EVOLUTION

Back in June (Father's Day) I started my first reverse painting on an old window. Dad had just passed away a few months before. He had Alzheimers. It's such a terrible disease and I was here in Michigan unable to help my mom with him down in Florida. That was killing me, but I can only imagine the pain she was enduring as she watched her husband of 60 years fade away. I'm so thankful that when he did go - it was relatively fast. And so very thankful that he still knew who I was, and most importantly that he knew I was there when he passed. 

They say that you can help ward off that disease by improving and exercising your brain. And so with that thought in mind I challenged myself to paint in reverse. Kind of fitting that I started on Father's Day. 


I haven't done anything with pastels since then. Am I evolving to this new art? I don't know. But I am enjoying it. I've painted quite a few windows and although I generally paint each one for myself - someone sees it, wants it, and I sell it. No, I'm not complaining. I'm enjoying learning this new artform, and I am excited to see how each one turns out. One thing I realized though. I don't think I can make prints of these. With the reflection of the glass - I cannot get a decent image to make reproductions. Until I can figure that out - each one is most definitely, and without a doubt, one-of-a-kind.






WORK IN PROGRESS: Birches 

Saturday:
Large two paned window. I start with a pencil sketch of my idea. This one being a stand of birch trees blanketed by fresh snow.

WORKING ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE WINDOW:

At this point here, my foreground is nearly complete on the right pane of glass. (your left) Before this painting is done, I will have painted another 35 or so trees, and then last I will paint the background.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

 

 As seen from the front - Right side foreground nearly complete. 




















It's Monday evening now... and more progress done on this window. Tomorrow the paint will be hard enough that I will be able to clean the glass before painting in the background.

Tuesday.. and ready to put in the background. I didn't want any brushstrokes.

 

Yep - you got it - finger painting!

A close up of an area that is not meant to be very prominent - yet it is there. A message. 

My heart and soul is literally in this painting. It has deep meaning to me and it's my hope is that it touches someone out there.

Painting complete.

"The Forest for the Trees"

54 1/2" x 26"

600.00

Handi-capable

I don't know why, but I seem to be about the most accident prone person I know.


I slipped and fell in my kitchen, breaking a bone in my arm. Who would think that such a little break would result in such a large cast! Of course it's my right arm - and yes, I am right-handed!
Over the last couple of weeks I have gotten quite good at typing with one hand, and my writing is 'almost' legible now! Sadly though, not so good with a paintbrush. As you can imagine, it is making this creative very irritable, having lost the ability to paint, or work on my functional art!


I am able to be out and about for short periods of time before it starts swelling and causing me grief again. On this day, my son and I went to the Michigan Renaissance Festival for a couple of hours. Still new to the cast experience at that point, I didn't check before we left to see if I could actually get my sweatshirt on over the cast. HA! Live and learn!


Yesterday, my son and I took our dog Casey to one of the local parks here in Genesee County. Richfield Park is really quite pretty, and very big, bordering both sides of the Flint River. It's a wonderful hidden gem in this horribly depressed area. We'll be heading back in the coming weeks to catch the autumn colors. 

Five more days....and this big cast will be removed, and replaced with a shorter one - and, my thumb will be released!  Woo hoo! I can't wait!!

Art in the Park

Happy customer purchasing the three-legged table at Swartz Creek Art in the Park.

This past Saturday was Swartz Creek's Art in the Park. What a beautiful day it was! This is probably one of the best little juried art fairs in this area. Of all the shows I have been in, this one is my favorite. The organizers really treat the artists well here - from their "drive up" check in, many volunteers helping set up your tent - to an endless array of home made baked treats and fresh veggies, tent sitters stopping by frequently offering water or a break - yes, this fair is definitely the best. There was a constant stream of people coming by, so I'm afraid I only got one photo all day long. But, I suppose that's a good thing! And, not only did I do well, but my son made and sold gourd birdhouses and got himself a tidy little bit of cash in his pocket as well!  All in all - a very successful day for us both! 

Crisp Point Lighthouse

One of my favorite places to visit is Crisp Point, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Sitting on the shore of Lake Superior is Crisp Point Lighthouse. I had taken this picture a few years ago, and decided to paint it. I used pastel paper this time, and found it was much harder to work with. I also don't care for the lines of the paper that show through. This painting took me a few hours to complete.