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? 

She was worried about getting her clothes wet. I promised to wash and dry them when we got home so she left her shoes on the beach, rolled up her pant legs and went for a walk, dug holes in the sand, and threw rocks in the water.   

Path to the Lake at Sunrise.

As you can see I am still exploring the Path to the Lake theme.  This one is inspired by a photo my friend Mary took before sunrise, which is WAY too early for me in July.  I am a winter sunrise photographer.  In this piece the sky is still dark enough for some stars to show.  Please do not lecture me on constellations that are visible in the east at Dawn.  This is a work of imagination, not documentation. 

Path to the Lake, Acrylic 07182014

I have done several versions of this piece in pastels and acrylics.  This is the first one with flowers and seagulls.  Each one adds more details. 

This is the same painting but as you can see the colors are very different.  The one on top is the original, the one on the bottom was "auto enhanced" by my computer program.  Usually, I like the enhanced version, but in this case the contrast is too much, the colors are not right.  Which version do you like?