"Backyard Bounty"

This is the season when all the vegetables are ripening at the same time. I thought I'd put a bunch of them in this old colander we had and put in on our kitchen table. I think it has a cool look to it. The tomatoes ranged from green to super ripe. And there were a couple heirloom ones to boot. Most of them were from our backyard garden, but the yellow squash and the zucchini was from our neighborhood commune. Nice to have such a variety of vegetables! 

"Trunk Space"

Hike in a local park which was pretty boring. The hiking trail was paved and it was in the middle of an urban area. However I did spot this scene, so the day was salvaged. I don't think I'll have to visit Dodge Park again.  

"Falcon Minicam"

I thought this was a pretty cool looking camera. So I bought it! I'm always surprised by how inexpensive she of these unusual cameras can be had on eBay. I've got about eight or 10 cameras and I'm running out of shelve space, so I'm going to have to stop buying them. I'll just have to ask everyone I know if they have any old cameras around their houses that I can borrow to paint. 

"Tomatoes"

Some almost ripe tomatoes from our garden. I tried to make them look a little green--definitely not an easy task. Not sure if I was totally successful or not. But I gave it my best. Another in my Veg-A-Sketch series. 

"Purple Hibiscus"

I spotted this unusual flower while walking around Greenfield Village a few weeks ago. I don't recall ever seeing a Hibiscus this color before. It was so intense I just knew it was bound for the canvas. I recently bought a bunch of new brushes that I just love. This may sound weird, but they've inspired me to paint in a looser style. I think it works pretty well with this subject and I look forward to using them from now on! 

"Broccoli"

Not much to say about this Veg-A-Sketch. The shadows were a bit on the orange side, so that's the way I painted them. Not sure if I like the way they turned out. 

"Keystone Everflash"

This was an interesting camera. Almost half the camera body is devoted to the flash. What's the point of that? Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool. 

"Edison Power Station"

I've been fascinated by Thomas Edison since I was a little kid. I've recently read several biographies about the man and am still in awe of his genius. I'm so fortunate to live close to Greenfield Village. Henry Ford was a huge fan of Edison's and included several buildings that figured prominently in his life. One of these is this power station. It's beautifully preserved and I love seeing it every time I visit.

"Peaches"

I just love seeing the subtle variations found in nature. In this case, the different coloring in peaches. Another in my Veg-A-Sketch series. 

"Black eyed Suzies"

Just a few Rudbekia I found last week. I tried doing them in a looser style with some new brushes I recently bought. I really like the way they handle the paint. 

"Cherries"

Hey, I always thought cherries were cherries. But upon closer inspection, I was kinda surprised and the subtle variations in size and color. I hope I've captured that in this latest Veg-A-Sketch. 

"Yellow-ocity"

On my hikes, I'm always surprised at how few flowers I encounter. Granted, I mainly hike in deeply wooded areas. But I recently hike at a park that had a lot of open fields and there were plenty of flowers in bloom. Here's are some yellow daisies I found. 

"Such a View!"

While driving around, I noticed these two chairs facing the corner with this huge bolder in front of them. It looked so stupid I thought it was worthy of committing it to canvas. Ya just never know when or where a painting-worthy scene will turn up!

"Zukes"

Another Veg-A-Sketch. I think this one turned out kinda neat. 

"Loranger Gristmill"

This is one of the first sights you encounter when you enter Greenfield Village. It's a beautiful gristmill. And it's one more in my collection of paintings from this incredible outdoor museum. I'm hoping to turn these into notecards to be sold in the village's gift shop. I recently visited the village and took a ton of reference photos for future paintings. So look for them in the next month or two! 

"Onions"

Love the contrast between the three colors of onions. Another Veg-A-Sketch. 

"Helicopters"

While not a fruit or vegetable, I'm still including these as part of my Veg-A-Sketch series because of the approach I take in painting them. Back to my regular subjects soon. 

"Burgundian Lily"

While out on a walk a few weeks ago, I came across this patch of Burgundy colored lilies. I'd never seen lilies with such intense colors. I definitely had to paint these. I know the colors look fake, but that's exactly what they looked like. I'm just amazed at the wide varieties of lilies out there. Look for more to come. 

"Argus Autronic"

One of the weirder cameras from the 50's or 60's. It always surprises me just how much these cameras weigh. This little guy must weigh at least a pound. All glass and metal. They sure don't make anything like this anymore.