Planning commissions

It was great in the fall to get several commissions to work on over the winter. The subjects were mostly places where I had already painted, which of course, makes it easier. One was for a beach I hadn’t visited, down a private drive. Turned out to be a great spot. I made multiples visits, painted en plein air, and took lots of pictures. The final composition for the commission hasn't been established yet, but I’m having fun getting ready for it.

Here’s one of my studio versions of At the end of Sylvan Road, 
oil, 12" x 14"

Plein air revisit

While on Maui a couple of years ago I painted at Secret Beach (original here). It’s a tiny little cove beach not easily found in a residential neighborhood behind a wall. But it’s worth the trouble. I was never satisfied with what I produced that day, so I just got around to doing a studio version. Some editing, simplifying and arranging, I’m a little happier now.

Secret morning, oil, 16" x 13"

Along the shore

Summer along the Port Oneida shore. A part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Port Oneida was a rural farm and logging community established about 150 years ago on the lake in northern Michigan. Now preserved by the National Park Service, the beaches, farms, dunes and forests make it a great place to paint.

Port Oneida shore, oil, 11" x 14"