From the Wine and Art bar

I attended a fun birthday party for my son's MIL at an Art and Wine Bar, you know, one of those places where you can paint a picture that comes with directions or paint free style.  You can have drinks and snacks while you paint and a chance to see everyone else's work.  Even people who never do anything artistic walk away with a painting.  This painting  pleased me.  The colors reflecting in the water, the lake shore continuing around the corner and the way the grasses came out-all done with a pretty large brush, either using the flat side or the tips.  No small sharp brushes available.

Lake Michigan with Waves 02162016

I started this one on my birthday (2-27) and finished it today.  I am heading for Florida in a few days, but this is not a painting of Florida!  Maybe somewhere in Door County. 

North Beach 02142016

 I see the North Beach from my bedroom window.  The bluffs in winter are full of color, not the greens of spring and summer nor the orange, red and yellow of early autumn, but the browns, oranges, purplish taupes and greys of late autumn and winter.  I see people walking, sometimes alone, often in pairs and often with their dogs running free.  The wind blows in from the northeast, the waves roll in and it takes a hardy type to walk the beach during February in Port Washington, WI.

Lake Michigan Sunrise 02132016

Saturday, 0 degrees outside but clear and sunny.  I am painting in at my table by the north windows and I can feel the cold just on the other side of the glass.  I am not painting the winter scene outside, but the warm summer scene in my mind.    I am trying new ways of using my brushes, experimenting to make the grass on the beach.  More time equals more painting.  Feels good.

Jet Trails @Dawn

I often see the traces of the jets that fly at dawn, but never the actual jets.  I wonder why they are up so early and from where they are flying.  What is their destination? 

Overlook

My dad walks by my paintings and asks me "Is that a real place or did you make it up?" 

I said, " I look at the lake everyday, I watch the skies, the clouds, the birds.  I paint what I see in my mind.  Real and not real is the answer." 

Sunrises over Lake Michigan are a favorite subject.  I often like the time right before the sun comes over the horizon, when it is still dark but the colors in the sky are vibrant.  I started this one a couple of weekends ago and it came out way too dark.  Today, I brought my card table out of storage, moved the furniture around in my bedroom, laid a drop cloth over the carpet and set up a permanent space for me to paint next to our north windows with the light from the east window at my back.  Then I sat down and took another stab at this one.  I am much more pleased with the results.  That is a good thing because I need to take something new into the Blue Heron Gallery.  I think this one will do 

Red Sunrise Early Morning

This painting looks a lot different in person, much darker!  I have tried over and over to accurately reproduce it in a photo and this is the best version so far.