Poppies for Renee, 4' x 3'



















This was painted with a knife and is the largest work that I have painted in this manor in some time. Look at the detail below where you can get a better idea of the richness of the surface and color. Renee owns Mod Squad Salon in Saline, MI. This piece will be installed in the salon later this week. Stop by and take a look!

Detail of Poppies for Renee

Poppies 12" x 24"










Sunflowers with Red Underpainting 16" x 20"















Both pieces were painted "thickly" with a palette knife. The sunflower was painted over a red under-painting which is one of my favorite ways to paint. Especially for things that I want to give the illusion of being bathed in sunlight. Reason being is that cool light creates warm shadows and vice-a-versa. So the red lends to the shadow areas and the small bits of red left in the would-be sky are just for fun!

Poppies in the Sun, 20" x 16"



















This is the first "finished" of a series of several small paintings(all under 2 feet square or less) that I am creating using a palette knife to apply the paint. It's not that I prefer painting with the knife or the brush, but I do enjoy being able to take a break from one to work with the other. The knife leaves an interesting surface and the thickness of the paint makes for intensely rich color. I am quite pleased with this one!

Tiny Lilies in the Sun - 12" x 24"










Japanese Iris - 12" x 16"



















Here are a couple of pieces I just finished today! Both were inspired by flowers from my garden; though these were started when the real flowers bloomed back in June!

Sunflower Triptyk







This triptyk is composed of three 12" square canvases all painted with a knife. This fun and juicy piece traveled with me to the Ann Arbor Art fair where it went home with a local collector; one who always picks my favorites!

Thank you to those who stopped by my new location in the South U fair. It was a great week with steady crowds and great weather; which is always a good thing for the artists! My next show is in Perrysburg, OH which is an affluent suburb of Toledo. This show is awesome in that it has great jurying, it's only 120 artists booths with lots of parking, dining and shopping all around it in Levis Commons outdoor/lifestyle mall. Hope to see you there August 22 and 23. I have a great spot right in front of the Arhaus Furniture store.

Just finished setting up at the Ann Arbor South University Art Fair!! Come and see me at booth E106. I am on E. University just 2 booths south of S. University. I will have lots of new work, which I don't have time to post it all today. Here a couple of new items with more to come later!

Lily of the Valley, 14" x 11"





















South Haven Memory 4' x 2'

Hollyhocks, 36" x 24" original oil painting



















I have spent a lot of time outside this spring working on my gardens. Hoping to grow lots different things to paint as well as eat! My hollyhocks are not up yet, but the subject seemed fitting for spring. This piece is traveling with me to ArtBirmingham this weekend. Those of you in southeastern Michigan, stop on by and say hello. You can get more information at: http://festival.bbartcenter.org My booth is A11 and I am setting up right next to my dear friend Sarah Stanton and her cool jewelry. Cross your fingers for pleasant weather!!!

This piece has been donated to a Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley
for their annual charity auction this Friday, 4-24-09. Details are posted on their website.

About the painting:
An original oil on gallery wrapped(frame is not required) canvas.
Size is 4' x 5'. This image was was inspired from two sunflowers that actually grew in this manner in my garden. Sunflowers in particular are a common subject
as I am drawn to imagery that renews hope, our connection to the earth and
each other.

What makes this a cool piece for Habitat for Humanity is that the sunflower represents community and it's iconic use has been documented back to the earliest centuries. Here are a few tidbits about the sunflower that give it a great connection to Habitat's cause:

"The sunflower always seeks the light and will turn towards it no matter where it is planted. The sunflower always reaches upward toward the sun. The sunflower itself is an image of radiance and light. Its circular shape connotes eternity, community and unity. The seeds of the sunflower are different shapes and sizes. The seeds are also highly visible and open to the scrutiny of the world; and yet they spread themselves all over this world (like the spreading of the good news). The sunflower rises tall above all the other plants but never looks down on them. It doesn't cast much of a shadow so other plants can grow along side it."

Tulips II - 2' x 4' original oil painting











This is what they looked like a few days after the last painting I posted. It's a fun composition and the tulips were a little challenging to paint in that they moved all day long as the blooms continued to open. The piece is painted on panel mounted on a 2" wood cradle. The panel was specially prepared with acrylic Gesso and a drywall knife which makes a cool surface to paint on. Also, I have been using walnut oil as a medium for my oil paints which is non-toxic and literally edible; until I mix it with cadmium!

Happy Easter!















A little piece for the holiday. 16 x 20 inches on 3/4" canvas. I painted this from life; a little pot of spring tulips I picked up at Kroger.