"Another Green World"

 

Some beautiful foliage I spotted at the Belle Isle Conservatory. Sometimes simple is better. 

"Sunlit"

 

Haven't done a "One Word" painting in a while. In this one, I limited my color palette to a few basic colors. I mainly used some acrylic paints I got for free from Sizart. They're pretty bright colors that come in small bottles. They're a bit runny and don't have the same coverage as the higher quality paints I usually use. But hey! They were free and fun to use on something like this. 

"Red Bellied Piranha"

 

Saw these interesting fish at the Belle Isle Aquarium--the oldest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere! It opened in 1904 but went through hard times when Detroit went into bankruptcy. The Friends of Belle Isle have brought it back to life and it's now better than ever. One thing they did was replace the glass in the tanks for the first time since it opened! If you're ever in the area, it's well worth a visit! 

"The Orb"

Found this out walking. The yard had three clumps of birch trees and this weird big blue ceramic globe. I took a quick snap. But I played around with the composition and place the glob on the left rather than in front of the trees. I think it has a zen-like quality to it. 

 

"Charlevoix Sunrise 3/17/22"

 

Sometimes it pays to get up early.  I lucked out when I was witness to this beautiful sunrise. 

"Red Scare"

 

Had fun creating the background with the palette knife. And I love this photo I found of a cardinal. Especially like the backlit feathers. 

"Mack Avenue Sunset 3/16/22"

 

Saw this one last week. Absolutely spectacular. Not sure if those were vapor trails near the horizon, but they added a surreal dimension to the scene. They were even more dramatic in real life. 

"A Good Knight's Rest"

 

Here goes a long story! I've been to New York City countless times over the years. But it wasn't until a trip there there years ago that I finally got around to visiting the Cloisters. I don't know why I've missed it, what with me being a Medieval History major. The place was spectacular and I could have spent several days there. This was right about the time I decided to seriously devote to teaching myself  how to paint.

Well, I've always had a hard time painting the human figure and human faces. They always end up looking like they were done by a five-year old. And an untalented one at that. I started this painting when I got back but got pretty frustrated in how it was turning out. I put it aside figuring I'd finish it down the road when I got better at drawing figures That never happened. So I decided to just go for it and finish it. As you can see, I haven't improved at all. But at least it's done and I can move on, knowing my severe limitations. 

"Lost in Space"

 

I did a space painting for my new grandson a while back. Then I received a nice email from someone whole stumbled across this site. He complimented me on my work and said he especially liked my space painting. So I thought I'd take another crack at one. I can't wait to see the images that are going to come from the new space telescope. Exciting times! 

"Thanks a Bunch"

 

I had Matisse in mind when I painted this one. I tried to keep it loose. I just love what late afternoon sunlight does to a scene. 

"Owl Over"

 

One more in my bird sketch series. 

"Tabula Rosa"

 

I love what the late afternoon sun creates. Here's the shadow of a bunch frosts on our kitchen table. The original looks a lot better, but even with my knowledge of PhotoShop, it doesn't reproduce well. 

"Sun Worshipper"

 

This is my beautiful Abyssinian cat Lizzie. She loves to be warm. She can often be found laying against our steam radiators. Or when the sun is shining, soaking up rays in the window. Here she is in all her feline glory!

"Dear, Deer"

 

While walking in a local park, I was a bit surprised to find these deer tracks. Here we are in the heart of a city, and somehow, deer found a way in. And the par has a fairly tall fence around it, so I'm not sure how it even got in! Gotta love nature. 

"Mack Avenue Sunset 3/5/22"

 

One of the most spectacular sunsets I've seen in a long time! 

"Stumpy"

 

Late afternoon walk around Windmill Point Park. Thought this shadow looked pretty cool. 

"Fernwood Tonight"

 

Looking through my reference photo archive, I found this photo I took quite a while back. So I thought I'd give it a shot by painting it. Not sure if anyone will get the reference in the title. One of the good things about being my age, you can borrow from ancient history for titles! 

"Charlevoix Sunrise 3/1/22"

 

This was one of the strangest skies I've ever seen. As my daughter pointed out, it looked like a giant porthole in the sky. It only lasted about ten minutes or so, so my timing was perfect. I'm enjoying getting up early with the off chance of seeing spectacular in the sky!

"A Wing and a Prayer"

 

Another in my bird series. Confession, I found these images on the interwebs. Hopefully I don't get into trouble for doing so. 

"Charlevoix Sunrise 2/20/22"

 

I've recently started waking up right around sunrise. This has been great because I've been treated to some absolutely spectacular skies. I've photographed them and am enjoying committing them to canvas. Look for these from time to time. 

"Dinner is Served"

 

I tried something new with the background here. I squirted some paint on the canvas and then used a palette knife to spread it around I think it worked out okay. 

"Snow Job"

 

Snowy Owl. While these magnificent birds are usually found in the northern tundra, they regularly com down south in search of food. They can often be spotted at airports--mainly because it's an area that loos like their native terrain. 

"Hey Baldy!"

 

My take on the Bald eagle. Another in my series of sketches of birds. 

"Woody Was Here"

 

Looks like a woodpecker had his way with this tree trunk! I started this painting almost a year ago and finally got around to finishing it. Sometimes it pays to wait. I find I do my best work when I'm in the right frame of mind. I was thinking of calling this one "Holy Moly" Ha-ha-ha-HA-ha! 

Livernois Bank #1"

 

It's sad what's become of these old bank buildings. Most of them are now churches or party stores. The lucky ones are just sitting empty, waiting to be either repurposed or town down. I have a suspicion that the reason so many are still standing is because they were so soundly constructed, they'd be expensive to tear down.