Driftwood and Painted Fabric, Makes me Want to Throw Everything Aside and Run to the Lake

My newest piece(s). First is a piece I created earlier, but had to make some modifications. Repurposed thrift store frame with painted fabric, frame dimensions: 16.5"x21.5". Following my Lake Superior Blues series. Making use of what you have and what you see.

The second piece is following along the lines of two of my previous driftwood fashioned frames with silk screen fabric inserts, frame dimensions: 18.5"x23". This piece is created specifically in mind of driftwood found along the shores of Lake Superior and of course utilizes that exact material. The Big Lake deposits driftwood on the beaches haphazardly, but the pieces pile up with some direction and almost seems purposeful.

How Many Bubbled Spots of old Paint make You Happy

Five More?!

Manistique, MI lighthouse detail. 12x16 acrylic painting.

Dangerous reference pics. to get, but well worth it.

Trying to Fly without Feathers

Here's a painting I just finished on the fly. Painted the background in a dark teal color one afternoon and painted the figure in another afternoon. Yay to the return of Bit's nap time.

I created the piece for two reasons:

1) Any reason to take a break from painting lighthouses is a good reason, and

2) It will be (hopefully) included in a traveling show in the area put on by a local agency. April is Sexual Assault awareness month, with teal being the thematic color.

The figure is holding a "primary flight feather". Read into it what you may.

*(and no this is not a portrait of me, but try as I might, I always accentuate details of face, similar to my own)

Who'd of Thought We'd have Warm Days, in March, in the U.P.

Spring is here. Outdoor adventures ensue. Nap time returns. Painting continues. Oh, how much I missed you warm, sunny days.

Playing basketball, cleaning leaves out of the flower beds, running bases in the field down the hill.

Picking up acorns and pinecones, blowing bubbles, kicking a ball around.

Cleaning up poo in the yard, checking the new flower growth, cleaning off muddy shoes.

This is what a spring day should be about, maybe minus the poo thing.

Today is going to be another 50 degree gift, tomorrow, well, unlikely. More fun to be had and hopefully more painting to be done.

Too much Sun Causes one Red Cheek (on my Face, not my Behind)

Bits and I went outside today for awhile. Proof is in my half sun reddened face. Forecast calls for 30s this weekend and we hit the low 60s today, so we took our games outside.

Basketball, books, running, splashing, and a walk to the bridge and back and I was sure Bits would take a fabulous nap. Mommy's need to paint makes me cherish these afternoon naps, but the Baconator is slowly fazing them out of the routine. Bummer.

Although he did indeed eventually fall asleep, but at 5:00, in the Jeep, on the way to church. How this helps my painting I don't know, but the message was good to hear with nothing but a little drool to contend with.

Side note, on the way to church I saw a fabulous oddly shaped cloud with a straight vertical edge like the exterior wall of a building, camera at home though (second bummer), so you can try to image it's unique shape without a digital pic.

These Ain't your Mother's Driftwood Frames...

...unless, of course, you buy them for her.

Driftwood frames using Lake Superior driftwood and an old silkscreened fabric found in my big 'o basket of materials. The silkscreen seems rather appropriate, representing many of the colors I see among the trees in the winter, up here in the U.P. The patterns remind me of strewn driftwood and sand. Who knew back when I had printed this fabric, how I would end up using it.

I stapled the fabric right to the frame, much like my black framed blue silkscreened piece, as seen in a previous blog, although these are actually for sale.

Eh, only Eight more Lighthouse Paintings to do, but Who's Worried?

If you can't tell by my double blogging today, I am trying my best to avoid starting more lighthouse paintings. I'm doing a great job at doing stuff, but not necessarily doing stuff I need to do. Bits is still napped out, and I used this time to finish some baby driftwood paintings. I took a little of this and a little of that from my other "Lake Superior Blues" paintings and made smaller, packable pieces, slightly easier on the wallet and small enough to take in a suitcase on a road trip (I know I always bring a piece of artwork with me when I go driving).

Two pieces at 9"x11" using found frames, thrift store fabric, and my signature materials of blue paint, rounded off driftwood pieces, and roots. The blue is actually two shades worked wet on wet directly related to our recent trip to Black River Harbor. There were the slightest variations of blue bands in the sky that day and what my camera couldn't capture, my eye absorbed and imprinted the color. I think my world is meant to be lived in shades of blue.

I Hiccuped and Came up with this Beauty

I don't hesitate to sell (or give away) just about anything I create, but this piece is not for sale.

I picked up small frames at a local thrift store for a buck a piece with the idea to repurposing as stretched frames using fabric as canvases for future driftwood pieces. My driftwood pieces have been receiving positive feedback and I wanted to make some smaller pieces, which could be more affordable for some.

I save just about everything, and had some left over screen printed test fabric with blues and grays. I tried to stretch the material over the frame, but sadly, there was just not enough material. What to do, what to do?

I decided to staple the material using the inside edge of the frame and, oh, did it look good. I have a habit of distressing frames that already are a bit beat up. After everything was said and done, it looked just great without any addition of driftwood. We call these creations, happy accidents.

Now, do I sell, or do I keep?
I will keep this little piece and use it as ideas for future pieces incorporating my blue sky reference photos. I am not going to do another repeat, like I did with the large painting of my brother, bad mistake giving that one away, eh?

Cloudy with a Chance Viewing of a Dock

Here's a pic of the painting I worked on for Dr. Don's Christmas gift. It's been done since Thanksgiving, but I am so unreliable when it comes to photographing my work. Don made a custom frame for it and graciously took pics of it so I could share with you all. The image is from a June day at Trout Lake, right as a storm front was moving out.

The painting is on a 30"x40" stretched canvas. I had a little trouble finding a store that carried that size of canvas over in this part of the U.P., so my lovely Utrecht art supply online site had it at shipped it at a great price. It even arrived in about 2 days (awesome, I know). Surprisingly, this piece only took about a week and a half to do with lots of Daddy and Baby time to help Mommy finish.

Now if only I could give the same energy and attention to a little 'ol 14"x18" lighthouse painting. Ten more of these bad-boy lighthouse paintings, and I am taking a serious break and focusing on organic landscapes!

I'd Rather be Sitting Outside Staring at the Sky

We received some snow yesterday evening and today. I can't remember how many days we went without a fresh falling of snow, but it just didn't seem right, living in the U.P. and all. I'm somewhat glad to see it return. I went outside with Bits bundled and tackled another bout of shoveling. Have I mentioned that I loathe (deeply loathe) wet, heavy snow. My arms hurt, back aches, and wrists are sore over shoveling only a few inches. Here's hoping the weather goes back to the cold, light stuff and makes my job somewhat easier. I have been quoted as not really minding shoveling, and actually appreciating it for the exercise it gives me, but I'll have to eat my shovel if this heavy mix keeps up.

The lighthouse paintings are back on track, but are at that frustrating, getting into the groove of the painting point.

I had a couple blue sky photos hidden in my back pocket from last week, so that's what I give to you all.

The Door Knob is Rusty but Still Turns

This is what I have in my inventory: Two black gessoed 18"x24" stretched canvases, two 18"x24" white gessoed stretched canvases, two 18"x24" canvas boards (why that size-not quite sure), and two 14"x16" canvas boards. What I need: a few 16"x20" stretched canvases, and a good number of 12"x16" canvas boards. I went to Ben Franklins, yes we have a Ben Franklins, and sadly was disappointed by the art material supplies available.

It is time to get back on the lighthouse painting horse and compile, hopefully, ten more before my next show in June. Ten paintings in 16 weeks, entirely possible, but I do always underestimate the actual time needed to complete a painting; and let's not even mention making ten frames. I think I need to once again hit up my online art supply source and start getting into the groove. I'll keep you all posted on progress and throw in some pics of your favorite Bacon Bits to keep you all happy.

*disclaimer: This is a random reference photo I took in Grand Haven a year or so ago and would love, love, love to do a painting of, but alas, it must wait 'til all the lighthouses on my list are done, or I need a fun painting diversion...which ever comes first.

Fall Painting and Tedious Raking

I haven't really had much time because of the move, the new school year for Mike, and keeping up with outdoor yard work to do much artwork. I was commissioned from Mike's aunt to do a painting as a gift for her son's host family in Spain. We looked at a few reference images and settled on this image originally photographed by my dad. With it's Michigan connection and more specifically Greater Kalamazoo connection, we agreed it would make a nice piece.

How I love fall leaves. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, especially with the help of heavy strong winds yesterday. I had just raked 5 huge tarp filled piles and dragged them, one by one, up the small hill to deposit in the weed patch last Wednesday. I was rewarded with 3 nice blisters.

Well, here we go again, but this time Mike has agreed (make that, formally committed) to raking the side and back yard, and I will again do the front yard, hopefully with less trips up the hill and no blisters to speak of. It's good exercise and gives a nice feeling of accomplishment when finished, but I need to have a word with the trees across the street about their constant need to send the leaves our way.