Prize Winner

You never know what a juror will pick. That's for sure. A painting that I entered in a portrait show only because I knew my friend would be attending, won the top prize in the show. It's a painting of her, viewing a painting at Art Prize in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I couldn't attend the opening of the show so she accepted the award for me. This is a picture of Char in a gallery viewing a painting of Char viewing a painting. That's a bit confusing and it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, which is probably what Char felt like when they announced she (I) had won!

Photo courtesy of Jim White 

Irish Hills Vista 10" x 20" oil painting

10" x 20" oil on canvas

Irish Hills Vista

The second day we drove east on Route 12 and ended up stopping at a fruit and vegetable stand. Strawberries were in season so we bought some and I was eyeing the hilly farm to the north, while my friend was enchanted by the produce stand. I painted this bucolic vista of rolling hills and baled straw, while she concentrated on the truck and stand. A glorious day in the low seventies, sunshine after the fog lifted and NO MOSQUITOES! A great day to paint outdoors.

Netta's Greenhouse and Nursery near Alpena

We traveled south to Alpena, Michigan on the second day of our painting adventure. The forecast was for an unseasonably hot day in the nineties so I was looking forward to some painting in the shade. Netta's Greenhouse and Nursery, owned by the wonderful Netta and her family, turned out to be the perfect place to paint.

I settled myself down near some flowers to paint an outdoor still life while some of the others painted Netta's house and her greenhouse. Netta ended up buying two of the paintings but she didn't want to pay enough for mine so it went home with me, where I tweaked it a bit.

I brought three 16" x 16" canvases and I really enjoyed working on the square format. I do a lot of small 6" x 6" paintings but the larger ones have never interested me until now.

Netta's Teapot 16" x 16"