"Reindeer Reign"

These little guys were in front of our neighbor's house. Our local elementary school would help the kids make one for the holidays every year. One per child. They're pretty goofy, but are charming as well. Everyone with kids in our school district has them tucked away in their garages. And every fall, out they come! 

"Sax Appeal"

The theme to an upcoming art show was music. So I dug up my old sax and painted it. I decided to go with a monochromatic theme, using just black and white paint. I did the background with a mix of pthalo blue and cadmium orange. Since the granite counter had a bit of blue in it, I did add a few spots of blue as well. As luck would have it, it was accepted into the show along with another piece I'll post next time. 

"Twisted Sisters"

Saw this gnarly scene one a walk right after a recent snowstorm. I like the simplicity of the white background and the way it draws the viewer's attention to the trees. Just what is it about birch trees anyway? I take a ton of pix of them, and I never get tired of painting them. 

"Snow Waves"

Took a hike after a snowstorm at Oakwoods Metropark. The sun was low in the sky and created these dramatic shadow. I thought this looked pretty interesting and painting worthy. I just with it would snow more this winter. The season is winding down and we've only had three significant snowfalls. Bring it on!

"Bull's-Eye"

A friend's daughter has an impressive collection of vintage cameras. I'm on a mission to paint all of them. Here's the latest installation in the series. 

"FoMoCo"

This is the old Ford office building at Greenfield Village. It's another of my favorite buildings in the Village and another painting in my series of sites there. I visited the gift shop over the weekend, and the only postcards on offer were of some of the cars at the museum. I'm still thinking a box set of a dozen buildings would be a nice item for them to carry. I'm planning on doing a few more and we'll see what happens. 

"Zen Sticks"

Back when I was in high school, I came across a photograph by Harry Callahan. It was of a couple twigs against a plain background. I fell in love with the simple, zen-like quality of it. A few weeks ago, I was out hiking in a local park after a snow storm and I found these dead flower stalks. I just had to take a photograph of them and then, subsequently paint them. Think of this as my tribute to Mr. Callahan. 

"Snow Shoes"

I've never seen this phenomenon before. After a light snowfall, the sun came out and warmed up the ground. It also melted much of the snow on this wooden bridge, except for the narrow shadows created by the railings. As luck would have it, I witnessed this for about the 10 minutes it occurred, before the sun melted the rest of the snow. Pretty cool looking. 

"Smiths Creek Depot"

This little gem is at Greenfield Village. It was originally located near Port Huron, Michigan and was made famous by Thomas Edison. I'm slowly working on a series of my favorite buildings at the Village, with the hope of the gift shop carrying a boxed set of note cards of my paintings. Look for more in the series in the future. And if you're ever in the Detroit area, the Village and the Henry Ford Museum are both must-see attractions. 

"The Workhorse"

I bought this camera when I went to CCS to study photography. I shot the daylights out of it. And even though I eventually bought a Nikon F, this was pretty much my day-to-day camera. A professional friend of a friend used to say, "You could drive nails with this camera." In all the years I used this camera, I never had a problem with it and never had to have it repaired. I think this study does it justice. 

"Peace Piece"

I like the way the low sun created these dramatic shadows over the frozen pond. And the three trees formed sort of a peace sign. And I though of the jazz tune titled "Peace Piece". 

"Before & After"

I though this was an interesting concept. How about a still life with some fruit, and the products they get processed into? The packaging is almost as good as Mother Nature itself! Now this could be a whole series. How about an avocado and a tub of guac? A tomato and a jar of pizza sauce? Endless possibilities for sure. 

"Polaroid From Space"

A friend gave my daughter this oddball camera. It folds up into this roundish shell. Hit a button and out pops this unusual looking device. Pretty space age looking, even by today's standards. And it's made in England, which surprised the heck out of me. 

"Horseradish & Co."

Horseradish roots are some of the most bizarre vegetables I've ever seen. I thought one would make an interesting still life. I added a couple other root veggies and just happened to have a half an eggplant on hand. Set against a black granite countertop, I think it kinda works. 

"Comeback Kids"

Found this little rehab project on Beaubien, about a block from the Ford Piquette Plant in Detroit. This whole area has been full of crumbling houses and apartment buildings for ages. It's finally getting the attention of developers who are willing to rehab rather than tear down. Good luck. It's a prime location and I'm sure their investment in time and money will pay off.