Tropical evening

A new studio painting. This is a compilation of scenes, mostly a view you’d see from south Maui looking northwest. A little different approach for me. I used mostly thin washes of paint with walnut oil kind of scrubbed on. The lack of sharp edges I thought, works for a low-light, evening scene. I like having some directional strokes adding interest too.

Evening blues, oil, 28" x 15"

Waves of sand

At Point Betsie, on the shore of Lake Michigan, is a large area of protected dunes managed by the Nature Conservancy. I've painted here many times and love to take my camera and explore the shifting sands. Just like the waves on the lake, the sand is blown up into dunes from the prevailing westerly winds. This particular “bowl” was probably 25 to 30 feet deep. The grass, with its reddish roots, holds the hills in-place—for a while, anyway.

Blue dune, oil, 24" x 36"

I've been spending a lot of time in the studio lately doing larger versions of summer plein air and working from studies and photos. I have several shows on the agenda for next year, starting in January, that I am preparing for.

During my artist residency last June, I did a painting in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore of the Burfiend farm. Here is a larger version with a slightly different point of view. When I first started getting back into painting six years ago, I really didn’t want to be bothered with studies. I just wanted to get right into doing a finished piece of art. Now I’m learning what it can mean to bringing ease of production and higher satisfaction with the end result. With this painting and the one in my last post, there was a lot less trial and error or struggle over where to take it. I’m also enjoying working larger without the time constraints of plein air. Next up, a 24" x 36" dune.

Summer afternoon, Burfiend Farm, oil, 18" x 24"

A favorite spot

One of my favorite locations for plein air painting is the beach at Portage Point. It’s a beach park along Lake Michigan on the north side of the Portage Lake channel. Dunes, grass and beautiful coastal views. I’ve painted there more than a dozen times so doing a studio painting came easy with all the studying I’ve done. I particularly love being there in the morning on a sunny day for the shadows.

Morning shore, oil 16" x 20"

Summer memories

Here’s another new studio painting based on a plein air piece from a couple of years ago. The original was an 8" x 10", this is 14" x 24". I’d like to start doing more of the larger size on location. I think the largest I’ve done plein air, was 16" x 20". Recently I’ve been reading books on Joaquin Sorolla and Edgar Payne. Both great artists who didn’t just think of plein air as being meant for small studies. It’s inspirational to see them pictured outside somewhere with these large canvases. I have not yet reached the limits of what my French easel can hold, but I hope to some day.

Silver canoes, oil, 14" x 24"

Joaquin Sorolla painting on the beach in Spain.

Big Pine

Last summer I did a 16" x 11" plein air painting at this spot in Glen Haven, Michigan. Here’s a new studio version. I like selecting a canvas that fits the subject instead of making the subject fit the canvas. I’ll custom cut a panel or stretch my own canvas to get the size and proportions I want. Of course the drawback is that the frame then has to be custom made as well. But I’m happier if the composition is right.

Big pine, Glen Haven,
oil, 24" x 12"

The Manitou Passage

One of several new studio paintings, this is a view of the the Manitou Passage, the name given the shipping route between the Manitou islands and the Leelanau peninsula in northwest Michigan.The morning shadows in the dunes always catch my attention.

I'm missing those warm, summer days of plein air painting in the sand. But, I vow to do some snow painting this winter. I’m just hoping for some sunny days to do it.

Morning passage, oil, 14" x 20"