Emerge! 2026

 I will have two pieces in the Emerge! 2026 exhibit starting tomorrow at the Hannan Center in Detroit. The show will run through mid September . 

My two pieces are a sculpture and a woodblock print, keeping with the them of emergence. 

Emerging

soapstone
photo by John Wood

The sculpture, pictured above was carved out of soapstone and has all these great looking colors that come out when wet. I had applied a coat of tung oil recently that brought out some of those colors, but it did make it darker than what is pictured here. 

Ascending

9x12

woodcut print

The woodcut print was a lot of fun to do. My first woodcut, actually. I was happy with how the patterns of the sea came out. And... it's a hammerhead!

So, the opening is tomorrow as stated in the flyer and it goes from noon until 7.

I will be exhibiting alongside a few friends, as well. Dug Rusin will have two colored pencil pieces and Mary Stebbins Taitt and Laura Reed will have pieces, too. Stop on by, check out the show. I'm sure that it will be a good one (I saw some of the works when I was dropping my pieces off and there are some good ones). And remember, there will be a hammerhead present!

Oceanic Tendrils

 

My latest Substack is up and has everything to do with the process of creating the scratchboard piece. You can check it out HERE. 

Blue & White Invitational At The Holland Museum

 

Oceanic Tendrils

9x12

scratchboard/clayboard and watercolor

I will have a piece in the Blue & White Invitational at the Holland Museum. The exhibit starts this Friday and runs through October. You can get all the details HERE. 

This is my second gallery show of the year (there will be a third) and my first ever at a museum, so that's exciting. 

The show is inspired by the Delft collection at the museum, so anything blue and white was fair game. Of course, I went weird. Weird, you say? Pshaw, it's normal where I operate. Tentacles, sharks and gulper eels... I hang with only the best creatures.

So, make sure to tell your friends and if you find yourself on the west side of the state of Michigan, then check it out. It's a cool museum and city, as well.

Hammerhead Woodblock Print

 

10x13

print w/sumi ink

A couple of weeks ago, I finished up a three week course in Japanese Woodblock Engraving with instructor Nobuko Yamasaki. This here print above is my inaugural woodblock print. A hammerhead (of course!) for this week's open-themed #SundayFishSketch.

A Thresher Shark Sketch

 

5x8

ink in sketchbook 

Today's #SundayFishSketch theme are fish that have unique, odd, fascinating tails. And my unique tail selection is that of a thresher shark. A tail like no other... unless you're another thresher shark, that is.

Hammerhead Shark Sketch

 

5x8

ink in sketchbook

I haven't done a #SundayFishSketch thingie in awhile now, so I felt that I couldn't pass up the theme of doing one's favorite shark. There are so many to choose from, but I went with the awesome hammerhead, nature's very own aquatic blacksmith. 

A Great White Shark Innards Sketch

 

5x8

ink in sketchbook

This week's theme for #SundayFishSketch is to show the inner workings of a fish, such as a dissection. I hesitate at times when I choose to go with humor, but I think that I'm in good company with the scientists. At least I hope so.

Sand Tiger Shark Sketch

 

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ink from sketchbook

A sand tiger shark for this week's #SundayFishSketch theme of fish that are more active at night.

Dumb Gulper Shark Sketch

 

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ink in sketchbook

This week's #SundayFishSketch theme are fish that might be forgetful, as in forgetting to do their tax returns. I'll bet that a dumb gulper shark (that's a real shark) just might eat its taxes and then forget that it had done so. You never know how these things can go.

The forms get stuck in the gills...

A Cubist Mako Shark Sketch

 

5x8

ink in sketchbook

So, this week's theme for #SundayFishSketch is a bit different in that it is in depicting a fish in a cubist style. Now, I'm not entirely sure if I nailed it, but it was fun to do. I wasn't even going to participate this week, but thought I had at least give it a go, since it seemed like fun. Although, it looks more jittery than cubist. Picasso and Cousteau were my guides.

Whale Shark Sketch

 

5x8

ink and Dr. Ph. Martin's white ink

in sketchbook

Yikes, it's been over a month since I have shown anything new. I have been busy and will have more on that soon, including a new newsletter thing. Stay tuned.

This week's #SundayFishSketch theme is what fish we first think of when we hear the word 'fish.' This could change by the minute, but as of right now, it's a whale shark. 

Coral Catshark Sketch

 

5x8

ink in sketchbook

A stylized coral catshark for this week's #SundayFishSketch theme of invertebrate prey. Now, I do believe that I am exaggerating this attempt at eating a giant oyster, but hey, maybe catsharks dream big?

Oceanic Whitetipped Shark

 

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ink in sketchbook

Fish with abnormally large fins is this week's theme for #SundayFishSketch. The oceanic white tipped shark has some large dorsal and pectoral fins. 

Ninja Lanternshark Sketch

 

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ink in sketchbook

This week's #SundayFishSketch theme are either fish that one wants to study (if a scientist), or fish that you would like to study, if one could. 

All of them!

However, I'm not sketching that many fish, so I have chosen the glow in the dark ninja lanternshark. A shark whose scientific name is benchleyi, named after the author of Jaws, Peter Benchley. 

Great White Shark Sketch

 

5x8

ink in sketchbook

I haven't sketch a great white for one of these #SundayFishSketch thingies, so for this week's draw any fish that you want theme, I've done just that. 

Chomp, chomp!

Sandbar Shark Sketch

 

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ink in sketchbook

This week's #SundayFishSketch theme are sandbar sharks. The best of all sharks, according to Dr. David Shiffman, the shark guy who suggested the theme.

Hammerhead Shark Sketch

 

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ink in sketchbook

This week's #SundayFishSketch theme are fish that are hard workers, such as nest builders, migrators, etc. What could possibly be a harder working fish than a hammerhead shark with all of those nails on the ocean floor? 

I think that I might have warned you that the jokes would only go south at some point.

Hammerheads are long distance migrators, as well. So there. Hard working.

Bruce Vs Bruce Sketch

 

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ink in sketchbook

This week's #SundayFishSketch are fish that we would like to see competing, or fighting in a Super Bowl type match-up, so you get a Bruce drawing another Bruce Vs another Bruce.

3 Sharks Sketch

 

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colored pencil from sketchbook

Today's theme for #SundayFishSketch is our favorite shark. I couldn't settle for just one, because they are all rather magnificent, so I did three. A hammerhead (which is probably my fave), a thresher and a mako. 

Greenland Basking Shark

 

9x12

watercolor on paper

I was very tempted to stick with an ink sketch for this week's #SundayFishSketch, but had to give another go with the watercolors, just for the sake of the cool colors that a Greenland Basking Shark can give off. The theme, you ask, is large mouthed fish. Basking sharks are getting a lot of love across the inter webs today and rightfully so. They have to have the biggest mouths. I guess I can relate at times...