Sunshine On My Shoulder . . .

I look for sunshine in each of my days

~

my daughter sent me these photos of

little miss almost eighteen month old

learning how to walk in boots

quite the trick for a newbie

 she kept right on trying

and then the smile

pumpkins

snickers

best pumpkin I have ever seen

 a birthday gift to mister irish garden house

outdoor oldie selfie

just for you

Art Prize 7

Grand Rapids, Michigan

1500 entries

Local, State, International Participants

we saw a few of them

Good Fence

found along the way

Giveaway Winner

this is the pillow I will be painting

thanks to

exquisitely unremarkable

Siena Italy

a friend has been visiting in Italy the past few weeks

this is one of her photos . . . I loved it

I have been in Siena, but missed this delightful sculpture

a visit to the

Muskegon Farmer's Market

is always a treat

and many fresh fruits and veggies come home with me

grandson Jordon and his friend at Homecoming

I love those smiles

cooler weather has brought out the soup pot

Wild Rice Spinach

Red Skin Potato

White Chicken Chili

Chicken Noodle

Vegetable Beef

are a few I have made in the past few weeks

~

my days seem to be

FLYING

how about you

almost mid October

I hope you are finding some sunshine in your days

and enjoying a beautiful autumn

~

Be Kind To One Another

Love, Lynne

One More Thing . . .

crossed off the list . . .

Grandson Jordon and I cleaned up an unsightly bunch of

dead Bitter Sweet vines hanging in the huge Oak tree behind our house. 

Jordon did most of the work,

 I just shouted the directions.

The trimming and pruning took a few hours.

The yard was a mess but we had it cleaned up in no time.

The Bitter Sweet vine is at least twenty five years old

and through the years it has woven

itself up and around the bark of a huge oak tree.

The vines had climbed so high that we were unable to see the berries.

Jordon's trimming left a few branches down low,

fortunately they are laden with berries.

The squirrels and birds will enjoy the berries wherever they are

and we will enjoy seeing the unsightly vines removed!

The vine seems to be losing its end of life.

The twists and turns of the wooden vine almost

take on the appearance of an art piece.

I was happy we could maintain most of the "art piece" look.

(Maybe some of you'll remember seeing the tree/vine from past posts.)

If you look at the photo of Jordon climbing inside the tree

you'll see some of the vine winding up the tree, some of the berries too. 

Soon they will be a vivid red orange.

Jordon has been such a help with different outdoor projects.

Not only for me, but for his other granny too.

We appreciate him

 and his cheerful, considerate, self motivated

fun way of being.

Once again, thanks Jordon!

~

In addition to cleaning up the unsightly vines

we were able to have out first fire in our new fire pit.

Believe me . . . I will be showing some photos very soon! 

~

that's all I have this time

see you again soon

thanks again for your friendship

Love ~ Lynne

Arts Council of White Lake . . .

sculpture

jewelry

photography  watercolor  oil  acrylic  prints  cards

creative mosaic

weaving   fabrics   textiles  

gallery

featured artists

The featured artist in the gallery
from May 19-June 5
is nationally known illustrator/author
North Muskegon Michigan resident
Lori Eslick
~
Lori enjoys the beautiful white sand beaches
and painting out in the open air at Lake Michigan.
ceramics  glass  pottery

 

is a vital and vibrant part of western Michigan and the lakeshore
the council features and supports
 many art, music, theater offerings for
children, youth, adults
~
The Gallery, Nuveen Center, Council Offices
are located in
Whitehall, Michigan
~
children, youth, adult classes
 theater events
junior strings
exhibitions
chamber music
guitar fest,
gallery
art walk
are some of the happenings
~
White River Gallery
features West Michigan artists.
This Cooperative Gallery includes a wide variety of
distinctive art in varying media.

Artists are juried
into this large gallery where they can
exhibit and sell their work.

New artists are featured frequently.
~
The Arts Council has been around for 30 years or so.
The Gallery has been around about 18 years.
and the Nuveen Center about 12 years.

A member of the Arts Council has benefit
of the many events the council provides.

People from all over the country have become
Arts Council of White Lake members.

You too can join, you'll receive the quarterly newsletter
and benefit from meeting new artists
and the many artistic related events.

Memberships can be attained here. 

If you are traveling in our area
please stop in to the
White Lake Gallery, Nuveen Center,
 council offices for a visit.
We would love having you!
~
Until next time,
Love, Lynne
(this post was provided solely by me and not a request from the arts council)



Saturday's Critters In Art . . .

My Saturday's Critters

is in an art form today.

This art exhibit

Avian Avatars

is in Muskegon, Michigan.

Please read from the link below

for more information about these exceptional art sculptures,

The Taste Maker, The Realist, The Great Spirit, The Scold, The Tourist .



"The Scold"

"The Tourist"

"The Taste Maker"

. 
"The Great Spirit"
~
I thought there were only four sculptures when I took these pictures.
There is one more sculpture titled
"The Realist"
a photo of it can be found if you click on the link.
~

     Colossal Avian Avatars flock to Muskegon

The Muskegon Museum of Art announced that Avian Avatars, 

an art installation of five colossal sculptures, each symbolizing a mythical bird,

designed by The Myth Makers, artists Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein, 

arrived in Muskegon on April 27, 2015.

The sculptures are crafted from

maple saplings, wire ties, and found objects,

and stand from 18 to 26 feet tall.

Each of the sculptures have been installed

in a different downtown Muskegon location for a full year,

from April 27, 2015 through May 1, 2016. 

Avian Avatars 

was formerly on display in the

Garment District of New York City

and the exhibit traveled directly to Muskegon during the week.

~ 

Information above was taken from
Muskegon Art Museum info plus
Downtown Muskegon Now

 Brandon Champion, MLive, Muskeogn Chronicle
 

Photos were taken by me on May, 1, 2015
~
I enjoyed learning about the sculptures and seeing them in person.
The massive size of each sculpture and the artistic expression
with the weaving of  twigs and branches
plus the found items such as
plastic shopping bags, yellow caution tape, golf clubs
makes for exceptional sculpture.

How fortunate for our community
to have the
 Avian Avatar
exhibited here for the year.
~ 
and what a fun twist to Saturday's Critters.
Thanks Eileen for hosting 

 

Pink Tulip Paint Night . . .

 

 

 

It was all about pink Monday night for Paint Night

A tile of pink tulips was our inspiration.

Mister IGH snapped a picture of us showing our final results.



 

 No doubt about it, we enjoy our "on our own" painting nights.

~

Some of us will be having more painting classes coming up soon with 

Art Uncork'd - Sharon Smithem.

Spring/Summer Scenes will be our themes.

 

The link above is Sharon's personal blog.

She is a Grand Rapids, Michigan Art Prize participant.

Take a look and you will see many views of Sharon's vast talent.

~

Thank you for stopping by,

I will be back soon.

Love, Lynne



Hosting Paint Night . . .

A few nights ago, four of us met together at my house,
for a night of painting.  No instruction, just us.
There were two others that planned to be with us
but they ended up having conflicts.
 
It was a night to paint whatever we wanted to.
We each had a plan and off we went.

I planned some eats and others brought things too.
As you will see, some wine bottles
found their way onto the make shift kitchen island studio.
 

Donna and I painted Birch Trees.

I really like Donna's painting intent, style and touch.



Marie arrived late at our event

and decided not to paint

and instead

this silly girl showed us her empty canvas, new brushes and paints

(Next time she promises us she will paint!).



 Barbie surprised us all. 

She knew just what she wanted to paint and set off to do so.

The funny part was when she walked through the door with her seven foot easel.

She named her painting, 

Dandelions in the Dark

Barbie was on a dynamo roll.   

 Donna's final Birch Tree painting was wonderful,

like I said, I like her touch!

Donna and I were following the same picture as a guide.

We had similar, but slightly different interpretations. 

 I grew up in a family where my brother and mother were considered the artists.

Venturing out this past year to give my hand at a try in painting

has surprised me as much as it has surprised others. 

I must say,

I haven't enjoyed anything else this much in a long, long time.

The best part has been in the trying and doing, very relaxing,

 

You may have heard about Paint Nights

that are happening in many cities and in various settings.

 

I have been participating with a local artist

Sharon Smithem

and her

Art Uncork'd Paint Nites

(click on her name and it will take you to see her exceptional art)

 

There are six to eight of us painting each paint night.

Sharon has a painting that she has completed

for us to look at and ponder and then she leads

us into painting our own.

 

There is a charge for the classes

which include the paints, brushes, canvas and the artists guidance.

~. 

Paint Nights can be found in many cities near me

I just checked and found many within a half hour to hour drive,  

so I am sure you can find them too.

I encourage you to give it a try,

it is really very enjoyable.

 

In addition, there are many videos available on line

that give you step to step visual instruction

in oils, acrylics and watercolor.

~

I'll be back again soon,

Love, Lynne