Swan and Cygnets

Swan and Cygnets - 6 x 6 Oil on panel

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This painting is from a photo taken at Kensington Metropark which is right down the road from us.  I have take many photos there and have now painted several paintings en plein air there.  If you are not familiar, it's a beautiful park with over 4000 acres, much of it Kent Lake.  This year you almost can't go anywhere in the park without running into either a sandhill crane or a wild turkey.  We are truly blessed to have this park in our neighborhood.

A Beer Among Friends

A Beer Among Friends - 8 x 6 Oil on Gessobord

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Shopping for groceries the other day, I was surprised to find a "mix and match" of individual beer bottles into a 6-pack.  Most were from microbreweries, with a few from the larger beer companies thrown in.  So I played.

In this piece, if you haven't identified the two beer bottles, I have Michelob Black & Tan and Atwater Brewery Vanilla Java Porter.  Atwater is a local brewery here in Detroit, and the label art was done by the fabulous artist Tony Roko.  He was kind enough to take time out to come and speak to our art association last year and I can tell you he's super nice as well as talented!

This painting presented some challenges, not least of all having to do with drawing.  Accuracy was important in order to capture convincing symmetry, ellipses, and distortions from looking through a clear glass.  But it was great practice, and because I've always been fascinated with the different labels of beer and wine bottles, plan to see at least a few more in this series.

Glowing Cottonwood

Glowing Cottonwood - 12 x 9 Oil on Canvas

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This painting is from a plein air outing with my friend Sara last week. We were headed for a park that ended up being closed, so at her suggestion we went down the road to a sizable cemetery. It was perfect: quiet, beautiful views, and wildlife. This backlit cottonwood caught my eye right away.  Great day :)