"Tree Lighting. Unceremoniously"

 

Found on a night hike recently. I think there may have been a tree on the right that bit the dust. Made for a surreal sight for sure. I love the way light plays on the snow. 

"Rex 127"

 

This was a camera sold at Recall Drug Stores. Anyone remember those? We had one a few block from our house. I must say, it was one of the ugliest and most unfriendly drug stores I ever visited. I don't know why I even went into it, but I certainly was a curious kid. So that might explain it. It was a no-frills kind of place. The paper cup holder was popular in our local Sanders eatery. All the local soda fountains used them. Ah, memories  of the 1960's! 

"Lakeshore Drive, 10 p.m."

Out on a walk on a freezing cold evening. Love this stretch of road along the lake. So desolate and peaceful. The occasional car snapped me back to reality. 

 

"Snowscape Playscape2"

 

Love the way the winter sun produces long shadows. This is the second in a series of sketches I did of a playground in a nearby park. It was right after a snowstorm and I got there before there were any footprints in the snow. 

"Boston Lettuce"

 

Haven't done a Veg-A-Sketch in a while. Seems like I've painted just about every fruit and vegetable sold at Kroger's. In the springtime, I'll have to scour the local farmer's market for some more unusual varieties. Or maybe I'll have to hit the Mexican grocery store. 

"Christ Church Grosse Pointe"

 

I walked around this beautiful Neo-Gothic church the other night. There were no lights on it, so I parked my car in an adjacent lot and aimed the headlights at the church. It created just enough illumination to grab a couple pix of it. And the cloudy night sky glowed with dramatic light pollution. Maybe I'll try to get inside for some additional paintings! 

"Daisy. Daisy."

 

I needed to do a couple flower paintings to cheer me up in the middle of a long winter. This is one of the quick. loose ones I did. A couple daisies from my favorite store--Trader Joe's. 

"Saint Valentine's Day Roses"

 

My wife bought these beautiful roses for Saint Valentine's Day and I just couldn't not paint them. I thought I'd give them a looser treatment. I think it turned out okay. 

"Warren Bank"

 

Another in my series of old bank buildings of Detroit. Found this one on East Warren. It's definitely sen better days. Plenty of modifications, but you can still tell it used to be a beautiful building at one time. No shortage of subjects to paint in this town, that's for sure. 

"Pumpkin Stand"

 

This Fall I visited my cousin in Amish country. We spent a lot of time driving and hiking around this beautiful place. On a morning walk, I came across this pumpkin stand on a wagon. These are the pumpkins used to make pumpkin pies--not the ones used to make Jack O'Lanterns And it was on the honor system, so we stole a bunch of them! (Just kidding). We ended up buying several decorative gourds. 

"HRH Lizzie"

 

This is our cat Lizzie. She's an Abyssinian and she acts like she's defended from royalty, hence the HRH title. She's friendly but not really a cuddler. Here she is in a rare moment when she actually sat on my legs. In reality, she's a lot more beautiful than my painting would indicate. Hey, animal portraits aren't easy! 

"SnoBirch"

I just never get tired of painting Birch trees. I found list clump of 'em at a local park, right after a snowstorm. I love the way the snow nestled into the crotch of the tree. And it was a gorgeous, sunny day. What's not to love?!?!

 

"The g-spot"

 

I was out documenting the old bank buildings of Detroit when I spotted this little gem. It was on Gratiot Ave. so I assume the "g" stands for Gratiot, but one never knows for sure. It looks like it was originally painted a beige color--not sure which one I like better. I wonder what it's like inside. This city is filled with old theatrres, which might be another project. 

"Ciro 35"

 

For some reason, I became fascinated with the Wollensak name. So I ended up buying a 220 and a 35 mm camera from the company. They're both pretty cool looking. 

"Peachy Lily"

 

An absolutely beautiful Lily I found it Trader Joe's. I tried to get as close as possible to the actual color and, truth be told, the photo doesn't do it justice. It's a lot peachy in the actual painting. 

"Church Man"

 

While walking around this church at night, I happened to walk in front of the floodlights. What a cool effect--a 50-foot shadow of me! And with the bare branches of the tree hanging down, it created an eerie scene for sure. 

"GP Memorial Church"

 

It was a full moon about a week ago, so I thought I'd hit a few favorite sights around town. This church rivals just about anything you'd find in Europe, although original Gothic churches outdate this one by about 800 years. Still, the design and craftsmanship are absolutely superb. 

"Sacred Heart Chapel"

 

This is the chapel at what used to be know as the Sacred Heart Academy, know the Grosse Pointe Academy I got married in this chapel, which is absolutely beautiful inside. If I ever get access to it, I'd love to do a painting of it. 

"Orangarinos"

 

I was on my way out the door when I noticed the late afternoon sun shining on these blood oranges. I took a quick snap and didn't really think about it until I looked at the photo later. I thought it had a casual, informal, and spontaneous feel to it. The composition isn't balanced, which I kind of like. And the bright color of the oranges really contrast with with black granite countertop. 

"Snowscape Playscape"

 

Another abstract looking snow scene I found at Balduck Park. 

"Really a Lily"

There's just something about lilies that make them so fun to paint. Maybe it's the simplicity of their lines. Maybe it's their wide range of vibrant colors. Who knows? I seem to come back to them over and over. Guilty!