Half Over!

Well, good grief! June is already over with, and I realized I didn't write ANYthing for the entire month!

As if that ain't bad enough -- I realized the year is half over, and there's so much to do yet!!!

I guess when one is old and (mostly) retired, one just doesn't do as much as one used to!

June was a month of: 1.) sometimes not doing anything, and: 2.) continuing to unpack and work on stuff from our move last August. We -- ME, mostly -- never really had time to sort through things, empty boxes and maybe getting rid of stuff we moved that we really don't need anymore!

So I did paint, but I didn't finish anything.

So, since it's summer, maybe I'll just post a pic of a painting I did a couple of years ago that shows summer (but not how summer looks in southern California!), and by next month, I should have new works to post.

Summer Pastoral                  acrylic/panel                 16" x 20" / 40.6cm x 50.8cm

I hope your Independence Day was fun and uplifting. Thank you for your support!

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com or www.MarkJunge.com

Sacred Places in Maui

A Sacred Place is the tentative title of my latest painting, the first in a series I expect to do following our trip to the Hawaiian Islands last October.

A Sacred Place                                                              08" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm

This scene depicts Iao Needle ("Iao" is pronounced "yeow") in Iao Valley in Maui, Hawaiian Islands. The area was a sacred site to the old Hawaiian people who conducted ceremonies to their gods -- unclear which ones, since it seems to depend on what reference one looks to.

It seems to be cloudy there often, and it was overcast on the day we were there. Someday I may do another painting of the Needle with bright blue skies and sunshine, but for now, I wanted to hint at a sense of mystery in this Valley.

This was the first place we visited when we arrived in Maui. I had seen the Iao Needle in pictures before, so I was thrilled to be able to see the thing in real life.

Aloha!

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com
 

California's Central Coast

My latest painting is a commissioned piece that shows Atascadero along California's central coast.

The client owns a retirement home in the area and wanted some paintings that highlighted the beauty of the landscape there, especially when wildflowers are at their peak!

Southern California is a beautiful place during March and April. When the rest of the country is still enduring snow and freezing temps, winters here are pleasant, and -- except for the desert -- we experience green Christmases, with flowers soon to follow.

A second commission will be coming. It will feature a grove of trees on the client's property.


Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com

Bryce Canyon National Park

Here are two paintings of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah (in the USA) that I was commissioned to do, using photos that the client provided.

 
















I've been to the Park several times -- but I've never painted it before. All of those rock formations and hoodoos have a lot of detail in them, and even the above paintings didn't capture all of the ruggedness of the place.

Still, I think they turned out reasonably well, and I was able to use colors and contrast in ways that straightforward photographs can't capture.

And now -- I can concentrate on ANOTHER commission!

Mark Junge
www.SouthwestSpaces.com
www.MarkJunge.com

Dino Drawings

I think I finally finished one set of commissioned paintings, now it's on to a second set of two for another collector.

That doesn't mean I stop thinking about other paintings I want to do, probably for myself, or maybe to post on Fine Art America to make prints for sale.

But in the meantime, drawing is a fast way of making art compared to painting. Like making dino drawings!

Deinonychus

Dimetrodon

Of course, nobody knows exactly what dinos look like. All we've got are bones and, in some cases, fossilized impressions. (And fossilized dino eggs and dino poop!) But the computer-generated image (CGI) critters we see in the movies are convincing enough to get us excited about these ancient animals!

Incidentally, Dimetrodon, a denizen of the Permian era, is not considered a dinosaur, but was a synapsid -- more reptilian (and even mammal-like in some ways) and was wiped out in the mass extinction event at the end of the Permian, before true dinos began to appear. Too bad -- as a kid, this was my favorite "dinosaur."

Back to painting. I'm sure more drawings will follow.

Mark Junge

www.MarkJunge.com

A Future Painting

We-e-e-l-l-l...

My original intention was to write in this blog at least once a week. But lately, it's been down to once a month!

But, I'm older (as we all are), gotten into a lazy state of mind, not highly motivated, and tired. Stuff that's been going on in the country -- coronavirus, politics and the extreme hatred out there, stuff like that -- has been taking my focus off of what I need to be doing.

So what images are in my head these days?

Jamaica  -- 1871                                                                     Frederick Edwin Church

Jamaica is a painting I've loved for a long time. I plan to paint a scene similar to this, except it will be of Hawai'i or other Polynesian island, and it will combine elements of existing landscapes and some imaginary aspects as well.

I'd like to get started on it soon, but: 1. we're still unpacking from our move last August -- seven months ago!; and: 2. I need to get some commissions finished, hopefully VERY soon!

The time will come, God willing, and it'll give me something to look forward to!

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com

Pinnacle Peak, Arizona

Pinnacle Peak is the subject of my latest painting (I haven't come up with a title yet), a small piece I squeezed in between other projects. The size is 08" x 10" / 20cm x 25cm and, as usual, is acrylic on panel:

Sadly, the desert scenery has been removed and the Peak is now surrounded by streets, houses, shops and golf courses. I'm glad I had an opportunity to see it in its natural glory way back in March, 1983.

(Note: Pinnacle Peak Park is still located on the other side of the Peak, and one can still access the hiking trails that meander across the hill -- only the view just ain't the same).

Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com