Garden #4

Garden #4 is another in the series of garden paintings I am working on. This is a "plein air" oil painting created in the secluded patio garden of this lovely home set in it's own little valley. The patio garden features a beautiful array of plants. There are many other striking views of the landscape surrounding this property.

Garden Painting, #3

Garden #3 is one in a series of garden paintings I have been working on this past Summer and Fall. This historic property is filled with flower beds and many other characteristics that catch the artists eye. Along with other plein air artists plans are underway to exhibit these paintings at one of the selected gardens next June.

Four Seasons at Geddes Farm

The Plein Air Artists of AAWA have gathered at the Geddes Farm in each of the Four Seasons to paint on location or photograph the scenery and architecture of this historic farm. The artists will present an exhibit of their work from November 2 through November 30, 2011 at Moonwinks Cafe in the historic Village of Dixboro. This exhibit has been a year in the making. A dozen artists with work in oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel and colored pencil will be on display. The one pictured here is my version of the Shed in Spring.

2011 Our Town Art Show

My daughter Tammy and I just returned from the Opening Night Party of the Our Town Show in Birmingham This is a lovely exhibit and I'm honored to be one of the participating artists. I have three oil paintings included in the show.
The festivities also included cocktails, a strolling supper, desserts and music as well as the incredible display of art work. There were 356 pieces of artwork from 181 Michigan artists. The event was well attended and we enjoyed seeing a few familiar faces.

Sunset, St. Peter Cathedral

It's been some time since I've created a post. Now that an extremely busy summer is coming to a close it's time to catch up. I'll start with the finished painting of St. Peter Cathedral. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this painting and bringing it to a successful conclusion. For reasons I don't always understand, I was driven to create this scene. I'm pleased that it has been accepted into two juried exhibits. The Ann Arbor Women Artist's Summer Exhibit at Riverside Art Center in Ypsilanti and the Our Town Exhibit at the Community House in Birmingham, October 13 - 15, 2011.

A painting in progress

I thought it might be fun to post a painting that was in progress and hopefully bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. The inspiration for this piece came very unexpectedly. While on a plein air painting meet we had spent the day with other artists in Marquette in Michigan's Upper Peninsula exploring the painting possibilities, sketching and painting along the Lake Superior shoreline. Very beautiful with lots of crashing waves and dramatic skies. That evening on our way back to the motel we chanced to drive down Baraga Street and there ahead of us was St. Peter's Cathedral silhouetted against the setting sun. The Cathedral was aglow and a string of streetlights seemed to point the way. I was mesmerized and stopped in the middle of the street to take some pictures. Actually I did pull over and park. My minivan is included in one of the photos I used as a reference for this painting. I was caught up in a beautiful moment and whether I chose it or it chose me I knew I would have to paint this scene. I find it's best to go with your inspirations. The memory of them will nag you until you do something about it. I usually have several rattling around in my head before I can act on them. I've always been attracted to Nocturnes and have painted a few successfully so let's hope this one is among them. I started this 20"x24" oil painting on linen that I prepared with gesso and used a thin under painting of terra rosa. Using several photos and my memory of that unforgettable place I sketched out the composition with a charcoal pencil. The painting isn't too far along yet but I hope you can gain some insight into my process.