Just got notice I was juried into the Muskegon Museum of Art’s 94th Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition. It opens on Sep 28 to Nov 8, 2023. The opening reception is Thursday, Sep 28, from 5 to 8pm. My “Locks of Love” piece was accepted! Very pleased about this. A real gallery!

A couple of little ditties as I set up for another project. The first one, “The Grotto,” is from my friend and explorer, Darryl. He took this at Acadia National Park in Maine.

The second one is a try at three-dimensional work. “The Bluebird Nest.” I took a photo of the nest on a walk around our Arboretum area with a resident naturalist. I thought it was a robin’s nest, but he corrected me…it’s a bluebird nest. The eggs and color underneath are in pastel and the twigs and leaf are from around my neighborhood.

I’m done with my most recent painting, “Self-Reflection,” 2023, 27 x 22, $3000. It’s a pastel on Lux Archival paper with Derwent Inktense Blocks underpainting.

This painting came from an old photo I took in downtown Denver as I was going through basic training in the Army as a photographer. I LOVE the colors, and the twin reflections are interesting. This was the third time I tried this subject as a pastel. (My photo is pretty cool too.) It’s a close up of a brass handle on a very old wooden door to a tavern.