Computer woes and other news...

First the good news! "Bass Dreams" got an Honorable Mention at the Starkweather Gallery 12 x 12 show. Yea!!!! The show runs from October 3 through the 25th. If you are in Romeo Michigan, it's worth a look-see!

Now the bad news....My computer hard drive died yesterday...luckily I had backed up most of everything...but it still takes forever for me to figure out how to re-load everything!
grrrrrrrrr.

But now more good news...I'm leaving Saturday for a Bob Burridge workshop at Dillman's Bay Resort in Wisconsin. My friend Sue Galos and I are heading north tomorrow morning...driving through Michigan's upper peninsula and arriving sometime Sunday. The workshop is Monday through Friday and should be just fantastic! So, I probably won't be posting until the week after next.

Looking forward to some beautiful fall color, and some inspiring workshop ideas!

Acrylic painting finished....i think.

"Bass Dreams" 12 x 12 Acrylic...

Well, I woke up this morning with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective. Brought the guitar back to life a bit....I think it has about the right importance now.... It was really hard to get a good photo of this one.... Well...I think I'm calling this one finished! I'm going to drop it off tomorrow at the Starkweather Gallery's 12 x 12 show in Romeo Michigan. Crossing my fingers that it will be included! :)
Edit...I was thrilled to fiind out not only did it get in the show...but won an honorable mention award. :)

A Frustrating Day of painting...

"Bass Dreams" 12 x 12 Acrylic....

I think this is just about finished...I'm not all that happy with it...It was a frustrating day of painting. Ah well.... It's tough when my skill doesn't match my ideas.... I think part of the problem is that at 12 x 12, the size of the canvas was too small.... Live and learn I guess. I'll look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow and maybe be able to think of something that will help.

New Acrylic, continued.....

"Bass Dreams"~ 12 x 12 ~ acrylic work in progress..

Day 2 on this one...I wasn't able to work very much today...I had to take the blue tape off because I find it influences my color choices too much. (I put the tape on to mask the gold gesso that covered the canvas...it creates a bit of a mat)

Acrylic work in progress....

"Bass Dreams" ~ 12 x 12 ~ acrylic work in progress....(that's blue masking tape on the edges to mask the gold gessoed canvas.)

This is the really early preliminary work on a new painting... I took a photo of my youngest around 7 years ago.... He had fallen asleep with his guitar, and when I went in his room to wake him for school... this was (sort of) the scene I encountered. :) He had an early passion for sure.

Old Mission Peninsula...

Old Mission Peninsula... 5 x 7 watercolor sketch in my Moleskine

Yet another plein air watercolor sketch from my trip up to northern Michigan last week. Old Mission Peninsula is the land that separates the east and west Grand Traverse Bays. This spot is at the tippy top, northern most point. It's a rather unique shoreline...It appears as if the tide is out....which is impossible, since the great lakes aren't noticeably affected by tides...

I'm spending the day doing prep work (gessoing watercolor paper and making up collage paper) for an upcoming workshop with Robert Burridge in early October....can't wait!

Point Betsie Lighthouse

Point Betsie Lighthouse 5 x 7 In my Moleskine

Another of my plein air sketches from northern Michigan.

I think Point Betsie Lighthouse is one of the prettiest (and probably most painted and photographed) lighthouses in the area....We spent a lovely and blustery afternoon there.
The very best thing about plein air painting is that when you look at your sketches or paintings later...they immediately take you right back to the place and time that you painted it...I can feel the warm breezes and hear the gulls and the wind. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.