Empire Dunes work in progress

work in progress
I found a very cool little beach area (Village Park) in Empire, MI... They were getting the sand all swept off the parking lots etc. getting ready for the season. This is South Bar Lake...Lake Michigan is behind us. Love the grassy hillocks, and the pure spring sunshine. I'm almost finished here... I'll just let it rest a bit to see if I need to add any more grassy bits.... It's hard to stop once I get started with those grassy bits.

ice amoebas...

I'm calling these "ice amoebas"
I have no idea what made them form...other than freezing and thawing. They look like line drawings of land masses to me. After the warm day yesterday...(40's whoohoo) they have disappeared. 

oh... and if you're interested... here's a link to yesterday's newsletter that includes a video about "expressive drawing."

Getting out of the studio....

Milwaukee Art Museum
We artists log a lot of hours by our lonesome. It's good to emerge from the studio occasionally, and take a field trip.... which is what I did last weekend....

To Milwaukee.

Not your first choice as a spring break destination?  I beg to differ! We had a great time... and really enjoyed the Milwaukee Art Museum.... Here's a link to more about our adventure...

painting is a statement of gratitude....


When you decide on a subject, you are choosing to celebrate something in paint. Whether it's a color or color combination, an outside view, a loved one, or a beautifully shaped piece of fruit...you're communicating.

 You're saying....

"I care about this."
"I appreciate this thing I'm painting....
I want to show you what I'm thinking
 and then maybe you'll care about it too."
A painting starts out as a monologue. You conversing with the paper or canvas, using paint as the language.

When you've said just enough to get your point across (not too much, mind you... just enough) then you're finished...you sign it, and you can invite others into the discussion. 


Sometimes, lets face it... it ends up a rather dull conversation.

But occasionally, your efforts spark a flood of communion and empathy.

We are grateful together. 

Those are the golden moments and the thing that keeps me at it. How about you?

So Many Techniques....what to choose.

"Lyle Lyle Crocodile"~ Acrylic on Yupo

I'm finalizing my plans for my Acrylic 101 class at Crystal Lake Art Center...  but I'm having trouble limiting the techniques that I want to introduce!   We are going to start painting in a watercolor fashion and move to a thicker and thicker consistency... But fitting in or omitting the great stuff you can do within each consistency... now that's just hard to decide!
Oh... and here's a link to last Thursday's newsletter... I made you a valentine that you can print and send.

Oak Leaf Support... who woulda thunk

Someone sent me a link to some incredible leaf art a few weeks ago... they had intricately carved images out of the leaves.... That got me thinking about leaves as canvas...so here is my first experiment. The trick is to treat the leaves with glycerin, so they stay supple. I'm thinking I'll need to coat the back of the leaf with some sort of acrylic medium, so it won't crumble... I love experimenting. :)