"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.