"Snow Gems"

 A couple weeks ago we had an unexpected and major-league snowstorm. Not only was it a record for how early it was, it snowed for something like 23 hours straight. The next day I took a hike to a local park. It was totally deserted and was quite a peaceful walk. I took a bunch of snaps and these bright leaves caught my eye. I think this would make a nice greeting/note card. 

""Got Milkweed?"

Took a new trail at Stony Creek a couple weeks ago The sky was pretty dramatic and then we found this patch of milkweed going to seed. Thought this would make an interesting painting. Turned out okay. I've taken a pile of pix this summer which hopefully, will get me through the winter as far as painting goes. I know it's not like painting on site, but it'll have to do. 

"Bumps on a Log"

Sometimes it pays to stop and take a closer look at nature. I saw this barkless log that had all kinds of weird things growing on it. And the wood had a rusty color from rotting away. Thought it would make for a decent painting. It turned out looking rather abstract. Gotta love nature!

"Barbie Car Joy Ride"

I had already used Mr. Potatohead in the painting "Still Life with Mr. Potatohead." But what could I do for an encore? My daughters had a Barbie limousine growing up. They just loved that car. And it was totally ridiculous, with a swimming pool in the back. So I decided to put the ol' spud in the driver's seat. Then I thought the lego kid would be a great companion for him. After I was done, I realized the living room background just didn't make any sense. So I painted the outdoor scene over it. I'm such a literal painter, it wasn't an easy task. But I think it works. Now, where am I going to paint him next? I think this may turn into a series. 

"Upside Down World"

Saw this colorful scene at Stoney Creek North on a remote trail. Most of the leaves had fallen off the trees and the lillies had started fading. But I loved the turquoise color of the sky. And while it made for a pretty picture, it made me wonder what it'd look like in the Spring and Summer. I'll be back!

Sandwich Shop, Istanbul"

I visited Turkey a few years ago and had a wonderful time. Great sights, food, and people. One thing that struck me was how colorful cities like Istanbul were. Everywhere you looked you'd find a scene that would make a prefect painting. Here's one of them. More to come. 

"Dead Birch"

I know. pretty lame title for this one. But I racked my brains and this is all I could come up with. Anyway, I found this dead birch tree on one of my hikes. Just amazing all the colors nature comes up with, eh? And I wasn't exaggerating with any of the colors either. If anything, they were even brighter than I painted them. Nothing like going out with a bang as far as death goes. 

"Self Portrait of Someone"

Okay, here's the obligatory self portrait. A painter friend of mine asked me why don't I paint more people. Here's a good example of why. I can't draw faces or figures well. So that's why I gravitate towards nature painting. Maybe I'll take some figure drawing classes and I'll revisit this topic. For now, I'll just have to apologize for the mediocrity of my portraiture skills. 

"A Wrench in the Works"

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The golden glow of the late afternoon sun was streaming into the kitchen, lighting up a bowl of fruit. It looked so perfect. It just needed something a bit offbeat to finish the scene off. I looked around the house and tried various object, when I noticed how the light practically made the wrench glow. Perfecto! As you can tell, I get a kick out of putting objects into paintings that are a bit, shall we say, unexpected. Here's another shining example of this. Look for a lot more to come. And if you have any interesting suggestions, email me! 

"Open the Pods, Hal"

Each season has something unique about it. One of the things I enjoy about the Fall is the unusual seed pods you se. Saw these along a trail and thought it would make an interesting painting. In a couple weeks, the fall colors would be out, but the seed pods would be long gone! Timing is everything. I like the color the red leafed tree in the background added to the scene. 

"Living Room Hockey"

"Our family has had one of these hockey games forever. What a great way to spend an evening. I though I'd paint it and see if I could make it look like a real game. I think it looks pretty real. I've been painting a lot of nature scenes later, and I thought this would be a nice way to mix it up a bit. 

"Mt. Elliott Relic"

I painted this right after I finished the Turkish window painting. That painting required meticulous detail and quite a bit of serious concentration. I needed to do something loose. I saw this building driving through Hamtramck right around sunset. The building might have been part of the old Dodge Main assembly plant. With the late afternoon sun shining on it, it had an almost magical quality. I did this painting in one afternoon and I think it turned out okay. 

"Window. Alacati, Turkey"

 

Visited Turkey a few years ago, and saw this charming little town. It used to be half Greek and half Turk, before the revolution when the Turks kicked all the Greeks out. They did manage to preserve the town, and although it's pretty touristy, it's still worth seeing. This was a window in one of the many little shops that abound there. 

"Not Yma Sumac. Sumac"

Hopefully, some of you will get the obscure reference in the title of this one. Anyway, I found this slow moving part of a stream that was covered in this green stuff. Algae? Plants? Dunno. The red flowers on the sumac bushes made a nice contrast to the green stream. I don't think I've seen so many bodies of water covered with it. Maybe it's always been there and I just need to get out more.