Revisiting an old Theme

A friend admired my painting, " Orange Light "in  my book and asked if I could paint something similar for him. This is the third time I have visited this subject and it turned  out well

Checking out my Art Prize Installation

Latest painting

Orange Light #2, 30 by 40 oil on canvas. Gift to Diane and Gary Kurek

Art Prize #2

Today I finished the back (or the front, depending how you approach it) of my Art Prize contribution. I think it is a bit more interesting than the first side. I had cataract surgery yesterday and everything seems a lot brighter.

Art Prize 2012

This year's Saugatuck entry in the Art Prize exhibit in Grand Rapids is a complete departure from last year's entry. (see earlier posts) It is also something new for me, an exercise in color and shape only--no representational work or curved lines.  This is the front of the piece--I am still working on the back.. It is 8 feet by 18 inches.  It will hang with 18 others in a "walk through" environment in September.

Latest Work

I finished this piece last night and hope to present it to its new owner next week. Many liberties were taken with the composition. The buyer wanted a vertical composition of what was a horizontal image. With apologies to Mr. Chiluly, his spheres were made transparent.

A not so recent commission

A couple of years ago, a friend asked if I would do a painting of his house. I photographed it a couple of times but never seemed to get a shot I liked. The house is quite large and rambles across a small rise.  It is mostly obscured by a row of trees, several of which have been removed for the purposes of this painting that I finally finished yesterday.

We are returning to Florida next week via Venice Italy and a Mediterranean/ Transatlantic cruise that terminates in Ft. Lauderdale. I won't be painting or blogging for a while but should have lots of subject matter when I get back..

Memory of Shelter Island

At the end of the lane near my son's home on Shelter Island ,New York stands a picturesque ruin of an old grainery covered with ivy.  The ruins of a concrete pier thrust out into  the bay.  I painted this as a gift to my son's family.

A discovery

It took me all summer to realize that this photograph, that hangs in our local supermarket, is the basis of the painting  for Art Prize.  It was taken in the 30's, 40 years before Mr Olendorf painted the original from it.

A couple of new works

I was asked to decorate a door panel for a close friend and produced the cherry blossoms above.  The second painting is of a friend's backyard pond in neighboring Fennville.

Art Prize Opens

The installation was officially unveiled at a cocktail reception last night. It is so large I had to photograph it from an angle. Now we wait for the public's opinion.

Goshorn Lake Before and after

Phase 1

                                         The finished painting

I finally got around to finishing the painting of our little lake from the top of our dune.

The Yellow Rose

Enough Said

A small commission

This is a  present for a lady who loves blue. It will be travelling to the Seattle area for Christmas.

Painting again!

This is the finished painting I started in September '09 and have been staring at ever since. Our pastor asked me to have an exhibit at our church this summer and this was the motivation I needed.

The unfinished work is shown above for contrast.

Last of the Oldies

John R.

Lillies

Orange Light - Saugatuck

Palm Hammock

Woods at Oxbow - Saugatuck

Pier Cove Michigan

The Richest Man in Belize

Winter Sleep - Fennville Michigan

We are about to head north for the summer where I have a studio at home. Hopefully this will mean some new paintings will be forthcoming. In the meantime, this is the last bunch of my old favorites.

Other Favorites

Lilacs by Lake Michigan

Lakeshore Drive - Douglas

Iris

Hidden Pond - Douglas

More Oldies

Edge of the Desert - Palm Springs

Dune Grass - Lake Michigan

Dieulefit, Provence, France

Corner of the Garden - Saugatuck

Canyon of the Colorado

A few more of my favorites

Old Favorites

Ripening Tomatos

Summer Shadows

The Derelict - Provincetown

Trail up the Dunes - Saugatuck

The Approaching Storm - Lake Michigan

A friend asked to see some of my favorite paintings. These date from my earliest work. From time to time I'll put more up (when I have nothing new to say or show).

Purple Orchids

I completed this little painting last night. It utilizes a wrap-around canvas and is painted on the sides so it does not require a frame. It is 10 inches square.