"Alstronaut"

 

Okay, I'm running out of bad puns and variations of the name Alstroemeria. But since we're limited in the flowers we can bring indoors, I'll probably keep on m=painting them. Here's this weeks installment. 

"Grand Haven Lighthouse"

 

This was a rare commissioned piece I recently did. I really don't like painting from other people' photos, but in this case I had to. It was quite a dramatic sky, pretty close to the way I painted it. However, as you know, photographs tend to distort colors, so it isn't actually as bright in the flesh. On of the days, I should do a road trip around Michigan and photograph/paint all the lighthouses. 

"Lemon Balm"

 

Second sketch of some herbs. 

"Chives"

 

This is a bit like my veg-a-sketch paintings. Done quickly in a minimalist manner. I think this is going to turn into a series of paintings. Look for many more to come as the growing season progresses. I've got plenty of subjects starting out in my herb garden. Happy Spring everyone! 

"Random Objects. Or are they?" #2.

 

The second installment in a series of these. Enjoy! Suggestions welcome. 

"Anscoflex II"

Just sort of a crude, relatively cheaply-made camera. The green leather case is kind of different. 

 

"Alstronomical"

 

Another day, another painting of an Alstroemeria! Not sure if I've mentioned it, but there are so many flowers poisonous to cats, we have to be careful about which ones we bring into the house. This is one of the safe bets. So naturally, I gravitate to painting these. I'll try to pick different colors and compositions to help keep things interesting. 

"Random Objects. Or are they?"

 

I haven't done a still life in a while. So I thought it would be fun to put a few unrelated objects on a cloth and do a painting of them. There's no actual theme except in the way they're interpreted by the viewer. They could be part of a crime scene. I though it could be part of a game where each participant picks one of the items and starts/continues a story involving them. I think I'll do a series of them. Maybe I could turn them into game cards or something. 

"Light up the Sky"

 

One afternoon last Fall, I noticed this incredible sky. I went down to our local park and walked along the boardwalk. When I noticed this Victorian style lamp, I loved the way it looked against the sky. Voila! Eight months later I turned it into a painting. 

"Magnolia Heaven"

 

A Magnolia tree in its full glory. Here are a few of the flowers basking in the full sun. They only last a week or so, but they sure are beautiful! 

"Bloody Sunset"

 

This had to be one of the most dramatic sunset I've ever seen. The clouds were absolutely blood red. And I loved the way the sky went from a pale blue to a light yellow at the horizon. 

"Two Red Helicopters"

 

It pays to look down. I don't recall ever seeing red maple pods before. I found these in our local park a couple weeks ago. Not sure if they drop in the fall too, but they looked so pretty, I just had to do a paint-sketch of them. 

"New Haven Silos"

 

Right on the edge of New Haven, a rural town north of Detroit, is this ramshackle compound. Based on the checked pattern of the silo, I'm guessing it had something to do with Purina. But I'm not sure about that. If you know the history of this complex, feel free to email me. I figured I'd better paint it while it was still standing. Not sure it'll be around. 

"Tulip 2fer"

 

Just a couple of tulips. These days, we're a bit limited as far as the flowers we can bring into the house. I had no idea there were that many plants that were poisonous to cats. So you'll be seeing some of that same flowers from time to time. I'll just have to approach them differently.

"Magnolia & Me"

 

Walking through our local park, I noticed that most of the magnolia petals had been blown off the trees. It made a beautiful carpet of color on the bright green grass. Then my shadow look intriguing. So I turned it into a painting. When I was done I noticed how 2-dimensial it looked. The scene, minus my shadow would make an interesting wallpaper. 

"St. Columba"

 

This beautiful Episcopalian church was closed a few years ago. I recall a catholic church a few blocks away invited the parish to join them and use their church for services. The two congregations marched over to the new church (St. Ambrose) on the Sunday this one shuttered for the last time. It's completely surrounded by fields--The Prairies of Detroit, as I like to call them. Maybe someday it will reopen. 

"Again with the Lily"

 

Okay, I painted another Lily. What can I say? They're just so much fun to paint. And now that I've done a few in a realistic style, I'm experimenting with a looser style. Since they come in so many colors, it'll be a while before I run out of Lily subjects to paint.