Paintings

Manistee, MI

I have recently returned from a visit to Manistee, Michigan.  I had the pleasure of visiting the family cottage of a friend.  After a summer, which has meant a lot of running around and what has felt like constant busyness, it was a decadent pleasure to spend a weekend without any prescribed schedule.  

I was delighted to explore the shore of Lake Michigan, which feels vast and pristine on the Michigan side of the lake, to read, to linger over puzzles, and to eat lots of delectable things.

I also made some sketches while I was there.  I was most disappointed to find that I had forgotten my paint brushes and couldn't add color to the sketches, so the color was applied when I returned from the trip.  

It was nice to linger once again in the green-blues of the lake, the light crisp blue of the sky and the rich greens of the foliage.  

A lovely weekend and a lovely place to paint.  

What are you favorite spots along Lake Michigan? 

Featured Artist

 Olive Longstocking

Olive Longstocking's Etsy shop is named for her childhood nickname of 'Lolly Legs."  Her parents called her that as a child because of her stripy sock collection.  She had about 20 pairs of long striped socks in a rainbow of colours! She still owns a couple of pairs and these days you might find her wearing them with her pajamas.

Where do you find inspiration for your paintings?
I live on the Sunshine Coast which is on the east coast of Australia.  It is sub tropical climate, with nine months of summer and 3 months of perfect weather!  It is often referred to as "Gods Waiting Room!" It really is heaven on earth here and I know how lucky I am to live in such a great country. There is inspiration everywhere... the turquoise of the ocean, the leafy greens in the hinterlands, the rainbow lorikeets that squabble on my deck for bird seed, the Australian native plants and our glorious fruit and huge bugs!

Are there new themes or mediums you anticipate exploring in your upcoming work?
I like to dabble and experiment. with colours and paints. I love the freedom of abstract, to be able to paint the sky green and the trees pink.  Why not?  I have recently started dabbling with little whimsical characters as you can see in my gift cards. I would also like to do more collage as I love the textures and patterns in papers and fabrics.

You mention in your profile that you love pieces from the past that have been re-claimed. Does this influence your painting work?
I love vintage finds from second hand shops, perhaps because of their imperfections and history or story behind them. There are some great vintage shops on Etsy.

Many thanks to Olive for sharing her work!

What do you think of her colorful paintings?

Painting

Humboldt Park Boat House

One of many things keeping me busy this week, this recent plein air painting was made while sitting on a bench at the edge of the pond by the Humboldt Park Boat House.  It is a beautiful spot and lovely place to spend a cool early summer evening.  

What are your favorite parks?

Featured Artist

Mary Rae
Mary Rae has always loved painting and drawing and was fortunate enough to have an artist mother who encouraged her from an early age. She paints people, flowers landscapes, and photographs the endlessly beautiful skies of South Florida. She would name as a few of her favorite artists as: Titian, Raphael, Goya, El Greco, Watteau, Manet, Renoir, Marin, Roualt, and many more.  In addition to painting, she is also a writer and a composer of contemporary classical music.

You work with watercolor, as well as oil. What do you find inspiring about each medium?
I love watercolor for its transparency and oil for its beautiful intensity and malleability. But my experience with one carries over to the other and I often like sheer, glaze effects in oil, and very deep colors in watercolor. The important thing is to capture something of beauty, and I try and work whatever the medium, until the picture sings.

Does your photography influence your work as a painter?
I think it’s the other way around. I believe my years of painting and, most importantly looking at paintings, has helped me develop an eye for creative opportunity in the natural world. I see loveliness in nature through my love of painting.

Are there new themes or mediums you anticipate exploring in your upcoming work?
I’m very excited to be adding new work to what I call my Spiritual Series. I am also a writer, and have published a translation of the exquisite poetry of St. John of the Cross. I included watercolor illustrations which I am just now having made into archival prints. I am also working on new pictures which have spiritual depth and meaning to me, and hope they will have meaning for others.

Many thanks to Mary Rae for sharing her fantastic paintings!

What do you think of her landscapes and still lifes?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 12: 34th-25th Street
This sketch is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Monday to see the painting completed based on this sketch.

The character of this stretch of Western Avenue continues to feel vast.  The street is wide with a median giving it a nearly highway-like proportion.  A portion of the street is lined with typical Chicago style two and three-flats, which both brings a more human scale to the street and also feels slightly unexpected given the width of the street.  

Later in the mile, the Stevenson Expressway runs above Western, giving this portion of the Avenue an even more distinct sense of vastness.  Soon after that intersection though, the Avenue runs above the Chicago river, an urban connection to a nature.  This intersection, which is the subject of the forthcoming painting of this mile, is one of those really interesting locations where industry and the river collide and the skyline looms in the background.

I was also delighted to stumble upon a Domino Sugar factory, which was enjoyable because I was fully enamored with the Domino Sugar factory in Baltimore.

What are your favorite spots along the river in Chicago? 

Featured Artist

Robert Mathewson

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Robert Mathewson moved a lot because his father was in the military.  The sights he experienced in his travels inspired some of his work.  By the age of five, he already had a love for the arts.  He sketched for years before he gave painting a try, with acrylic about age ten and then oil painting age 13.  Lately he has working on values of black and white in watercolor paintings. At the age of 14, the artist hopes to be doing this the rest of his life because it is something that he absolutely enjoys doing.

Did moving and being exposed to different environments influence your artistic interests?
Yes, there are a few places that inspired my work.  My father is in the military and was stationed on the Island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean.  My family went to visit him and I saw many inspiring sights including aphrodites rock, Greek ruins, and ancient mosaics.  After we were done there, we toured the rest of Europe and visited too many sights to list.  Most of my work is inspired by the sights I saw there.

Is there a particular place that inspired your series of paintings of clouds and mountains?
No, no actual places inspired me to do the clouds and mountains series.  However a recurring dream with a location simular to those inspired me to do so.

Are there new themes or mediums you anticipate exploring in your upcoming work?
In the future, I plan to do custom oil murals for people either on canvas or on buildings around the communtity to give it a more lively vibe.

I am very pleased to feature the work of a talented young artist.  Many thanks to Robert for sharing his work.

What do you think of these nature inspired paintings?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 11: 42nd-34th Street
As I've been easing into this new summer schedule, I've been struggling to find the time for my Western Avenue Series painting, but I have finally completed Mile 11!  I'm hopeful that I will return be able to return to my regular Monday schedule as I march my way down Western--almost halfway there.  This painting is a one of 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Monday to see a post about the next mile of Western.

This corner store located at the corner of 38th street seems fairly indicative of the surrounding area.  The store remains open, but it is clearly a shadow of what it once was.  In the same way, this industrial stretch, still pulses faintly, but it seems clear that it no longer reflects a former vibrance.  I imagine that 50 years ago, every factory was running at full steam, the streets bustled with factory employees and the homes and schools nearby were filled with families of these men.   

I was particularly attracted to this building because it bears the Schlitz logo found commonly on building, which once served the beer {no longer in production--check}.  I'm fond of the logo. which incorporates a logo a globe and a banner bearing the Schlitz name and it is a fondness, compounded by familiarity.  I imagine this store was once a watering hold frequented by factory employees after a long day of work.


Click here to purchase this painting.

Do recognize this Schlitz sign from a building near you?

Featured Artist

Mallory Milke
Mallory Milke is an artist located in the great city of Seattle. She is super passionate about art and painting especially.  She works in a variety of styles, but loves bright colors and animals the most.  She adds a slightly whimsical feeling to owls, lions, lemurs and any other creatures that tickles her fancy.

Please share a bit about the inspiration behind your re-imagined tale series.
My take on the old fairy tales and movies I loved in my childhood and want to bring into adulthood. I love to imagine what classic stories would look like if I were to take a photograph of an instance. What would these instances look like if the characters with in them were real and alive?

Your portraits are beautiful and haunting.  What will inspire the remainder of the portraits in the series?
I have a obsession with Dia de los Muertos, The thought of celebrating spirits that have past on but are not forgotten. The beauty of remembering and honoring loved ones that are gone.  Not dwelling on a loss, but creating something beautiful and colorful. They take death from something so morbid and transform it into something wonderful. I try to capture this feeling in my portraits, bring light and color to something dark.

Is there something in particular that tickles your fancy about the animals you’ve included in your work?
I try and stray from the ordinary with my animal paintings. I like to take animals that maybe you wouldn't find in traditional art and  add a custom flare to them with bright bold colors. I like to  add realistic qualities to my paintings but keep that abstract feeling with the patterns. I start with a outline and just fill in as i go, letting the animals take shape . I like to draw my inspiration from the zoo, the exotic and wild animals you wouldn't just see walking the street of the city.

Many thanks to Mallory for sharing her imaginative paintings!

What do you think of Mallory's re-imagined fairy tails, portraits, and animal paintings?

Paintings

Old St. Pat's 

This is a commissioned painting, one of a number of recent custom pieces I've been working on recently.  It is a painting to commemorate a wedding anniversary.  The couple was married at Old St. Pat's in Chicago, an elegantly proportioned church in the West Loop.  

 What do you think are the most beautiful churches in Chicago?