"Farmyard Friends" painting selected to be part of Lake County Farm Foundation art show

I am pleased that one of my paintings, "Farmyard Friends"  has been juried into this annual farm-themed art show.  The show opens on Sunday August 24th and runs through November 4th at the Lake County Discovery Museum.  The opening reception is on August 24th from 1-3 p.m.

The painting is a pastel on pastel paper, although I started with some white gesso on the paper under the body of the rooster.  It was a fun painting  to work one.   I used one of my photos as a reference but changed the position of the chicken from the original photo to make it appear that they were greeting each other.

Stop by and see the show if you can.  If you think it will make a great addition to your kitchen, contact me as this painting is for sale.

Peony flower painting going to a new home

One of the gifts that the previous owners of our house left for us is a bed of peony plants which I have subsequently added to over the years.  Peonies' array of colors and their beautiful petals as they open up have inspired artists throughout centuries to reproduce their beauty in a painting.  I usually produce at least one floral painting each year, either of peonies by themselves or in a floral arrangement with lilacs.

The peonies in this painting were of flowers cut from my garden.  I started the painting using the flowers in the vase but used a photograph of them to help me finish up the painting a few days later.

Cardinal Painting purchased in Mini But Mighty solo art show

One of several paintings going to a new home on the opening weekend of the show is this one of a cardinal bird on a branch in winter.  Cardinals are a popular art subject for its colorful plumage. Did you know that the cardinal is the state bird in seven different states?

Contact me if you would like a cardinal painting to be in your home.

Mini but Mighty Solo Art Show

I am honored to be the solo artist on display at the Long Grove Artists' Guild Gallery now through August 10th.   See flyer below with hours and details.  Hope you can stop by!

"Passing By" Pastel Painting

We were on one of our road trips, driving East and the lighting in the sky prompted me to take a photo.  This painting is inspired from the photo.  Amazing what you can still see at 60 mph!  Pastel on paper; complete with mat and in a gold frame. Framed size is 16" x 22".  Available for sale.  $115.00.

Sports Paintings Make Great Gifts for Fathers' Day

 Don't think that all paintings are of flowers and still lifes.  There are many subjects that the men in your life would enjoy displaying in their office, study or "man cave."  The painting above is one example, it is titled "Conference on the Mound".  It was painted from a photo I took at a Chicago Cubs/Atlanta Braves game.  It is a pastel on Canson paper and measures 20.5 " x  25.5" framed.   Contact me for other sports-related paintings or to create a painting of your favorite sports memory. Available for sale. 

What is Pastel?

According to Wikipedia: "In order to create hard and soft pastels, pigments are ground into a paste with water and a gum binder and then rolled or pressed into sticks. The name "pastel" comes from ML pastellum (neut.) woad (orig. woad paste), for LL pastellus (masc.), dim. of pasta: paste. The French word pastel first appeared in 1662.

Most brands produce gradations of a color, the original pigment of which tends to be dark, from pure pigment to near-white by mixing in differing quantities of chalk.  This mixing of pigments with chalks is the origin of the word "pastel" in reference to "pale color" as it is commonly used in cosmetic and fashion venues.

A pastel is made by letting the sticks move over an abrasive ground, leaving color on the grain of the paper, sandboard, canvas etc. When fully covered with pastel, the work is called a pastel painting; when not, a pastel sketch or drawing.

The pastel medium was first mentioned by Leonardo da Vinci in 1495." 

Other famous painters to use pastel are Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt and James Mc Neill Whistler.