Ford Museum and New Art by Detroit Artist

The Spirit of St. Louis. I'm always impressed by the sheer SIZE of the Ford Museum and HOW MUCH it contains! Planes, cars, trains, buggies, pumps, machines, entire buildings!

My grandmother always used to say, when I was eager to grow up or eager for summer during school or eager for spring during winter, "Don't wish your life away," by which she meant, carpe dium or live each day.

It's grey and dismal outside. But I do have spring--or maybe even
summer--inside--My azalea bonsai, a mother's day gift from my kids, to
cheer me up and bring a touch of brightness to this dark day.

The Grand Canal in Venice, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Original gifted to ES, as part of the gouache European Series.

And here's my collaboration with Steve Loya in Hennie's Mole. I am calling it: Diaphony, Dancers with Scarves.

(The Detroit artist is, in this case of course, me.)

Click images to view larger.

Skating Pond at Pier Park

In the afternoons and early evenings, it is full of kids and families.

A Matter of Scale

No, they aren't mountain ranges or dirt hills or cliffs, they are heaps of algae melting through the snow at the shore of Lake St Clair.

TODAY IS MY DEADLINE for the FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION. WISH ME LUCK!

The Alley behind the Library in February

Can you tell I'm not getting out much? TOMORROW is the Fellowship Deadline!

Wildlife, Pier Park

OK, so we don't have moose or bison here. It is DETROIT! (It was also quite dark.) (I always see animals when it's dark). (Plus, I didn't have a real camera, only a point and shoot.)

Still working on a tight deadline!!!

At the gazebo at Pier Park

It looks different every day--this was near sunset on a clear day a couple days ago.

Again, the lonesome shore

Sorry, I just can't resist taking this same shot over and over--it speaks to me of loneliness.

I have to have the Fellowship application done by the 26th, so I am ultra, uber-busy. Forgive delays in responding.

We're having a bit of a warm spell and some of the ice has melted.

Inside/Outside

The fake roses were almost just outside the door of the Village Market where they were selling the real roses, and the beer bottle was "inside" the (open air) bus stop. Huge deadline coming up, forgive any delays in commenting.

Winter-Spring (I wish!)

Here is our latest local snowman--it's about six feet tall!!! And an azalea IN BLOOM--(but it's inside our house--a bonsai.) (Still, it's cheery and reminds me spring WILL come.) (I hope!)

Click on the second two images to make them bigger.

I have a huge backlog and a HUGE deadline coming up, so forgive me if I am slow in responding to comments!!!

Skywatch Friday: Sunset at Belle Isle

Two sunsets from Belle Isle and a sky from Detroit Metrobeach. And my latest painting, which is an alley in Piran, Slovenia. The "clouds" in the Belle Isle shot were all smoke.

Babies in a bucket

At Detroit's Metrobeach, someone stuck a tub in the crotch of a tree, way high up, and this great horned owl nests there every year. February is nesting season, and she's sitting on eggs.

The Grim Reaper at the Detroit Mall

Check out that claw. This is the way my son, GB, dresses, and all the other boy his age around here. But must the the stores make them look so GRIM?

Another Deer at Metrobeach

There were three of them. This is the third, and it was taken about the same time and isn't terribly good, but I did fiddle with it some to try and make it brighter, as it was taken late into dusk.

New Arrival at Elmwood Cemetery

Over the summer last year, they redid the pond, which used to be a lovely natural environment with ducks and other birds, a place I loved to visit. They ruined it by bulldozing away all the natural plants and putting in rocks and wood chips and little bushes. I didn't photograph it; I was too horrified. They added this monument, which is okay, except did they give the guy a burial "at sea" in the pond, or what? Is his body going to come floating up? Or are his ashes inside the monument? Or what? (There is lots more pond around the monument, but I wanted to capture the geese sculpture.)

Dear Deer (Happy Valentine's Day!)

The first picture is a shot of deer at Metrobeach. It was taken last weekend before the snow, and it was taken at dusk, at such a deep dusk that it was almost night.

The second picture is our valentine's day card--We wish you love and happiness!

I made the silly pigment-marker sketch (second here) last night and then distally altered it on photoshop to make a valentine. It's all pigment markers except the skin--I have no skin-colored pigment markers.

I hope you have LOTS of LOVE in your life!!!

SNOW!

The first is the view out our front windows toward the storm. This was early on--we've had a LOT more snow since then. The second picture is a fractal I made using FractalWorks, I free download for Macs. Click image to view larger. Today, the sun is shining brightly on the new snow, but I have not been out to photograph it yet.

Skywatch Friday: Ice Fishing at Detroit's Metrobeach

We walked first at Metrobeach's Nature Center and then went over to check out the ice fisherman and were greeted by this view from the parking lot. You can click on the image to see it slightly larger, and check out the shanties of the ice-fisherman.

Stunts (Ford Museum)

These two are from the Stunt Plane Exhibit at the Ford Museum. You can sit among the dummies if you want to observe the details of the exhibit.

If you don't like the weather in Detroit . . .

. . . wait 5 minutes and it will change. The second picture was actually taken about ten minutes after the first and looking approximately in the same direction from a few feet away. In the second picture, it was snowing like mad but windy enough to blur it so you can't see the falling snow.

Schools were closed today--it snowed all day yesterday. GB (formerly PB) was delighted. (PB quit taking piano lessons and is now taking guitar lessons).

I am sorry I am still having computer problems. I'm in the process of solving them but it's taking longer than I expected.

Also here is a quick pencil sketch I made of myself in the car looking in the tiny mirror behind the visor. (NO, B, I wasn't driving, I was riding shotgun!) The reason I look so starey and bug-eyed I think is because I was looking in that little mirror so hard to try and see myself in the speeding, bouncing car. The sketch is actually a little bigger, but it wouldn't fit all on the scanner. Click image to view it a little larger.

Lake St. Clair from the beach at Pier Park

Looking our over lake St. Clair from the sand beach at Pier Park.

The Wright Brothers--inside the Ford Museum

A wonderful display of early aircraft can be found in the Ford Museum. Here is Orville Wright, ready to take off.

And below are two of my newest art pieces. Art by a Detroit artist! (LOL!) Click on the images to view them larger.

I'm sorry I am behind on commenting--I hope to catch up soon--We've been having both health issues and computer problems!!!



A bridge in Sardinia, gift to E.S.



Tachycardia.

Ford museum again

Of course everyone knows that there are lots of cars of every make model and year at the Ford Museum, but the place is HUGE--there are entire trains, buildings, tractors, planes! This is Amelia Earhart, leaving for her fated journey.

Skywatch Friday, Pier Park

I know I recently published a similar picture, but I couldn't resist another one. This is Pier Park "Off Season". Lake St. Clair.

I'm also sorry I'm behind on commenting--we've had some health issues here and several trips to the hospital (3 so far) (not counting tests), but hopefully, things are looking up and I will try to catch up!

Visit Skywatch Friday for lots more sky pix!

More furniture at the Ford Museum

There is a huge display or furniture at the Ford museum with historical information about each piece. Some of the pieces are very interesting.

Zamboni at Pier Park

Pier Park has just a tiny little skating rink and a HUGE Zamboni to groom it with. This picture was taken just as the dawn-light was reaching the houses, but hadn't made it to the ground yet.

My husband had surgery Monday and things have been a bit difficult the last few days. I will catch up when I can.

Here is a new art piece done in pigment markers on watercolor paper. Click to view larger.

Ford Museum: Arm Chair Made of Horns

Ford Museum: Arm Chair Made of Horns. The Ford Museum has lots of interesting furniture.

Ice Along Lakeshore

Lake St. Clair freezes, then thaws and breaks up, and the wind pushes the ice up on the lake, sometimes. I find it exciting and beautiful.

These pictures were taken just before and after dawn.