Stepping Stones

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I love to do figurative paintings. Whenever I paint a group of people I like to have them in different places on the canvas, not just in a line–“Hey everybody, look at us pose!!” It is much more interesting having people in front and in back with different gestures. Notice the highlights from the sun on parts of the figures. The people closest at the front are more defined than the ones at the top left who are further away.

I might mention that the woman holding the little boy’s hand is my daughter, Sarah. She is holding her nephew’s (my grandson’s) hand. The girl at the bottom is her niece (my granddaughter) and the boy she is with is Sarah’s  son (also my grandson). They are at an amusement park in the Netherlands.

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Fishing on Sugar Creek

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I’m a fanatic fisherman. I’ve fished from coast to coast and have caught all kinds of trout, bass, bluegills, crappies and some fish that I couldn’t recognize.

This is a self-portrait. I’m standing in Sugar Creek in central Indiana. Notice the reflections in the water. Can you see me upside-down? There is a contrast between the dark shady trees and the sunny ones. This technique adds drama and interest to a painting.

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More Detroit Experiences

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I did two more paintings in Detroit last weekend. The first one shows a skyline. I have found that when doing a painting of buildings or other structures it works best to approach it from the side. By doing this you will get a feeling of perspective and volume because there is a shadow side and a light side. Also I like to include more than one building to show different angles. The building on the left side is put there to give the painting depth – it looks closer than the tall building in the center of the painting.

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The second painting is a different type of cityscape painting. It doesn’t focus on a skyline, but instead, shows sections of buildings. The differences in colors and placement of windows differentiates the buildings. I have added my  little pet trick – putting cars in the picture to add interest. You will notice that there isn’t a lot of detail in the vehicles, only enough to let you know they are there.

One Way3.jpg

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Greek Town, Detroit

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I wanted to paint something in the downtown Detroit area. I went to Greek Town. It has a lot of ethnic Greek establishments. There were Greek and American flags hanging over the street. Music was playing. It smelled great.

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I got there early  in the afternoon. I did the painting with backlighting. This way the persons near the truck appear as silhouettes and the flags appear as light is showing through them. I used perspective so it looks like you can walk right down the street. These techniques give a magic or romantic feeling to the painting. I also suggest using a car or a person in a painting to add interest. You might have a very well painted scene, but without the car or person (or dog, horse, bird, etc) the scene is boring. The addition of these things adds interest.

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Welcome to My Blog

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Hi, everyone. I want to tell you about my art. I’ve wanted to be an artist my whole life, but everyone told me I shouldn’t. I listened to them. I was miserable. I did what everyone else told me to do. Finally, after a life-threatening experience I decided I owed it to myself to do what I wanted. I quit my job, got a swing-shift job making hotel reservations, and got my art degree. That was about ten years ago. Since then I’ve had nothing but  fun and fulfillment. I want to explain my techniques and talk about my art.  You’ll be hearing from me regularly.

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