Grosse Pointe News

My painting "Rainy Day In Monet's Garden" made it in a local paper here in Michigan. I participated in a show for Spring Renewal at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial sponsored by the Grosse Pointe Art Society. The Grosse Pointe area which is just a little north of Detroit is a very upscale neighborhood. It borders Lake St. Clair and is home to the likes of the Ford Motor family for one. It is old money. Stately homes. I have taught watercolor classes there and my art has been well received. Here is the page showing not only my art but also some of the other entries. I know I get many visitors to my blog internationally but I decided to post all of my artistic accolades and activities for your interest.
 

Color Mixing Charts

This is a color chart that I made some time ago mostly using Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints. I had great fun in creating this chart. I put two primaries of blues and yellow in the vertical side and put some of my more exotic mixes horizontal at the top. The combinations created some very interesting mixes that I would not have thought of. I would suggest to all my artistic followers that they take the time to experiment with their paints because I have used some of these combinations already in some of my paintings. I want to do another one to see what else I can come up with. Have fun with your paints and if you come up with anything that you find interesting, send them to me and I will post it on this blog.
 

300,000 views!

 I have had this blog for quite a few years now with the idea of sharing information about my work as a watercolor artist. I have shared links to other sites, and have shown a step-by-step progression of how I developed some of my paintings. As of today, I now have reached over 300,000 views since its inception.

When checking the stats of this blog, it has been intriguing to see the various countries from around the world that have viewed it. I thank you for tuning in and hope to post anything concerning the medium of watercolor which is trending right now. Watercolor was considered only used as studies as a preliminary to oil paintings and not really taken seriously as a prominent medium. It appears that all of that has changed.  With social media, you can see it in all of the societies and shows that have come up in recent years. There has been a great culturally exchange. 

 

"Aphrodisiac" will be in the 79th Michigan Watercolor Society Exhibition!

Glad to hear the news that my painting will be part of the Michigan Watercolor Society Exhibition. This is the largest painting that I have ever done. It is 40" x 60". The show will be held at the Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson, Michigan. The inspiration came from a visit to Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida. The way the sunlight was filtering through the plant intrigued me along with the various colors. It was done on Arches paper and with Daniel Smith Watercolors.
 

Sea Goddess

 Expanding upon my experimenting with watercolor and collage, I am coming up with a new series that has to do with a sea theme. This is the first in the series.  This is entitled "Sea Goddess". Much like my other series which I show on my website of the Moon series, I have combined a watercolor background. This has incorporated decorative and marbled paper along with some actual cut-outs of antique maps, shells and what I depict as a sea goddess. I am in a season of my creativity, to work with mixed media.

Artists Magazine Finalist

 Congratulations!

Your image has been selected as a FINALIST by our Awards Juro, Chris Krupinski, in the Splash 27: The Best of Watercolor art competition.

Your artwork will be published in a special issue of Artists Magazine, scheduled to hit newsstands in July 2026.  Title of the painting: Commedia dell Arte'.

First painting for the new year

 

 

First painting of the new year! I have not firmed up a title yet. This still-life is different. I have some unique objects in my house along with textiles.

I was interested in putting different textures together such as the distressed "Santos" statue. The "Santos" are Roman Catholic Saints originated in Spain. They are used for worship and protection. The ceramic vase to the right holds "Hypericum Berries" also known as St. John's Wort. They symbolize protection, good health and positive energy. French Toile textile in the background and vase on the left holds some favorite brushes. I baked in a lot of symbols in this one as I feel a good vibe for the new year is needed in 2026!

 

"Chanterelles" has been accepted into the IWM Exhibit!

I have been given the great honor of being part of IWM Exhibition in 2026! It is an opportunity to hang with the masters! This show will be held at Lilleshall Hall in Shropshire, England next May. Some history on my painting entitled "Chanterelles" is something that caught my eye while visiting the Village of Sarlat, France. Outside this restaurant was a basket full of Chanterelle mushrooms. Their rich color and gourmet aspect I found interesting. There were stems of ferns stuck in the basket and a chalkboard sign advertising about making them into omelettes. The wicker french chairs and cobblestone patterns added to the design.

 

Development of "Enlightenment"

 

The development of "Enlightenment" starting with developing the statue of Buddha. I achieved the texture utilizing such materials as salt, granulation paints, and techniques such as spattering. Once I was satisfied with the result, I proceeded onto developing the plants and floral parts of the painting. The background was worked on in stages as I worked in different areas.

Enlightenment

This is a painting that have revisited. I did one a few years back but was not happy with the result. I still wanted to paint this buddha statue and worked hard to not only come up with a different composition, but also to capture the stone work with its textures. I am happy with the result. What I am most proud of is the texture on the statue that was created with different watercolor effects. He holds a single blossom and is surrounded with tropical foliage. This was on on Arches Rough watercolor paper.

 

Monpazier, France

This is a cafe scene from the Village of Monpazier, France located in the Southwest corner. A few years back, I painted this scene with a different composition but wanted to try a different layout. I am intrigued with capturing the weathered stone walls with watercolor granulation and texturing techniques.The medieval village of Monpazier to find such textures is an excellent source. This is the first new painting of 2025!