Something I'd like to share with the group

[bif]

Before I got out of rehab, my counselor asked me what i was going to do with the time I had devoted to drinking. I had to come up with something so I said "painting". I dabbled in art a bunch of years ago, but haven't painted in probably 20 years. So a couple months ago, I started again. And I've really enjoyed it. My wife suggested I put them on a blog so here it is:

https://markdomincreative.blogspot.com

Feedback and comments welcome. Don't be too harsh, I'm new at this, and totally self taught. I'm working in two different styles. What I call "Grandpa Moses" and just straight ahead painting. You can click on the paintings to enlarge them.

[LearnedHand]

1. Your paintings are fabulous

I was thinking of folk art painters when I saw them and before I saw you mentioned Grand[p]a Moses. Well done, and many years of sobriety and painting to you.

[dlk]

2. Your Work is Beautiful!

There is so much color and energy in your work. I love it! Art is food for the soul so please keep on painting. It will feed your heart and help you heal.

[Ohiogal]

3. Very, very, nice!

Love your goldfish bowl ... love em all.

Best of luck to you with your recovery!

[enough]

4. Beautiful and compelling. NT

[JDC]

5. Great stuff. I sketch a lot. Easy to take with me when I travel also

[safeinOhio]

6. Love the Belle Ils painting.

Been there many times.

[CousinIT]

7. GREAT work! You should absolutely continue.

I love the Goldfish one. Not sure why. It make me feel happy!

[pazzyanne]

9. My favorite is also the Goldfish.

You definitely have a style of your own that carries from painting to painting. I also thought of Grandma Moses while looking at your paintings. Carry on, you do have a talent that needs to be used!

[orleans]

20. same here.

my attraction is the orange background wall and the bright orange of the fish.

and also the hot/bright mix of the blue and pink stones in the fish bowl.

it's very uplifting.

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. "Slot cars in the 'recked room'" !!

'Lost' afternoons indeed long ago.

[sprinkleeninow]

10. Good for you!

Enjoyed your creativity. 💛

A prayerful belief for your continued success in all things. 🕯

[Sunny Daze]

11. You're blest with incredible talent!

It’s great to see amazing work from someone so humble.

[Solly Mack]

12. Those are great.

[jmbar2]

13. Great work!

You are hugely talented. I especially like the goldfish bowl.

I think you could easily sell prints of your work, or T-shirts through various online art sites - Etsy, Spoonflower, etc. Of course, in addition to the paintings themselves.

Keep painting bro - you're very good !

[evilhime]

14. Wonderful!!!!

Love Belle Isle along with the others but that one speaks to me! Super art, thank you so much for sharing!

[lillypaddle]

15. I love your work, bif

it's surely a rediscovered treasure for you.

[Scarsdale]

16. Congratulations on your sobriety.

Beautiful paintings, so very colorful. Keep it up.

[TygrBright]

17. You totally got something there. Creativity is one of the great sobriety maintenance strategies! n/t

[democrank]

18. I really enjoyed your paintings, bif.

Take good care~

[trickyguy]

19. "Goldfish bowl with flowers" is a master work. Totally compelling.

[iluvtennis]

21. You have a special talent - what joy it must bring to you. Stay strong.

[CaptainTruth]

22. They're great! I love the goldfish.

[tblue37]

23. Actually, they are lovely. I especially like the effect you created with the fishbowl in the first

painting.

I very much like your sense of color and composition, too.

[Honeycombe8]

24. Love, love, LOVE your style!

The colors are extraordinary! I don't know much about painting styles, but a couple of your paintings reminds me of a sort of folk art style. (the brothers is one)

I love vibrant colors, and paintings/prints that draw you in...or out...like a window that adds cheerfulness to a room.

You need to get some more done, and try to sell them.

I'd buy the goldfish one if I saw it somewhere (if I thought the orange would work for me; I have a thing against orange). But the red flowers and other colors might negate that, and the orange isn't overpowering.

I love the brothers painting. Heck, I really love them all!

I don't see how people have the patience to paint. It'd drive me nuts. I've tried drawing a few times (I did okay...painting runs in my family), but I found it drove me crazy trying to get those pictures right and sitting there for hours. Some people can do that. I have a sister who paints. She's very talented, and very laid back. So she can sit quietly and work on her paintings.

[LiberalLovinLug]

25. Really good!

Speaking as a fellow painter; Your colour is amazing. Its so easy to get colours muddy if you haven't painted, at least in awhile. Compositions are interesting, and fill the space, and your balance of dark and light tones is very good. Keep it going!

[Maraya1969]

26. I love them! I especially love the colors.

Congratulations and best wishes in your new endeavor!

[bif]

27. Wow! Thank you so much everyone.

Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me. I have so many paintings in my head, I can keep going forever. And hearing from you is truly humbling. Maybe I will look into making prints from some of my paintings.

[Freedomofspeech]

28. Well done!!

Thanks for sharing!

[MLAA]

29. Love, love the new goldfish bowl painting! Keep 🎨 🖼

[Lifelong Protester]

30. Wonderful!

Are any of them for sale?? I love the Brothers Raking the Leaves. (Even though I love them all)

[bif]

33. Not sure about selling them.

I haven't really thought about it. I'll either sell them, or have prints made of them and sell those.

[Lifelong Protester]

42. ok

contact me (through this website) either way.

[Amaryllis]

31. I'd hang em in my house.

[likesmountains 52]

32. Really nice work. Thanks for going out there and sharing them.

[UpInArms]

34. I love your perspective

Especially the fish bowl

...

Keep up your beautiful work

👍🏼

[Sanity Claws]

35. Your most recent one is the best, IMHO

This one gets perspective so right. An earlier one, the Rivard Rakes, seemed almost Grandma Moses in its simplicity and lack of perspective.
Sorry if this sounded critical. Please consider it encouragement because you are improving and I truly love the goldfish one.

[spartan61]

36. Thank you for sharing your

beautiful paintings and comments. I also grew up in the Detroit area and remember going to Belle Isle (loved the huge stove at the entrance) and absolutely loved going to Sanders for the cream puff filled with ice cream and hot fudge. I also still call it "Saund-ers" and never knew anyone who called it Sand-ers. Thanks for the memories. I'm now retired and living in Florida but I do have 6 jars of Sanders Hot Fudge in my kitchen cabinet. Now if only I could get some "Better Made" potato chips.

[bif]

37. You can order them on-line at their corporate site...

https://bettermade.com

[northoftheborder]

38. Really nice! Love the colors and subjects!

[Mersky]

39. Am enjoying this bright spot

On a Monday morning. I'm finding your work delightful. Really like your 'eye' for things. Like the rhythm of the carnations, I'm rather enamored with the care in the layering of shadow and light in the stems. The eh, timing in the bricks is nice, too. Hehe, love those goldfish. Holler if you're out to set them up in a bigger tank. I can recommend a few things I learned as an acquatics specialist back in the day.

The light coming over the awning in the Brooklyn grocer matches my mind's eye of the scale in Brooklyn. Really makes me want to travel to NYC, prolly is my favorite area on the planet. Rather enjoy the stack of limes, and textures of the other produce, too.

Am tickled with your sharing of your work, too. I appreciate your sweet approach to DU with the journey you're on. Is inspiring and helpful for me.

[sinkingfeeling]

40. Like the fish bowl.

[bif]

41. If anyone's interested in my paintings, PM me...

I'd be willing to email you a higher res photo of them. I hadn't really thought about it before. I'm just painting for fun, not to make money.

[bif]

43. I added a couple new ones

https://markdomincreative.blogspot.com

[Stuart G]

44. They are beautiful..and a distict style. Colors are absoultely outstanding...

Love them.. K and R...I need to add something about the "gas station." While the colors are very special, the felling about that one is very sad..Totally empty, No one there, grass grown through the cracks. Nothing around.
I am sure you wanted to convey that feeling, and it really comes through. That is really outstanding..

[bif]

45. Thank you for your encouraging words.

Just when I think maybe I should call it quits, painting-wise, I see a post like yours. It's just what I need to pick up the brushes and have at it again.

[smirkymonkey]

46. I love them!

The goldfish bowl is my favorite! It makes me happy looking at it. Keep it up!

[bif]

47. Thanks!

I am. I paint almost every day. And I post my new paintings a couple times a week.