"Green Eyes"

I recently saw a painting of a cut avocado and I decided to try my hand at it. After I sliced it, it looked a bit like a face. Then, when I put the knife on the cutting board, it sort of resembled a mustache, tilted at a cocky angle. I know, it's a little goofy, but hey, art should be fun! Hope you like it. 

"Devil Tree"

Went on a hike last weekend. The trees had just started leafing out and it was a bit foggy. Then I noticed this creepy old tree, which appeared to be dead. It stood all by itself, as if it were a sort of evil presence. I did some experimenting to create the foggy effect. I rarely center my main subjects, but in this instance, it just made sense. 

"Thistle Stop"

On our way to visit one of the Metropark, I spotted this small patch of thistles, still hanging in there from last fall. Though it'd make an interesting painting. You be the judge. 

"Redbuds Rejoice!"

We got these two redbud trees years ago when they were only three or four feet tall. My wife's aunt and uncle gave them to us and they just took off! Every Spring it's such a joy to see them in bloom. It's almost like Spring is erupting from the ground after another long, rough Michigan winter. 

"Voigtlander"

My friend, The Hawk lent me this camera to paint. It's a merman camera and once again, I'm in awe of the superb design and craftsmanship behind this camera. I found some curtain material to paint it on. It's nice to have the original case to go along with the camera. It was quite worn but ai think that adds to the charm of the painting. 

"Magnolia Sunset"

Took a late afternoon walk in our local park with my younger daughter looking for migrating birds. Didn't see too much in the way of birds, but I spotted this Magnolia tree. The blooms were almost through and a bit discolored, so I took a bit of liberties with them. But it was a dramatic scene. Next year, I'll have to check them out earlier in the Spring. 

"Moss is Boss"

Nature is full of surprises. On a recent hike, I found this rotting log covered with bright red and green moss. Perfect painting opportunity.The log looks darker in the photograph than it does in real life. But overall, I think it turned out okay. 

"Wolcott Mill"

Photographed this beautiful historic mill last year and I finally got around to painting it. It you're ever in the area, Wolcott Mill Metropark is definitely worth a visit. Nice trails through varied terrain. And the mill is supposed to be cool--it's always closed when we hike there. I think this would make a nice note/post card 

"Ultra Fex"

I thought this was one weird-looking camera. It was another of those paintings that I started, then kept putting off finishing it. It turned out okay, I just wonder, how many other oddball cameras are out there? I'm definitely going to track them down. 

"Spot of Espresso Spot"

Just for fun I decided to do a still life with a very limited palette. For this painting I only used black, white. Raw Sienna and Burnt Umber. About the only thing that had any color were the koulourakia, and it helped draw your eye to them. It was a nice exercise and I'll have to try it again. 

"Exa"

I had no idea Germany produced so many fabulous cameras over the years. And this is a prime example. Beautiful design and of course, solid construction. I could paint these cameras forever! And having the original case, as banged up as it is, was a definite bonus. 

"Ratty Factory"

Detroit used to have a ton of these derelict factories scattered all around town. But they're been torn down over the years. I decided I'd better start documenting them before they're all gone. We're another one in the series. This giant hulk of a structure is located off I-94 and I-75. 

"An Okay Bouquet"

A bunch of folks gathered before my daughter's wedding to assemble bouquets for the tables. They were all on our black granite counter (the flowers, not the folks) and looked so striking I took a bunch of photos of them. Then I figured they'd make an interesting painting. I started painting the background. But the task of painting it was so daunting to me, the canvas just sat there for a month or two. I finally decided to just plunge in and do it. This is the result. 

"Thomas Edison's Home"

Another beautiful home at The Village--Thomas Edison's home. This fall the zinnias were all in bloom and it was such a colorful scene I just had to paint it. I think if this is ever turned into notecards, I'll have to shif the color to make it less green. I painted it from a photo, and the color might not be totally accurate. But I think I came close! 

"Firestone Farm"

Another in my series of buildings at Greenfield Village. This is one of my favorite places in the village--the Firestone Farm. There's always something going on there, depending on the season. It's as close as you can get to a 19th Century working farm. Complete with horses, geese, sheep, and much more. And it's a beautiful collection of buildings. 

"Kiev"

When I started researching vintage cameras, I had no idea there were so many Russian makes and models out there. But it makes sense. During the Cold War, the West was the enemy, so the Soviets had to manufacture their own cameras. And, if you think about it, photography was an art form that really was outside politics. I think amateur photography was huge in Russia and the Soviet Block countries. For this camera, I picked a background that had a late 1940's feel to it. I think it works with this very Russian-looking camera. 

"The Old Man in the Tree"

On a hike at Wolcott Mill I noticed this craggy old tree. I couldn't help but notice the face of an old codger staring at me. So it was a natural to paint. And I really didn't exaggerate any of its features. It's pretty much what it looked like. Nature just never fails to amaze me. 

"Camflash"

Confession here. I've exhausted all my sources for vintage cameras to paint. So I've decided to look on the Interwebs for images of cameras and backgrounds. This is the first painting I've done using these resources. Many more to come, that's for sure. The supply of camera images is seemingly endless. 

"Foldex"

What a cool looking camera. Painting it was a bit daunting. I started with the background and sketched in the camera. Then it sat for quite a while. It looked so complex, I was reluctant to dive in and finish painting it. Finally I just started chipping away and it came together. I tried to keep it on the loose side, so if the mechanics aren't absolutely accurate, it wouldn't matter. Besides, who the heck owns a Foldex and is going to question my rendering? 

"More Daffiness"

On a walk in the neighborhood, I spotted these daffodils against a wall with peeling paint. I thought it'd make an interesting painting. And I think I finally got the flowers right. They actually look like daffodils, for once! 

"Daf Punk"

These were in their glory, right outside our dining room window. I don't know what it is about daffodils but no matter how I paint them, they somehow don't look right. I'll just have to keep on trying. 

"What a Doll"

My mom gave this doll to my oldest daughter when she was born. For years it sat on her shelf and she wasn't allowed to play with it. Now she's all grown up and it was still sitting there, so I decided to put it to good use as a model. When you look close at them, dolls are kind of creepy. But this is about as close to painting a human as I've gotten in a long time. Maybe I'll start sketching people and see how I do. Or, maybe I'll paint some of the dolls in our vast collection of them!

"The Sad Barn"

Found this sad old barn on our way back from a hike at Wolcott Mills Metropark. It was surrounded by an ugly subdivision and you just knew someone was holding out for an offer that he hoped would make him a millionaire. I find it sad that beautiful land miles and miles from a city is being developed. But I get a bit of pleasure when I see traffic backed up for miles during rush hour. Serves ya right folks! 

"High Tea with Twinkies"

I thought I'd have a bit of fun with this. Mixing fine Wedgewood china with one of the grossest junk foods from my childhood. It turned out okay. If you have any other suggestions for other humorous still life's, let me know!

"19th Century TV"

Back in the late 19th Century and the early 20th, folks would sit around the parlor after dinner and pass around stereoptic cards and view them through their viewers. Pretty much the equivalent to watching tv. The variety of cards was almost endless, from humorous short stories, to landscapes and foreign travel photos, to bible stories and historic events. I've had a collection of them since I was a teenager, but these days, they're so expensive, I haven't bought any in years. I thought a viewer and a couple slides would make a cool painting. 

"The House Whisperer"

This block of apartments is just north of Detroit's Cultural center and a bock south of the historic For Piquette Plant. It looks like its ben vacant for many years. But it also appears someone has a vision for the building and is just starting to rehab it. Godspeed to you! At one time, this would have been torn down and there would be an empty lot there today. Now, people are finally seeing the benefit of fixing up old buildings. I look forward to the day when I can do a painting of the fully restored site.