Maestro!

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DETROIT WHOLE FOODS MURAL! Earlier this week I was notified that my design won the Whole Foods Detroit Mural competition. There were close to 100 designs submitted, so this was quite an honor to be selected as one of the four finalists. The murals will appear on the exterior of the building on the north side of Mac just east of Woodward in downtown Detroit. My design is based on health, vitality and community--a true reflection of what is currently happening in Detroit. The city is in the middle of a revitalization and it's exciting to see. I was there during Noel Night this December and was amazed at the crowds, the activity and excitement. It felt young and fresh and I wanted to be a part of it. I am truly honored to have been chosen and look forward to starting this project. Completion will be in early spring. I'll post photos of the dedication ceremony when it occurs. 
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Cold Wax and Hot Messes  I love trying new things. Typically I do it when I'm feeling stale and bored with my work. It's hard to be a full time artist. One would think it's nothing but play, but that's far from the truth of the matter. The truth is, I have to hit a home run about 99% of the time because I'm commissioned and the client expects nothing less. So being "creative" kind of goes out the window. I have to paint in the way I know will give me a winner. That's why I love plein air painting so much. If I'm not doing a competition, I can paint whatever I want to in any style I want. I can even mess it up so much that I feel like it needs to go in the trash bin. That's what we all need to do now and then not only as artists, but also as people. It's ok to really mess up. Or to play in the mud knowing you're going to come out at the end with mud on your face.  So I tried a new medium called "Cold Wax" for my oils. Wow, what...
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Painting Bryce Canyon

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The photo this painting is based on was taken during a semi-cloudy day in Bryce Canyon. Any day there is an extraordinary day. The rock colors are particularly difficult to capture. They change moment by moment as the light moves around them. In this painting I used a series of reds from warm to cool to show the subtle light play. The rocks with the most sun on them are the warmest, including the shadows. That is the most difficult concept to understand. The shadows are actually much warmer than normal. I believe this is due to the bounced light from the red rocks themselves. It's not apparent in the photo, as the camera tends to interpret shadow as a cool tone, but since I was there, I remember the colors vividly. Using watercolors to depict reds can be challenging. The color rarely dries with the intensity that you intended, and placing a second coat on the painting often takes away the freshness. I found myself using colors directly out of the tubes for this painting. Colors li...
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