Dunes and Porter Creek

I am honored to have a painting accepted into the Muskegon Regional Exhibition for 2012.

The exhibit will run from May 31 - August 8, 2012 at the Muskegon Museum of Art in Muskegon, Michigan. 

Dunes and Porter Creek, oil on linen, 24x24, $2300.

"Dunes and Porter Creek" was inspired by my favorite beach in the Nordhouse Dunes area in the Manistee National Forest. Porter Creek is a small stream emptying into Lake Michigan. The dunes surrounding the creek and along the shoreline have changed dramatically over the many years that I have been camping there. A few years ago a fierce wind storm changed the dune landscape. Sadly many trees and branches littered the dunes. The worst part was the trash washed up onto the shore. Many kind folks spent their vacation hours cleaning up the beaches. To this day, trash continues to litter these pristine areas after storms and currents carry the trash to our beaches. I am hoping that in some small way, we can all do our part to eliminate littering and to be more conscience of keeping our earth beautiful for all future generations.

Festival Regional Arts Exhibition - 2012

These four paintings were accepted in the 2012 Festival of the Arts Exhibition in Grand Rapids, MI. The exhibit and opening reception is at the GR Press Building, May 25, from 5:00 - 8:30 pm. More info can be found at Festival 2012. The exhibit will run until Saturday, June 9.

Awaiting Fields, pastel, 18x12

Daffodil Bouquet, pastel, 12x9

October Moon, oil, 6x6, SOLD

Towards Evening, oil, 12x24

Spring Bouquets

Lilacs and Pear, pastel, 12x12, $850. framed
I was so captivated by these lilacs and quickly arranged them into a vase. One of my lilac bushes  is of a darker red violet color and the  younger bushes are the typical light lavender. I just set the branches in a vase and they seemed to arrange themselves in a pleasing manner. I had not really planned on adding the pear, until I started blocking in the composition. I like how the pear helps lead the eye up to the lilacs. Also, I changed the table cloth color to a pale orange to complete the triadic color scheme. The lilac scent is still lingering in my studio.

Daffodil Bouquet, pastel, 12x9, SOLD
I actually painted this still life last spring.  Recently, I took it out of storage and decided that it was a lovely little painting, that just need a few more strokes of yellow green leaves on the forsythia. I framed it and it makes me smile when I look at it. Very cheery!

Petite Daffodils, oil, 10x8I am pleased with the color combinations in this painting.

Thanks for looking! 

Painting Tulips

Tulip Garden, oil on linen panel, 11x14
Last Sunday, I met up with Barb Schilling and Barb Berens to paint at Veldheer Tulip Gardens in Holland, MI. As you can see, it was a beautiful sunny day, a little on the cool side. This is my painting, which I hope to use as a study for a larger studio painting, maybe in pastel. This painting will appear on my web site some time this month.

Tulip Beds, oil, 6x6, 2011, $250. framed SOLD
Last years painting at Veldheers in Holland.

Barb Schilling painting the tulips and windmill.

Barb Berens working on a closeup of the tulips.

Another study of a flowering tree and the brilliant tulips. oil, 6x8, $100. uf