"Cornflower and Queen Anne's Lace" 6 1/8 x 1 1/2" oil on 3/4" hardboard. $45

I loved getting in the car. It almost always meant fishing or picking berries if Dad was driving. The trip there was as much a part of the adventure as the expidition itself. I know they're only weeds, but cornflowers and Queen Anne's lace were two of my favorite sights along the road. I grew up in that netherworld between "children are to be seen and not heard," and "children are smarter than adults." This meant that I practiced long stretches of contemplative silence punctuated by brief periods of excited chatter. Both enriched me. Had I spent all of my time engaged in chatter, I would have missed the simple beauty growing along the way. Had I no chance to speak, I would have missed the opportunity to ask about what I saw.

Edge of the Field 1 1/2 "x 6 1/8' oil on gessoed masonite

I've noticed a lot of artists lately using gessoed hardboard with a recess in the back so that they can be hung right away without a frame for a contemporary look. Perhaps one day I'll invest in the tools to make perfectly formed holes in the back of my paintings, but for now, a six dollar set of wood carving knives seemed to do the trick. In fact, I rather like the hand-hewn aspect. It is 1/2" thick, so it can stand alone on a shelf or tabletop. The image is continued on the sides, bottom, and top. This is another in the Rural Michigan series. As you can see, it is signed on both the front and back.

Sanctuary 3"x3" oil on masonite panel $45

This is quite a common scene in Michigan; one lone tree at the edge of a field, left there when the field was cleared. Farm lore has it that before the days of motorized tractors, farmers would purposely leave one shade tree somewhere along the perimeter or even smack in the middle. This way they would have shelter from the sun at midday when they stopped to eat and rest. The practice of resting under a tree at midday has fallen somewhat out of use, but the tradition of leaving a shade tree seems to have survived. Birds seem to love the arrangement. They can feed on the grain and shelter in the tree. Would that human life were so simple.

Light Show 3"x3" oil on masonite panel $45

The skies in Michigan go grey by the end of october and generally stay that way until the end of March. But Summer evenings here are often spectacular. Perhaps this is only perception. It could be that sun deprivation for a goodly part of the year produces in us an exaggerated sense of what is spectacular. If so, then it is a willing delusion.

Last Dance of Summer 3"x3" oil on masonite $45

I love to watch birds chase one another and I love open spaces. This then is a composite of two of my favorite elements.

Coffee Klutch 3"x3" oil on masonite panel $45

Morning is the sweetest time of the day. I so enjoy awakening to the chatter of busy birds. Once upon a time you could even hear the quiet rustle of wheat in the breeze. There are still a few places like that, but they're being steadily overcome by folks on exodus from city life. I don't blame them. There's much to recommend about living a tad bit closer to nature. I plan to do it myself one day. The unfortunate side effect is that the more folks move out to the country, the more like city it will become. Don't get me wrong. That does not obligate us to stay huddled together on our concrete oasis. I just think that when we do live on farmland, we ought to at least consider what affect our sojourn will have on the place. I just visited some friends who moved to an area that I personally remember as all corn and wheat. I passed it on the road time and time again as a child. They have been very careful to preserve the nature around them. They're growing their own produce and preserving it and they're encouraging the wildlife. I find that gratifying.

Watcher on the Marsh 3" x 3" oil on masonite $45

Here's the second of the rural Michigan paintings. I've finished seven now and waiting for them to dry so that I can post them is excruciating. I'm anxious for you to see them. There are two that I want to use as a springboard for larger (perhaps sofa-size) paintings.

I have looked at my work on computer screens other than my own recently and was shocked to see that the images were cloudy looking, not at all as they really are or how they appear on my own screen. Perhaps that's because I use my scanner like a camera. That's why I have to wait until they dry before I post them. When I figure out how to make sure the images you see more closely fit reality, I'll replace the whole website with better images.

Contact me at jandale@jandalefineart.com or call 313-581-1342

Rural Sky 3" x 3" oil on masonite panel $45

I thought it would be a nice change of pace to paint a few miniature landscapes of Michigan as I saw it in my childhood. I have three completed and will post them over the next few days.

Honk if you love Michigan....or just leave a comment.

p.s. Make that seven landscapes completed. I need to find a better way to photograph my work. Otherwise I will have to wait until they're dry before I post them and that sort of defeats the purpose of the daily painting thing.

You may contact me with questions at jandale@jandalefineart.com or call 313-581-1342.

Committee Meeting (Oil, in progress)

Each panel is 3" square and could be displayed as a 6" x 6" set or as a group of four smaller paintings.

I was going to elaborate on why I chose this title, but I think it best to let the viewer draw from it whatever meaning evokes personal memories.
I hope to have it finished by the end of this week.

Contact me; jandale@jandalefineart.com or call 313-581-1342

About Giveaways

If you love to own original artwork..for free.... then this post is for you! We artist types understand that the economy is tight right now, but we have to keep painting toward the day when it will inevitably loosen up. So artists sometimes post giveaway paintings on their blogsites. I'm giving away the painting you see to your right.
But I'm not alone...Read on..

...In fact, I used to not believe that real people really won those. That is..until I began engaging in online dialogue with other artists, most of them by far my superior (by design). That's when I met Judith D'Agostino, an impressionistic landscape artist. She encouraged me to enter her giveaway. So I trusted for once. Imagine my joy when she announced me as the winner of a gorgeous New Mexico oil landscape!
Now, while Judith is possibly one of my favorite landscape artists, Jeff Hayes is one of my top three favorite stillife artists. I love how he creates a glow around the edges of glass objects. And he's giving away a painting this month!!!!!!...and what's even better is that he's quite well known. I've read possibly everything he's posted over the last year and learned a great deal from him. While what I'd REALLY like to win is that painting of a glass oil cruet he posted some time ago, I'm still entering this one because it is a Jeff Hayes work afterall and quite collectable. If you have a blog, you can enter his drawing too. Click on ...Free Jeff Hayes Painting. Let me know if you need help. I'd be happy to support this highly respected artist. Remember to enter mine as well. Who knows? You could end up with your own miniature gallery.

Contact me at jandale@jandalefineart.com or call 313-581-1342

chessmen series in progress

Can you think of a good title for a series of chessmen that includes a rook, knoght, bishop, and pawn? I dunno..."Support Staff"? I'm trying to go for a red glass look. I usually work from life, but I can't find red glass chessmen, and I felt compelled. I had to study the way light falls on tinted glass and then imagine my chess-pieces made of that. I'm a few days from completing the set of four. The other three are about as far along as this one. My original purpose for the border was to make it look like the chessmen were in shadow boxes, or that the images were framed. I haven't decided which way to go but keep watching.

Please be sure and email me if you'd like to be entered in the painting giveaway drawing at right.

You may contact me at jandale@jandalefineart.com or call 313-581-1342

Rescued

This is a little deviation from my usual fare, but I really have been wanting to share this for some time. I found this old rocking chair sitting out on the curb on trash day and rescued it. Then I stripped it down through six different colored layers of paint to the bare wood and gave it a new life. Now it sits proudly in my livingroom-studio and seems to be the first place visitors want to sit. Do you get the idea that I like checked patterns?

Now here's a close-up of the flowers I painted on the seat. I love turning trash into treasure!
P.S. Look to your right and enter this month's Giveaway!

"Family Night" Finished

12 x 12" oil on masonite panel

Donated to Mrs. Simoni's 4th Grade class.

Here it is. Now I need to find some chessmen to go with it. Leave a comment or ask a question. I love dialogue.

"Family Night" almost finished detail

oil on masonite panel 12 x 12"

Here's a closer look at the chess pieces as I am modeling them. I can't wait til it is dry enough to play on; about two weeks. Perhaps I'll find some unwitting soul to play chess with on it. Perhaps I'll sell it. If you think you might be interested in having it when it is finished, let me know. Just leave a comment here at the bottom where it says..well..'comment'. Watch tomorrow. I'll unveil the finished chess board sometime in the afternoon.

"Family Night" 12 x 12" oil in progress

Chess is one of those games that a person either really loves or really doesn't. I love Chess. I love watching other people play it. I love the idea of it even though I'm no good at it. My brother George ruined it forever for me when at the age of 10 he beat the ever-living socks off me six times in rapid succession. When I became a foster mom I thought, 'ahah! now I might just have a shot..' But beating a five year old just doesn't quite carry the thrill of victory...especially when you authored their agony of defeat. And even that was short lived. By the time Damean was seven, he had learned the game...which again led to my utter demise.
I decided to make fun of Chess in this Trompe L'Oeil chess board. I only scanned a portion of it because I'm not finished. When it is done and several coats of protective varnish have been applied, it will be an actual functioning chess board.

Notice that there are three figures. The King and Queen are lying down pell-mell and the little pawn is still standing...which is exactly what used to happen by the end of our own family nights. Of course, no game night is complete without coconut macaroons and coffee.

Candle in a Jar 6 X 6" oil

$85

I love thunderstorms! When I was setting up this stillife, a storm began whipping up outside. Short blackouts are common in my neck of the woods so I lit the candle in anticipation. I loved the glow of the candle on the wood table surface. This piece was completed last summer.

I don't know why, but I imagine opening the little box and smelling my Dad's aftershave. When I was 5 years old I used to watch him shave. I hoped secretly that he'd wait til I was grown and marry me. Watching my spouse shave the other day, just between you and me, I'm pretty glad that little girls do not marry their daddies.

Laynie: (almost finished) 8 x 10" oil on hard panel

.............

a message from Laynie........
"Happy Fathers' Day Dad! The painting is for you."

Ken Brown is my pastor. I cannot count the number of times both he and his wife Kim have helped me gain perspective when I was stressed out. Their daughters Laynie and Anna are delightful young ladies who grow sweeter by the minute. I love this family! Preachers' kids get alot of bad press these days and I'd like to use today, Fathers' Day 2008, to set that record straight. I see a calm and loving interaction between Ken and his children. These two girls are nearly always smiling. We notice things like that.

Happy Fathers' Day Ken!

Memorial Day

oil on canvas 3" x 15"

SOLD
***** I use my scanner to get images my smaller works. At 3x15" this painting was too wide to fit, so I had to scan it twice. If you know how to splice the two images together so that they will upload as one image, I would appreciate your input.

Every year on Memorial Day, the Willow Run Airfield hosts an air show. The flight path runs straight over my neighborhood.
It’s a real treat to watch from the second story balcony as planes from each era in aviation remind us that freedom has a price. My father, my spouse, and five of my ten brothers and sisters have served in the military.

My brother Ira, a veteran of the Vietnam conflict, is an avid storyteller. He held the family mesmerized as he told how he heard the high pitched whistle of a bomb while he was shaving. He ran out of his tent clad only in his undershorts and his watch. When he went back to look, there was a large crater where his tent had been. I guess you could say that was a close shave.

The spires you see at left are from Fordson High School just two blocks away. An historical landmark in itself, Fordson High is a massive and
breathtakingly beautiful structure.

"Peppermint Oil" 2x3" oil miniature

....

SOLD
At no time in the 26 year history of my marriage have we ever been without a bottle of peppermint oil. I use it in my coffee, desserts, and sometimes in my homemade lemon/mint salad dressing (when fresh mint leaves are unbearably pricey). If you want the recipe, I'd be happy to share it via email.

This view shows the painting under diffused indoor light.

Orange Slices 3" x 3" oil

...

$45

Some time ago, I painted a series of oranges; oil on canson paper. Canson paper is generally used for high quality works in color pencil and charcoal. Many Color Pencil Society of America artists use it. It had the acid-free quality I needed for oils. The colors, therefore, are just as strong now as they were a year ago when I painted them. It was also the perfect ground for experimental work since it was inexpensive and very durable.

Google evidently liked them because I had visitors from all over the world look at them, including places like Pretoria and the Brittish Isles. Because there was so much interest in them, I am going to do another series of orange and other citrus fruit images this summer. This time, they will be painted on my new ground of choice; gessoed masonite panel.

Make sure your framer uses only acid free materials.

Spring

4" X 4" oil on masonite panel $50.





















School is winding down..or shall I say hurtling headlong into that state of oblivion called the fourth card marking. After a particularly trying day this week, I saw these brilliantly colored seed spinnies scattered about on the walk as I approached my house. So I kick off my painting season with a calming image; the very essence of renewal and hope. Enjoy!

I will be posting this painting on e-bay sometime this weekend. Watch for it.