Pomegranate with Books

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

Apple with Honeycrisp

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I received an email from Michel Oosterhout. He has a website called "an apple a day". He asks artists to create a piece of art featuring an apple and email it to him to put on his website. As soon as I finished reading his email, I knew I wanted to include my iPhone in the painting. I really liked capturing the dark sleekness of it as well as the color shift across the Honeycrisp. Fun painting to do.

Sam No.2 (the charcoal version)

Charcoal on paper. Approx 12"x19"

For purchase information, please email michael@mnaples.com.

I did the math earlier today and it turns out I haven't used charcoal since college...which was 10 years ago!!! Yikes, that went fast! Anyway it felt great to spread the black dust around for a change.

Pumpkin Pie

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

Well, it's pumpkin season in full effect. Pumpkin everything; ice cream, coffee creamer, flavored coffee, pies, muffins, donuts...all pumpkin. And I think we ate all that in one week.

On a side note, if you are reading this via email subscription, I want to let you know I changed the design of my blog. First time in five years! Very exciting...for a geek like me.

One Down, Two Up

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I've been in the mood for a wine themed painting lately. If you go on my Facebook page (you can find a link on my menu bar on the left of my blog) to see a 30 minute block-in of this painting. I have a few gallery paintings on the list in the near future. Stay tuned...

After

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 10"x10" SOLD

The second commission. These will find their new home in Australia.

Before

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 10"x10" SOLD

The first of 2 commissions. They will hang as a pair.

Red Pear with Books

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

Sam

Oil on Canvas Board. Approx 11"x14" SOLD

Great model tonight. I had the pleasure of meeting Janice Skivington. She is a fellow blogger and lives in my town of Wheaton. We were bound to meet up sooner or later but it took about 3 years. It's actually her son who modeled. It was a good crowd tonight.

Crated

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

Antique Remedy

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6"

For purchase information, please email michael@mnaples.com.

I started out with the background much warmer...you know to get that perfect gray? BUT it wasn't working with the warm amber bottle. When I cooled down the background for a better temperature balance, it started to come together. This bottle has such nice detail that I wanted to almost make it a portrait. Capturing all the interesting features including the dust on top and the peeling stickers.

Antique Bicycle

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I still have three commissions left but since I am caught up on gallery paintings for the time being, I thought I would get back to a small painting. I've been dying to paint this one for about 3 weeks. I think it's currently my favorite. I've been tinkering with gray colors lately and this back ground is right where I want to be. It is on the edge of dark tan and gray. I love it!

Pear With Books

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 10"x10" SOLD

This is the demo I did last Wednesday night. Thanks to those who came out. It was great to see you. I only got about an hour and twenty minutes of paint time that night but put a little studio time in to finish it.

Peeking Pear

Oil on Board. Approx 12"x12" SOLD

This piece sold at Susan Powell Fine Art before I could even post it here. In other news, I have a live still life demo I will be doing Wednesday, Sept 28 at the Elk Grove Village Library at 7PM. Come on out and watch me work.

Pear with Stained Glass Window

Oil on Canvas. Approx 20"x20" SOLD

Another fresh piece for Susan Powell Fine Art. I aquired a couple of stained glass windows that are quite old. They have layers and layers of paint cracking off. That is what drew me to them. They have character.

Popped Top

Oil on Cradled Board. Approx 12"x12" SOLD

I was invited to participate in a group show that opens this Friday at Mason Murer Fine Art. It is an event for the top shareholders of Coca-Cola so the artwork needed to be coke related. I borrowed this old crate from a friend. I loved all the character it had to offer. A real pleasure to paint! For purchase information, please contact info@masonmurer.com or call the gallery at 404-879-1500.

New Portrait

Oil on Board. Approx 8"x10" SOLD

This is a commission. The younger brother of a girl that I drew a couple of years ago. It's a short week this week which isn't exactly a good thing. I have a lot of things to do and less days to do them in. On that note, it's up to the studio.

I Heart NY

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I can't beieve it's been 10 years since 9/11. It's weird thinking back about that day and the days to follow. Do you remember where you where that morning? I can recall it like yesterday.

I made a time-lapse video of this painting which you can view HERE.

To Us

Oil on Board. Approx 8"x8" SOLD

This is a commission. It was a Christmas gift from her son. The customer took her time thinking about what specific items would represent her and her husband. It was a fun one to work on.

In other news, I have officially become apart of the twitter family so please follow me by clicking here. Thanks!

Theresa

Oil on Canvas Board. Approx 11"x14" SOLD

Loved our model tonight. About a 2 hour effort.

Books and Corks

Oil on Board. Approx 10"x8" SOLD

Another fresh piece for Susan Powell Fine Art. I bought these books at the resale shop and I gut them for the ripped up condition they were in. I felt like I was doing a portrait of them by wanting to capture the character they had.

Antique Tops No.2

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

Antique Soda Cap

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I absolutely loved painting the detail in this crate in the background. This is kind of a warm up to a 12x12 I am doing for a group show in Atlanta in September. Now I can't wait to start that one. Too bad I have a couple of others in line before it. Oh...any ideas what kind of crate that is in the background? Or is that a dumb question?

Lonely At The Top

Oil on Board. Approx 9"x13" SOLD

Another fresh piece for Susan Powell Fine Art. For information on other available pieces, please contact the gallery at 203-318-0616 or visit their website at www.susanpowellfineart.com.

Peeking Over the Edge

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I absolutely love the shape of this cherry. I hope that doesn't sound weird. The antique wood here is actually an old wash board. It was one of my finds at the resale shop and the only reason I bought it was for the look of the wood. That's how the artist's brain works, I guess.

Stem Fight

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I thought these stems looked like a sword fight...hence the title.

Antique Bottle with Cherry

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6"

For purchase information, please email michael@mnaples.com.

I found this bottle and a resale shop recently. I've actually picked up a number of interesting items from there lately. I can't wait to paint them all...maybe all in the same painting.

Thick Frosting

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6"

For purchase info, please email michael@mnaples.com

This is kind of a frosting study. Love the thickness. Almost abstract.

The Artist's Tools

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I had this painting in mind for a couple of weeks. Then last saturday, I saw the DailyPaintworks challenge was to "paint what you paint with". Perfect timing for me. This painting is a bit looser and that is what I love about it. I think if I tried to paint every detail and make it really tight, I would have lost all of the drama.

Matt No.2

Oil on Canvas Board. Approx 11"x14"

For purchase information, please email michael@mnaples.com

Same model as last week but a different angle. I like this profile much better. About a 2 hour effort.

Antique View

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I aquired 2 antique windows. They are beat up, cracked, and have layers of paint chipping off of them...that makes them beautiful. This is a small detail of one of them along with a 1968 Schlitz can.

Chrome and Glass

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I came across these two items by chance. As soon as I saw them I thought, there's a painting.

Matt

Oil on Canvas Board. Approx 11"x14"

For purchase information, please email michael@mnaples.com

Another great model tonight at the head study session. About a 2 hour effort.

57 Bel Air

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

I love classic cars. Admittedly, I don't know a fraction of the facts my dad knows, but I'm into the look of them. I swear, at a glance he can tell you the year, make, model and three additional tidbits about any car. I don't understand it. I barely know what I drive to work each day.

my NEW book: SQUARED

Measures 7"x7", 114 pages.

For purchase information, please visit my bookstore here.

This is a representation of 100 favorite paintings from the substantial collection of square works. They are separated into 9 sections to easily categorize the diversity in subject matter. It has a whopping 114 pages and measures 7″ square and comes in softcover, hard cover with dust jacket, or hard cover image wrap. Each image in the book measures 5.2″. This book is printed at the highest quality using blurb.com which is a company that specializes in book production.

SQUARED by Michael Naples

Meredith

Oil on Canvas Board. Approx 11"x14"

For purchase information, please email michael@mnaples.com

Another great model tonight at the head study session. About a 2 hour effort.

Third Wheel

Oil on Board. Approx 12"x9" SOLD

Another fresh piece for Susan Powell Fine Art in Madison, CT.

Pink

Oil on Canvas Board. Approx 11"x14" SOLD

Another great model tonight at the head study session. I haven't been able to make it to this session it quite a while but it felt really good to get back. About a 2 hour effort.

Early Morning Harvest

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

Red One

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6"

I just love the look of these old vans. They are classic and you don't see that many in such great condition. This one was a pleasure to paint.

Peach in a Peach Tree

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

This photo is good but really doesn't do this one justice. There is a lot more temperature change in the peach that the camera didn't pick up.

Pair On Top

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 8"x16" FRAMED - SOLD

This is a larger painting that is framed with a gorgeous silver frame which really makes the pears stand out. I've had this composition in my mind for a while and finally got it out on board. I'm very happy with the final product.

Red Velvet

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

This is the second commission from the same person. It is my first red velvet cupcake painting and I loved capturing those colors. I might have to do another.

Apple With Leaves

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6"

Cream Filled

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" SOLD

This is the first of 2 commissions. Stay tuned for the companion piece. ALSO, I want to tease a project I am planning. I can't give any details at this time but after I catch up a bit on the 5 commissions and a couple of gallery paintings, I will hit the ground running with the new "secret" project.

Scenic Route (framed)

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6" FRAMED

This painting is being offered framed with the beautiful Catalina Black with Gold (floater) from the Randy Higbee Gallery in California. They have superb frames and do quality work.

Basking Bunny

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6"

I caught this little guy catching some sun in my backyard. Lucky. If you view the auction, there is an awesome rollover zoom feature that DailyPaintworks has implemented to its site. Finally it's a breeze to view close-up brush strokes.

Left Out

Oil on 1/8" Board. Approx 6"x6"

I wanted to emphasize these objects coming out of the darkness. That meant it was all about subtleties.

Apple Bottom

Oil on 1/4" Board. Approx 6"x6"

I wanted to do a different take on the apple wrapped in a cloth...so I flipped it upside down. There is just as much interest on the bottom than on the top. Or at least that is what I tried to prove.