The Mushroom Houses





Today has been one of those amazing autumn days in northern Michigan when the sun is shining and the weather is unseasonably warm. The perfect day to go out and take photos and give the new camera a test run. I chose this opportunity to snap some shots of a few Earl Young 'mushroom houses'. Although many of the homes are surrounded by lots of trees and foliage, most are visible enough to get a sense of their unique architecture. Built from local stone and boulders, each house is also unique in it's own way. Mr. Young was often known for using green mortar when constructing his homes. It resembles moss growing between the stones which adds to the natural esthetic.  

Barnyard Gothic ~ faux batik on waxed paper



The CEO is back for an encore. This time he's painted as a faux batik on waxed paper. I replaced the India ink with walnut ink and it toned the waxed paper so well I didn't bother painting a background. I'm not sure where I got the title but it seemed to fit somehow. Maybe because the walnut ink lends an antique affect to the painting.

First Day of Autumn

Okay, so I'm a day late. I was playing with copper leaf and Lumiere metallic acrylics last night and came up with this one so I thought I'd share it.

An 'Ah HA!' Moment



I managed to finish my 'Clowder of Cats' sketch but lost interest before I could start painting. It happens sometimes. I'll probably come back to it eventually but in the meantime I had one of those 'ah HA!' moments that makes me wonder why I didn't think of it long ago. I have solved the dilemma of ink painting on metal leaf.

This past summer I posted a couple of small paintings done on copper Simple Leaf. I loved the effect but the paintings were so delicate and scratched easily. Also the copper leaf did not like blending solution. Painting on the silver Simple Leaf was even more difficult and I never managed to create anything worthy of posting. It scratched just by breathing on it, I swear. Then two days ago the solution suddenly came to me. Why not apply the leafing to clear acetate, then paint on the flip side? The leafing would show through but be completely protected. Today I found time to experiment on an acetate display sleeve. First I had to find out if the alcohol ink would move and flow on acetate. Would it withstand rubbing alcohol and blending solution? Yes to both. Then I applied the Simple Leaf to the acetate, flipped it over and created a quick little painting. I even added a bit of line work with a Micron pen. A side note: the Micron pen went on better after the alcohol ink had been applied. I would like to try Krylon workable fixative next time to see what affect that will create. I love it when I have a rare moment of 'smart'.   

Clowder of Cats ~ composition

I'm currently working on the comp for a new painting. I'm doing it with my usual storyboard technique. Seems there are a few issues to work out such as certain subjects 'kissing'(meaning: barely touching) that don't work for me. I do like the loose, diagonal 'S' flow, though.

A Katydid & a Ladybug

'Ladybug' and we all know one or two.

'Katydid' and she did come to visit me last summer.
 I was fortunate to snap a photo before she went on her way.

It just never came together for me.

My sketch

Not all bright ideas pan out. I worked up a sketch on pad paper that looked like it might work. Alas, it did not. In the process of coming to that conclusion I used up a lot of ink and almost an entire bottle of Ranger blending solution which isn't cheap so I did the next best thing....I cropped it into two separate ink paintings. The original painting was my largest so far being 17" x 12".

I wanted to try out my new Ranger ink colors...Pitch Black and Pesto(green). Pesto behaves much like the rest of the Ranger inks (aside from the mixatives) but Pitch Black is thicker and it takes a lot of blending solution to make it move. From now on it will be used in smaller works until/unless I order more blender. I do love it, though. I works so well to tie the Micron line work into an ink painting, adds wonderful contrast and drama and it truly is pitch black.