when the night comes

 

Break out the hose.

 

Another round or El Nino art.

El Nino art

 

The process for making these type artworks require me hosing everything off at some point. Its usually cold and snowy here in December, so I lucked out and got a few more in at the end of the year. I'm delighted.

Making art like this requires inspiration, careful planning and execution, then completely letting it all go and dealing with the outcome. And many years of practice!

Steve

 

 

where the rocks live

milkweed pods

inspiration bend

fall

 

The thing about capturing fall is it is so fleeting. From one day to the next the color changes.

 In this spot the sun was hitting the trees so they actually seemed blue.

roots

 

There is a place along the river where the roots wind through and around each other so that I can't see the soil behind them. I'm sure they are centuries old. Every once in awhile a small tree grows out from the entanglement. This particular root bank is about 20 feet high.

This project is about one year in, pretty amazing for me really.

 I have learned a lot about the way trees live their lives on the bank of a river.

more fish bones

 

I sorta got the feeling I was being watched.

fun stuff

 

Mosaic landscape with inlaid trees.

 

north branch excursion

 

I loaded my backpack with art supplies and packed a lunch. I rode my bike six miles to a park I had never been. It was a beautiful sunny sweatshirt type day. Perfect for drawing and a picnic. Later a nap in the sun. Then home again home again giggidy gig!

The first of six drawings from that excursion.

the mushroom tree

 

I found these really awesome fish bones while I was at the park drawing. It cut my trip short I was so excited to get them home. Of course I was riding my bike, loaded with drawing supplies, and a fish skeleton in my hand. Must have been a sight.

The Holiday's are coming

 

Thanksgiving, and Christmas!

Diane's fireflies

 

I made this drawing after a late June evening bike ride. This was the time of year when you can actually hear the corn grow. And when the fireflies are just coming out.

On this particular evening I had stopped to say hi to a friend. We stood at the end of the drive and I motioned to the darkening sky and said I'd better be on my way.

Just then Diane lit up exclaiming, "Oh Sally, have you seen the fireflies?"

Her husband physically stepped between us, completely blocking our view of each other. He bellered on about his responsibility raising the grandchildren and all. Blah blah blah.

I leaned around him to see my friends excitement fade. "Yes" I said. "I have seen the fireflies."

She nodded and choked.

I rode off.

Those fireflies will never be forgotten.

the mill race

 

Nice out.

the hen house

crazy

 

Something is a flutter in Sylvania Ohio. A new Main street arts district.

Check it out.

www.redbirdarts.org

I'm hoping these two make the cut.

back to the river

 

Yesterday I made a few drawings down by the river.

So far, so good!

public land

 

I worked these from memory drawings at the state land near my hometown. I'm so glad we have wild places here in Michigan. I ride my bike through this place most days, just to look at the state of things. Once when I was in the preserve I found an old sign that read "public land". I really like that. I sang "This land is your land , this land is my land" for a couple days afterward.

Public Land and Watershed are two major projects for my work at this time. With the whole rug thing running throughout.

as long as we are in the UP

 

These are some recent paintings of the Taquamenon River.

Antelope brown on YUPO.

Is this the begining?

 

I brought these drawings home from a gallery the other day. They are part of a grouping I did from memory after a trip to Taquamenon Falls. There are these areas of river in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where full grown trees stand dead in the water. Mile after mile. So after awhile you see the beauty in dead trees standing. Anyways, when I got them home I realized how similar they are to the work I'm making now. I mean the rugs you see. Everything is all lined up. Rows. So maybe my trip to Morocco added to something that had been brewing all along. I made these in 2011. I thought a lot had changed.

way leads on to way

words are powerful