"Carrots"

One more in the Veg-A-Sketch series. Not sure howe many more I'm going to do. Might be time to move on. 

"Geranimo"

I just loved the way this single Geranium flower cast a distinctive shadow on the sidewalk. It was midday on our back porch. I like the composition as well. 

"Diana-F"

I had no idea there was a camera called the Diana. It's amazing to me just how many camera companies there were in the U.S. My wife's name is Diana, so I had to buy one of these. I've been looking for some new backgrounds and decided to search my closet. Viola! I have a bunch of Hawaiian shirts that'll do the trick. Here's the first one featuring one of them--look for more to come! 

"A Wood's Hole"

While walking in a local park, I found this unusual hole in an old tree trunk. But when I painted it, I decided to use a looser approach which seemed to give it an almost abstract appearance. I could have spent hours including eery tiny haircrack in the painting but I think this approach worked even better. Plus, I'll admit, I can be pretty lazy at times. 

"Radishes"

I was a bit surprised by the intensity of the red of these radishes. Not sure if this quickie painting does them justice. With the contrasting green, it looks sort of Christmasy. And it's only July! What am I thinking!?!?I'm probably going to end up with a dozen of these Veg-A-Sketches. Then it's time to move on. Maybe they'd make decent note cards. Or small prints suitable for a kitchen? 

"Suitcase Bear"

This could also be titled "Memories of childhood". My Dzjadzi (Polis Grandpa) made this suitcase for me when I was born. He was handy with his hands and loved working in wood. The teddy bear was given to me by my Godmother, Aunt Mary Jane. I've somehow managed to keep both of these through the years. They may be a little worn out, but they've survived somehow. 

"Acorn Squash"

I visited our local grocery story recently on a mission to buy some fruits and vegetables to paint. I noticed this almost surrealistically-colored acorn squash. Perfect! Now that I've painted it. it looks almost fake. But this is truly what it looked like. I did the painting from a photo, hence the half on the right is slightly bigger--it was closer to the lens. If I had painted it plain aire, so to speak, I might have made them the same size. 

"Daggett Farmhouse"

I noticed this attractive scene on a recent visit to Greenfield Village. The contrast between the orange door and the gray farmhouse was striking. Knowing how the Village adheres to historical accuracy, I'm sure it was close to the original color combination. And I think it makes an interesting painting. 

"Green Onions"

Another Veg-A-Sketch painting. I really like doing these. I take about ten minutes to really study the subject before doing anything. Then I pick my palette--I try to limit the colors I use. Then I quickly paint. Sometimes I do a little shading before I paint the main subject. Then I darken the shadow closest to the object. 

"It's Pop!"

I thought I'd do another before & after painting. Here are a couple bottles of pop, (that's what it is in Michigan, folks) and the ingredients that go into them. Along with countless chemicals and dyes, I'm sure. I like the simplicity of the background, I think it helps draw your eye to the things that are important in the painting. Now, what do I follow it up with? I have a few ideas brewing, but I'm always open to suggestions. 

"Peppers"

Another quickie Veg-A-Sketch. Maybe these would make decent post cards? Dunno. Always looking for something to do with my paintings. Suggestions welcome. 

"Window Framed"

Visited Greenfield Village last weekend and took a ton of photos. I'm planning on adding to my series of sites in the Village. While walking past the glass blowing studio I noticed the building next door. Not sure what it was, but this scene grabbed my attention. 

"Bananas"

Some pretty darn ripe bananas. If you have any suggestions of what to add to my Veg-A-Sketch collection, send me an email. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve. 

"Grapes"

Not much to say about this one. Just another in the series of Veg-A-Sketches. 

"Mushroom Tree"

I found this oddball scene last fall at Indian Springs Metropark. The tree had several colonies of fungi growing on it. In fact, there were several clumps of unusually colored mushrooms in the park. definitely more paintings in the making. 

"Beets"

Just a quickie Veg-A-Sketch of some beets. If I had to do them over again, I would have made them a bit darker. But I think they turned out okay. 

"Green Pepper"

Another painting in my Veg-A-Sketch series. I enjoy doing these as a warm-up to working on paintings on canvas. I do these loosely in less than an hour. I plan ahead then just sort of bang 'em out. 

"Spartus 35F"

I just can't believe how many unusual looking cameras there are out there. This is one of the oddest. I bought it a couple weeks ago, mainly to paint it. I got it off Ebay and didn't spend much on it. However, I need to slow down buying these old cameras, or I'm going to run out of shelf space for them!

"Asparagus"

This is the second painting in a series of what I've dubbed Veg-A-Sketches. I'm doing several quick paintings on Strathmore Acrylic paper. My approach is to do them quickly, with thin paint--sort of like watercolor.s Now that I'm doing these, it's making me think I need to explore watercolors in the very near future. 

"Alstro Plane"

I recently went to Trader Joe's to buy some flowers. While waiting for my wife to shop, I ended up taking a bunch of pix of their flowers and, I admit, I didn't end up buying any. Guilty as charged! However, this alstroemerias certainly stood out and this is the resulting painting. 

"Glove Story"

Since it's summer, I thought I'd do something baseball related. I dug around in our basement and found my old glove. I was going to do a more elaborate setup but opted for keeping it simple. I had this weird sensation while painting this. Not only did it bring back a flood of memories, but it seemed like every painting decision I made, (brush strokes, color choices, etc.) just seemed to fall into place. It was almost like it painted itself. Hard to explain. Hope you like it! 

"Drop Shadows"

There's a tiny nature preserve a couple miles from where I live. There isn't much in the way of dramatic scenery, but It's nice to stop in every week or so to see what each season has to offer. I saw these shadows late one afternoon. I like the shape of them and have always been fascinated by shadows. 

"Berry Nice"

This was the first time I've used a painting pad. It allowed me to work quickly and loosely without using a canvas. The upside is the surface is nice and smooth. The downside is it's not as well gessoed as a canvas--especially since i usually coat a new canvas with a thin layer of white acrylic paint. This painting was inspired by one I saw online. I'm thinking of doing a series of loosely rendered fruits and vegetables. Suggestions welcome. I also think doing one before starting a painting session will loosen me up.