September 2012

A selection of a few unfinished paintings, started during the first week of September, I painted one afternoon with a friend at Waseda Farms, in their garden, in view of several barns, a coffee pot silo and a shed. Waseda Farms is just a short drive from my house, and has some wonderful  garden produce, grass fed beef and hogs-  they are generous and were willing to have us sitting around painting in the middle of their hard working gardeners

 This quick sketch was done one afternoon  late, at our farmstead on High Plateau Rd., the building is the granary, with the barn off to the left and an ancient arbor vita.

Windsor chairs seem to find their way into my world and I needed some ideas, painting the chair is a challenge and I am not sure I can do much with this.

This is another outbuilding on the property of Waseda Farms, and is also an unfinished image. I work on these small canvas panels, 6"x 8" doing very quick studies, with no goal in mind other than to see how much I can put into the panel without overworking it.

During the workshops with Emmett Johns, I went outside one day to paint, but the weather turned very wet and windy, with our class going in doors for nearly two days.   I also managed to find time to visit Hickey Brothers Fish place on Ridges Road, just off Lake MIchigan, the place has a lot of interesting stuff sitting around. I photographed  and started a study which I have yet to get back to. My energy level comes in waves, I have been distracted lately with the stuff of life,  I admire those I know who are able one way or another to do this every day, making a living from their own art work. I have the benefit of social security which helps, but am feeling a little discouraged, with no sales this year.  Still I go to area galleries and see red dots on paintings - someone somewhere is buying work.


So-----

Looking at Hickey Brothers Fish Market, near Baileys Harbor Yacht Club, I keep going back to this place, this road, so close to the lakeshore and the Ridges Sanctuary, this stretch of property near Lake MIchigan is becoming one of my favorite things about living in Door County,  very local, very much the product of lake culture, the buildings and old boat sitting here  have been painted and photographed countless times but never ceases to draw me in on a regular basis, and promises something new and different, if you look for it.