Flower Fields

Last Saturday, I attended the PAAWM paint out held at the Merizon Studio farm. It is beautiful property and the day was perfect for painting! The fields were filled with wild daylilies, sweet peas, and crown vetch. The field with the lone tree caught my eye, even though the tree was front lit, I was up for the challenge. I used my shade umbrella so the palette and panel were shaded from the sun. That helped with keeping my values true. I concentrated on using color temperature and slight value changes to keep the tree from blending into the background tree line.

Work in progress.
I made some changes after taking a short break.

Armond's Flower Fields, oil, 11x14

I may be using this study for a larger painting!

New Work at North Seas

Croissants Today, pastel, 12x16, $900.

This blog will feature the new paintings that I delivered to North Seas Gallery last week. I hope you enjoy them and can visit the gallery in beautiful Charlevoix this summer!

A New Morning, pastel, 12x6, $395. SOLD

Bridge Street Bridge, pastel, 8x20, $800.SOLD

Pristine Morning, pastel, 9x12, $500.

Sailing Along, pastel, 12x6, $395.SOLD

Sailing Lake Charlevoix, pastel, $985. 

Shoreline Dusk, pastel, $395.SOLD

Charlevoix Sunset, oil, 16x20, $1600.SOLD

Peonies and Nectarines II

Peony Bouquet, oil, 8x8, $400. framed SOLD

Peonies, Cherries and Nectarines, oil, 6x6, $250.

Rose and Nectarines, oil, 5x7


Three more still lifes that were painted before we recently went on a vacation. Although I have not checked, I'll bet the peonies are finished in the garden:(. I love traveling and will post some more plein air work painted in northern Michigan.  These plein air studies will be used in upcoming pastel work for the next show at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. Also, the new work now at North Seas Gallery in Charlevoix will be posted soon on this blog. North Seas Gallery is a treasure with many fine antiques and masterful paintings. 

Nectarines and Peonies

Arrangement With Nectarines, oil, 8x8, $400.

Well, peonies have been blooming and for once, my white peonies are looking good. I have been really focused on painting them in my small still lifes. Also, I have discovered how nice the nectarines look in the still life and I love painting them. Here are the first three paintings.

Nectarines and White Peonies, oil, 6x6, SOLD

Silver Bowl of Nectarines, oil, 6x6, SOLD

New Gallery in Scottsdale

I am now represented on-line byXanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. I have a webpage for the Galleries' Website and their clients can browse through my available paintings. Check the Xanadu Gallery link and you will see the first few paintings available. More work will be added every week. When work starts to sell from the online web page, then I will be able to exhibit my paintings at the actual Scottsdale Gallery.
Just added to the webpage:

Western Sunrise, oil on linen panel, 16x20, $1600.

Artprize Venue Secured

Yeah! I officially have secured a venue for this year's Artprize! The venue is the Old Federal Building - "THE SPOT", on Pearl Street between Ottawa and Ionia. It is a very cool looking venue with the exposed brick work, large walls and good lighting. My painting will be an oil, 40x60, titled "Elements of Rock and Water". While I have done many paintings of water...since we live in a state almost surrounded by large lakes, the rocks are a new type of landscape subject, esp. the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
I have completed a pastel painting that will serve as my study.

Elements of Rock and Water, pastel, 20x30, NFS...yet.

I will be posting some progress photos that took while working on this painting. Stay tuned.
Thanks for viewing my art!

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.