Painting Winner Announced

It has been a great couple of weeks watching as blog subscriptions have risen dramatically. Thanks to everyone who shared this blog with others, and to all of the new subscribers who have signed up. I hope you will enjoy it. The photo above shows all of the names in the hat (a Minnesota Twins hat to be specific).

We held the official drawing at the Vander Stelt household this morning and the winner of the painting is Steve Martin of Sioux City, IA. Congratulations, Steve. This went so well that I'll probably do another giveaway sometime down the road.

Thanks again and I've got a new painting that I'll be posting soon.

Mickey's Diner - No. 3

Mickey's Diner No. 3 | 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

This is another glimpse of life at Mickey's Diner in St. Paul. I ended up spending a lot more time on this piece than I do on a lot of these blog paintings. Mostly rendering the details in the bottles.

Overall I'm pleased with the way it turned out and I think the sunshine coming through the window has a nice feel to it.

These links will take you to No. 1 or No. 2 of this series.

FYI - The entries in the painting give-away are still coming in. Thank you!

Win this Painting!

The Train to Sioux Center | 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

Would you like this painting for FREE? Well, there's a chance it could be yours if your name is drawn out of the hat. Here's the plan:

If you are a current subscriber, e-mail this blog info to friends and family and encourage them to subscribe (and send a copy of the e-mail to me at the same time so I know that you are responsible for their subscription. My e-mail address is jdvstelt@mtcnet.net).

Anyone who becomes a new subscriber to the blog will have their name entered in the drawing, and if you are the person responsible for getting them to sign up, you too will have your name entered in the drawing. Get multiple people to sign up and you get your name entered multiple times. More chances to win. Your chances of winning are much better than playing the lottery, right? The drawing will be held on January 31.

It is a blatant marketing promotion, but I'm hoping it will increase my number of subscribers as well as traffic on the blog.

This past week was the coldest week in years here, so I thought I'd paint something that reflected that. This scene is about a block away from our house. Yes, we hear trains frequently every day as they rumble past.

It has been cold, but the landscape does look great all dressed in white.

The Tree

The Tree | 50"x50" | oil on canvas

I thought I'd post a commission that I just completed. I don't paint a lot of large landscapes, but when asked to paint this tree I decided to take it on. I've had it on and off of my easel for months and finally delivered it to the client last week.

This is a huge cottonwood tree that is in their backyard and it is quite an impressive specimen. They were quite specific that they wanted the tree to be the lone focus, and I think that gives the finished painting a peaceful meditative quality. It is going in a great location directly above the fireplace in their living room.

Click on the photo for a closer look.

Toy Soldier

Toy Soldier | 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

My boys have hundreds of these that they play with in our basement.

This one happens to be gray, rather than the standard army green. I like the look and feel of these army men, and when you study them closely they each have some unique features. I especially like the extra edges of plastic residue left over from the molds they were poured in. I tried to paint some of them in this.

I might be painting more of these. My son Jack says this is his favorite blog piece thus far. A high compliment from one of my favorite critics.

Inquire about purchasing

Death Row Dessert

Death Row Dessert | 5"x7" | oil on hardboard
Many of you have probably had the discussion with friends where the question is posed "If you were on death row, what would you request as your final meal?". A great conversation starter. Well, some of the main course options are questionable for me, but the dessert is a no-brainer. Cheesecake.

This is a piece of the cheesecake I received as a gift for playing Santa Claus at a family gathering. (That's a whole other story) Awesome cheesecake.

I think I like the way the blueberries turned out. Funny how canned blueberries look more purple than blue. At least they do to me. My family devoured the whole cheesecake in just a few days.

Inquire about purchasing

Portrait of an Artist - part 2

I thought you might be interested in seeing the painting of me painted by the mystery artist you received in my last posting. Her name is Carol Feldman and she is an artist living in Tel Aviv, Israel. Half way around the world. If you go to her blog you will see a watercolor portrait of me, as well as a preliminary sketch that she did.

It's hard to judge a painting of yourself, but I think she captured my likeness nicely.

I found it amusing that in the comments by readers of her blog, someone speculated on my identity saying, "I could be so wrong yet in this the guy I see an Israeli... the shaven head (style?), the checking-you-out eyes, the stubborn jaw. Whoever he is, your work is wonderful."

Well, they were a little off on the Israeli part, but the stubborn jaw part is on the mark. The comment made me look at myself in a totally different way.

I should remind some of my subscribers that you are encouraged to comment on any posting. You can do so by directly replying to the e-mail you receive, or by doing so on the blog itself. Under each posting there is a link that says COMMENTS. Click on that and you will be able to type your thoughts. I always appreciate your feedback.