"Mushrooms"

 

A Veg-A-Sketch of some white mushrooms. This got me thinking--there are a ton of different varieties of mushrooms. Why not do a whole series of them? I think I just might pursue this. Look for more'shroomies in the very near future!

"Take Your Pick"

 

We went out apple picking for my wife's birthday last month. It was an absolutely glorious fall day in Michigan. The sky was a brilliant blue and the temperature was in the upper 60s. Just perfect. The orchard had a ton of apple varieties I'd never heard of, and since we were picking much earlier than usual, there were some interesting apples to choose from. When we normally pick, in late October, only boring apples like Macintosh and Golden and Red Delicious are in season. We truly lucked out this year! 

"Bathroom Door-Late Afternoon"

 

A bathroom door would hardly seem like a likely subject for a painting. But I often find beauty in the strangest places. In this case, the afternoon sun was creating the most beautiful shadows. I simply had to paint it. I think it works.

"Laundry Day-Amish Country"

 

I recently spent a week with my cousin in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the heart of Amish country. Needless to say, I took a ton of photos, which will soon be transformed into a series of paintings. This is the first one. As you may or may not know, the Amish live a simple life and have largely shunned the ways of the 20th Century. They wear plain, unpretentious clothes and on any given day, one can spot laundry like these colorful dresses, hanging out to dry. 

"Hanging Around"

 

Saw these leaves at a local park. They were backlit and the colors were almost neon. And surreal. I was absolutely stunned by the way they looked. If you saw the photo I painted from, you'd believe just how intense the colors were. I used to hate Fall, but now that I'm painting, it's given me a whole new perspective and appreciation for the season. 

"Orchid You Not"

 

My wife recently got this gorgeous orchid and it reminded me just how many thousands of varieties there are. She placed it in front of one of our leaded glass windows, and I though it would make a perfect painting. I think I'm going to start a series of paintings of just the orchids I've seen lately. A daunting task indeed!

"Beacon"

 

This is one the the latest camera purchases. I thought it had a interesting shape to it. And I was pleasantly surprised that the leather case was in pristine condition. As with many of the cameras of this era, it was just black and white. So I picked a bright yellow for the background. It's my 41st camera painting and I'm closing in on the magic number of 50! That's the amount I feel I'll need to publish a book of my works. The real job of getting an agent is about to begin. 

"White Berries or Barry White?"

 

Visited Lake Erie Metropark, and for the first time, the trail wasn't under water. It's looked like many of the plants had gone to seed, and there were a number of unusual berry bushes full of berries. I don't recall ever seeing white berries like this before. For this painting, I tried to figure out a way to make the background look out of focus. I did it by painting the branches then spreading it with my fingers. I think it kind of works. 

"Barn No. 81"

 

Every couple weeks or so, I drive out into the country in search of barns. When you live in an area like Detroit, it seems like you have to drive further and further to find farmland. Well, about three weeks ago I did some barnstorming in St. Clair County and found a fair number of beautiful old barns. This is the first in a series of paintings I plan on doing. 

"Sky High"

 

Out on a late afternoon walk and the sky was quite dramatic. Then I noticed these odd looking plants. Aha! Perfect against the backdrop of the billowy clouds. 

"I Want My Maple Leaf"

 

I'm sure none of the younger viewers will get the reference in the title. Anyway, I spotted a bunch of red maples lit by a late afternoon sun. They had a glow that made them look like gemstones. I'm not sure if I try captured what they looked like, but I'm trying. 

"Homegrown Tomatoes"

 

Here's a sampling of some of the tomatoes from our garden. We had to pick some of them when they were still green, just ahead of the unruly squirrels who take one bite out of them, then leave them to rot! They sure don't look like the perfect ones from the grocery store do they? But they're sure full of flavor. 

"Fall Classics"

 

A still life of some of the apples we packed a couple weeks ago. Interesting the wide range of shapes and colors. I thought I'd throw in a baseball since it is that season, after all. If things were normal, I might actually care about baseball. Are they actually going to have a World Series this year. Is it on anyone's radar? 

"Autum Veil"

 

Took a walk in a local park in the late afternoon. I really enjoyed the way the sun was shining on the Fall leaves. Then I noticed these seed pods hanging from the branches. What an interesting sight.