interesting rocks we've accumulated over the years and has grown to the point where we have a hard time turning the window crank. The cars are these funky miniature vehicles from Africa made from recycled tin cans. One day I thought, "Hey, this scene might make an interesting painting." And? Well, you decide. 

"Lilly pads or Pac-Men?"

This one took a bit of effort as far as the color is concerned. I painted the water four or five times until the color was right. Even then, I think the water was a sightly deeper blue. Oh well. You can only get so close. The end result has a surreal look to it. Although it looks better in the flesh. 

"Emphasis on Ephesus"

Visited the ancient city of Ephesus while we were in Turkey. Just an amazing place, and they're just getting started unearthing and reassembling all the ruins. This scene struck me as particularly unusual. It makes you wonder what the entire structure looked like. And I thought it made for a cool painting. 

"Birch Run"

Here's another one from our weekend at Pinery. A friend of mine observed that my brushwork was a lot looser and I said that that was due, mainly to the fact that the photo I took was out of focus!  From the look of it, maybe I should do this more ofter. It turned out okay. 

"Tree's Company"

While I was at the Pinery, I decided to take a hike one quiet afternoon. This tree with the ever present wild grape vines grabbed my attention. While painting it, I discovered just how hard it is to get the leaf color just right. After several attempts, I finally got it right. (Or close enough). I guess I'll just have to keep on trying. 

"The Beach Beckons"

Every summer we have a weekend camping trip to Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario. It's a relaxing weekend with my wife's brothers, their families, and various cousins. We've been doing it for well over 30 years! Here's the view as you hike over the dunes to the beach. Fortunately, we had glorious weather this past trip. 

"Lakeshore Luminescence"

We had just visited my mother-in-law and were driving home. It was around sunset and the fading sun light up these fantastic clouds over Lake St. Clair. I had my wife pull over so I could take a few snaps. As hard as I tried, a painting (at least mine) just can't do justice to how spectacular the sky looked. 

"Ohare's"

Here's a view of the two cottages. They're right on Lake Erie and I look forward to visiting them every summer for the annual Fourth of July parties. I've been going there for 30+ years. Great memories!

"Poplar Bluff"

This is the marvelous view at a friend's cottage we visit every summer for a Fourth of July party. They inherited it from their parents recently and are keeping the yearly tradition alive. I have so many memories of sitting around having great discussions with folks my parents age. It was almost always a hot muggy afternoon where the booze flowed freely. Then, in the early evening, a fantastic array of great food would be put out and we'd have a feast! Oh Canada, indeed!

"Tastee Frieze"

While walking through the Detroit Institute of Arts, I noticed this striking piece. I didn't take notes, but I believe it's either Assyrian or Mesopotamian. I like the monochromatic quality of it and thought it would be an interesting challenge to paint it while giving it a 3-d quality. I think it kind of works. 

"Ribbon Cutting Ceremony"

I took a picture of this scene and sent it to my wife, jokingly asking her if she was gong to clean it up. I later took a look at it and though it would make an interesting painting. It took me a while to get the carpet color right--I've heard pinks can be challenging. I think I got fairly close to the actual color. This is the end result. 

"Never Forget"

Here's another view of the Tower of London and the "Tower Remembers" exhibit. The painting looks better in person, but you get the idea.