"Children of Summer" in Plymouth, MI

My newest solo exhibit is open; "Children of Summer"at the Plymouth Community Arts Council. There are 24 oil paintings of children in the sun, sand and water. The exhibit is showing from July 6th until August 5th, from 9 til 5, Monday through Thursday. There will be a "Meet the Artist" evening on July 23 from 6 til 8 and the wonderful people at the PCAC are coordinating with an Ice Cream Social at the same time.

The painting at the left is my most recent; "Laughing Waves."

Warm, swift and smiling

Waves and children play their game

The joy of summer

Sandy Turrets

I just finished another painting. The usual 40" x 30". The source was a photo that my sister-in-law, Mary, took at the beach in Manistee. The girl was working on a sandcastle with a seagull feather stuck in the top. I left the feather out of the final painting though because it detracted from the girl. I was taken by the contrast of the quiet horizontal lines of the water against the angles of the girls arms and legs.

The haiku for this piece is:

Sandy Turrets

Lost in reverie

Lapping waves chant hushed chorus

Sandy turrets rise

Bill

New painting - Mother's Pride

I’ve just finished a new painting, which I’m titling Mother’s Pride. It’s an image of a mother and her young daughter at the beach.

Mother’s Pride

Daughter’s world wonder

Young mother’s contented pride

Seeds of memories

It’s done in my usual oil paints and is 40” high by 30” wide. I’ve worked to maintain the flatness of the picture plane, away from the illusion of depth while, at the same time, show the light and warmth of the sun. I feel that these two competing emphases, when properly married, will produce a work that is approachable as both a realistic and an abstract form.

Ella Sharp Museum Competition

I received notice the other day that I have gotten one of my paintings accepted for the Ella Sharp Museum 2010 Statewide Fine Arts Competition. It's one out of three but one is better than none. It's usually a very good exhibit and in a wonderful space. Another plus to the exhibit: out of a total of 60 pieces accepted, including 3D, at least 8 members from the Chelsea Painters are included. Pretty impressive for a group with only 25 members. I've been a member of the group for a number of years and am continually impressed by them. Back to the piece which was juried into the exhibit - it's one that I painted this past summer for a solo exhibit at the East Lansing Public Library: Pink Sandals.

Pink Sandals

Sun warmed and wind blown

Slipping on her pink sandals

Ready to go home

That's it for today.

Bill

My first blog post

Hello, everyone!

Well, I've finally gotten my blog set up. Red letter day.

I will be using this blog to post news about my art, to show my paintings as they come off the easel and to speak about some of the things happening in the world of art.

The big news right now is that the new issue of Artisan's Well has come out. My painting Family Reflection is on the cover and there is an entire page on the inside about my art.

A couple of days ago I finished a new painting - above. I worked from a photo of a couple of long-time friends who visited from California a few years ago.

The title is: Visiting Friends.

The haiku for the painting is:

Midwest dappled light

Shines on friends from youthful days

Their visits too rare

Well, that's it - my first blog.

I'll write again soon.