"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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

ANNA; finished!

private collection

There comes a time when an artist knows that to add just one more brush stroke will kill a painting. For "Anna", that time is now. What made me decide this? First, I couldn't think where to continue. That's usually the first indication that one should stop. The second, and most compelling reason is that three people who know Anna, gasped upon seeing the painting as it sat drying on the easel and said, "Is that Anna _____!?" Now I could paint in the gingham pattern in her dress, but I sense that it would distract from her sweet face. I think that simplicity serves this subject best.

So here's Anna, the girl who is always in one of three states; on the go, poised to go, or (as in this painting), having paused for a nano-second from being on the go!

Work In Progress (not yet titled)

This was started with a reference photo from the same shoot as the three little girls. The model is Sarah's little brother, James. After Norman Rockwell fashion, I wanted to use the exaggerated gesture. IBut I didn't have to exaggerate. James was walking goofy, and we caught it on film. It seemed to shout, 'little boy teasing big sister'. If you have any suggestions for a title, please comment. Again, the goal is not a perfect likeness of the boy, but telling a story with paint.

Stormy Feather

daily painting #36

3x2" oil on gessoed masonite

$85, $5 shipping

I found this feather on the ground beneath a tree in Kingsport Tennessee where I was visiting my 90 yr. old Dad. The feather is scarcely an inch and a half long, and appears to be from a wing. Please contact me if you think you know what kind of bird it might be from.

The title comes from a naming contest I ran. Kim Brown of Michigan supplied the winning entry. Thanks Kim!

Most Valuable Player

daily painting #30

3x3" oil on canvas
Private collection NFS

One either loves chess or loathes it, but folks are rarely ambivalent. My brother, George, used to go for the throat! Perhaps that's why when I played Stratigo with my nephew, Damean, I didn't just "let" him win. When he finally beat me at the age of 9, he did it on his own steam. The wild jig he performed upon finding my flag rivaled River Dance's most lively number. Damean, if you come across this, I love ya, man!

'Yanny'

Eggplant Slices

daily painting #29

3x3" oil on canvas

$85, $5 shipping

I normally do not post on Sunday, but these were just too much fun. I don't really like eggplant (too slippery), but they are too interesting not to paint.

Oops!

daily painting # 26

3 x 3" oil on canson paper

Click to bid.

This was the fridge preserved half left over from the previous three paintings. It's a little more dried out and old looking. Not as pretty as #24, but good for study.

Chocolate dipped orange slices

daily painting #25
3 x 3" oil on canson paper
Click to bid.

More oranges. Makes me thirsty for orange juice.