Artist Residency

I'm happy to share (with my 200th blog post), that I have been chosen as one of the Glen Arbor Art Association’s 2012 Artists in Residence. I will be spending two weeks in June painting in northwest lower Michigan. The association provides housing and a studio in a renovated barn at one of the historic farms that is a part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I’ll use the studio when it’s rainy or dark, but I plan to spend most of my time painting en plein air. If you’ve read my blog, you know that I paint in that part of Michigan every summer. Usually it’s just for a few days at a time. So having two weeks, by myself to concentrate, will be a nice little sabbatical.

Dunes, water, woods, farms, and quaint towns—I won’t run out of subjects to paint. I could probably spend a week alone at Thoreson Farm, where the studio is. The view from the hill above the farm looking west to Lake Michigan is beautiful.

Even the outhouse is paintable. It’s right next to the egg hatching hut. The idea being that every time you made a visit, you checked in on the eggs and hatchlings.

The painting at the top is one I did a couple of years ago. It’s the Burfiend farm also a part of the park.

Farm along the shore, oil 16" x 24"

In the dune

Just had time for one little one last week in Michigan. I climbed the dune at Sleeping Bear Point for some late-day light. The dunes are full of “bowls” or “blow-outs” making for interesting morning and afternoon shadows. This is looking North toward one of the Manitou islands.

Afternoon on Sleeping Bear Point, oil, 10" x 9"

I took a trip up north to Michigan to deliver paintings this past weekend. First stop was the gift shop at the Muskegon Museum of Art. Good timing, it was free entry day so I did a little touring. They have a Robert Ried I especially like and a Whistler. Also a Henry Tanner painting, it was out on loan, but exchanged nicely for a Mary Cassatt. Next I went to River Street Gallery in Manistee with a dozen for their season opening this week. Then on to Glen Arbor with a couple for MacBeth & Co. And as long as I was there I had to climb a dune for a little painting (haven't had a chance to take a photo of that yet). The painting above is a studio piece from last month that I delivered.

Harbor Buoys, oil, 18" x 18"

Old Key West

Another stop on our Florida trip was Disney’s Old Key West. A picturesque resort of “Conch” style cottages like those found down in the Keys. Low-rise units spread out among ponds and a golf course, though less than authentic, still a lot of interesting vignettes to paint. I'll get down to the real Keys on another trip.

Old Key West Cottage

oil, 8" x 6"

Tin roof and palm, oil 12" x 9"

Happy Anniversary

For Jane, Happy 20th Anniversary. Since the roses I brought you won't last, I made this for you.

Love, David

The Cross

This year at my church, Winnetka Covenant, we put together a Stations of the Cross with art. Various forms: sculpture, drawings, watercolors, oils and acrylics were hung and displayed around the narthex of the church. They could be viewed any time, but Friday evenings were set aside for people to walk through and view in quiet. This mix-media piece of mine was for station 12. A booklet was also produced with reproductions and written meditations on each station. You can view it here at the denomination's website.

Forgive them, acrylic and pencil, 24" x 30"

A postcard from Florida

Spring-break in Florida. First stop, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. I did a little painting while the family slept in. Right next to the pool was a flock of flamingos. The Greater Flamingo to be precise. This variety, from Africa, is a paler pink than others (there was a nice little sign that told me about them). Good models, they mostly stand still, but they're noisy when disturbed, like when a duck waddles through their midst.

Pale flamingos, oil, 8" x 6"