Artists buying art
My new purchase: a mixed media painting by Traverse City artist Dan Heron. I am so inspired by this piece--I just brought it home yesterday and am so enjoying getting lost in it!

Winter Work
I've been working on this series of "snow" paintings. I'm starting with a toned panel and then applying a heavy layer of light-toned paint. Using a very soft and thick piece of charcoal, I'm working back through the layer of paint to scribe the drawing back on the panel. The charcoal breaks up a bit and mixes in with the paint as I work. I frequently wipe off the charcoal on a rag or sometimes cut off a clean edge. Once finished, the charcoal seems to be really blended into the paint layer. I might add a coat of varnish or something like that to completely secure the charcoal to the surface.