Category: nature painting

  • Merganser and Young: Oil Painting

    I love watching mergansers on the bay, and saw this mother and her two young sitting on a rock a few weeks ago. I loved how protective she looked in the evening light. “Merganser mother and young” oil, 11 X 14 inches on canvas board. I used my normal palette for this painting.

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  • Least Sandpipers: oil painting

    “Least Sandpipers: Houghton Lake” The painting above sold at the art fair that I was at last week. It is 11 X 14 inches, oil (I have yet to learn how to photograph oil paintings well, because of the shine; the original looked a lot better). This was done with my normal palette with the…

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  • Great Egret: Chromatique

    I wanted to play with color, so I painted this egret (originally seen by me at Isaacson’s Bay a month ago) using all the colors, from black to pure white, and the colors in between. This was fun to do, and I hope you enjoy it as well. I used a wider palette than usual:…

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  • Osprey Resting

    I think ospreys are beautiful, and wanted to paint one that I saw near Houghton Lake in Michigan a few weeks ago. I watched while he ate a fish he had caught, and then continued resting for a bit in a tree near the water. “Osprey Resting on a Log” acrylic 16 X 20 inches.

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  • Art Fair in the country

    Last weekend was a two-day arts and crafts fair out in the country, which was beautiful. It was a chance to practice setup, and discover that I had ordered the wrong tent (I ordered a new one today) before the art fair in July. I sold three paintings, several ornaments and a painted birdhouse, so…

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  • Getting ready for new exhibit

    This has been a busy time of year, getting ready for an exhibit in Detroit, and will be taking my art to a new gallery in Grayling. I am also preparing for an art fair in a few weeks. Today, I also delivered prints and painted birdhouses to a gallery in Harbor Springs. Below are…

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  • Art commission: Summer Beach, Lake Huron

    Recently, I was commissioned to paint the shores of Lake Huron to be a Christmas gift for someone who wanted this reminder of fun times with a friend this summer. This is late summer, with the goldenrod blooming (no birds, either!) This painting was done in acrylic, and I enjoyed painting it with my usual…

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  • Bunnykins in the Grass

    This summer, I came across Bunnykins (the young rabbit that visits my feeder in the wintertime). He was sitting in the grass by the side of the road, looking sleek and happy. I knew it was bunnykins due to his coloring, and the fact that he was not shy at all when I walked near,…

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  • Sandhills Flying: Acrylic Painting

    I think that sandhill cranes are beautiful birds, especially in flight when the markings on their wings can be seen. This is a fairly common sight over the marshes and fields of Michigan. I decided to paint this pair flying in a deep blue sky to show the complement between their ochre red-orange colors and…

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  • Portrait of a Hawk (acrylic)

    I think that hawks are beautiful, and this is one that I often see hanging out off a dirt road going to the beach. I wanted to capture the beautiful eyes in this portrait.

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  • Shiny Cormorant: Acrylic Painting

    I had fun painting this cormorant; after I created his body using a mix of ultramarine and umber to create a rich black, I used gold paint mixed with sienna and blue to create the shiny feathers on his back. I also used some opalescent paint in the water for a bit of extra shine.…

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  • Kildeer on the Beach: oil painting

    Kildeer are beautiful little birds, and I love watching them on the shores of Lake Huron. In this painting, I wanted to re-create a sunny day with the kildeer in typical postures. I used my usual earth-toned palette, but added cerulean and a touch of cadmium yellow to it.

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