Lions and Books
May 21, 2012
Today I wanted to say Happy Birthday to my lovely grandmother, Marylin! She is a great influence in my life as a writer and a thinker and a human being.
It’s been a good week getting settled into my new studio space. I’ve been reading, sketching, and planning out several larger projects to be done in the coming months. One such artwork is a commissioned painting of a lion in meditation called, The Lion and the Baumgartner (Baumgartner is a German name meaning Tree Garden).
Pictured below are some preliminary drawings of this painting in progress.
Blue Lion Study (Detail), Color Pencil, 11 x 14”, 2012
Studies on my studio wall with a small pair of shears.
Thumbnail Drawings for The Lion and the Baumgartner, Graphite on Paper, 11 x 14″, 2012
For balance this morning in the studio I took a break from drawing and finished reading Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses. It was great read — beautiful and dark. His rich descriptions of a mid 20th century Mexico are vivid and easily pictured.
Thank you for reading! To see more of my artwork, please visit MikeSchultzPaintings.com.
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New Painting Studio
May 14, 2012
Last week I moved into a new painting studio in southeast Portland, OR. The space is located in a one hundred year old brick building and has two large windows with significant western light.
Recent composition thumbnail drawings on my wooden desk.
I am sharing the space with another artist and feel so glad to be surrounded by the marvelous aroma of oil paint and mineral spirits. Also, after another gray and rainy and vitamin D deficient Portland winter it has been rejuvenating to bask in a few sunsets!
The artist hard at work contemplating existence: Who am I? What are we? What is real?
An orange sunset with a view of Portland’s west hills.
More glowing sunset light.
I’ll be sure to post more images of my studio once I get settled into it. Thanks for reading!
To see more of my artwork, please visit MikeSchultzPaintings.com.
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The Art of Sprouting
April 30, 2012
Alfalfa Sprout Harvest in Studio, Spring 2012
Artists need joie de vivre in whatever form it takes. So, this week I thought I would share one such life pursuit of my own, The Art of the Sprout. Sprouting food from seed can be a healthy, radical way to supplement your family’s diet as well as an economically savvy practice.
I don’t believe the exhausted cliche that good art comes from a manic lifestyle. In my experience, the more balanced and enriched your life becomes, the better the art you will make. By regularly practicing positive activities, I believe that artists can replenish the inner wellspring that feeds their artwork.
Alfalfa sprouts are a super food filled with nutrients and vitamins!
Alfalfa sprouts are crazy nutritious edibles.
They contain calcium, folic acid, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, sodium, zinc, as well as Vitamins A, B complex, B12, C, E and K.
Some other favorite sprouts grown in our home include green lentils, adzuki and mung beans, clover and broccoli, and the occasional batch of spicy radish seeds.
For more nutrition info go here, or to learn how to grow your own sprouts, go here!
The Plant Slayer makes an appearance at the Sprout Harvest photo shoot.
Pictured above, The Grim Reaper of Houseplants also known as The Plant Slayer also known as our cat Little Nova, graces us with her presence only to lick her chops as a reminder that she alone decides which plants shall live and which shall die. Thankfully sprouts are grown in glass jars.
By putting your sprouts in indirect sunlight, you can promote chlorophyll production, which is good for cleansing the blood.
Complementing our kitchen grown sprouts, we currently have a small urban garden with bell peppers, jalapenos, basil, cherry tomatoes, spinach and lettuce plants. As we live in an apartment here in Portland, OR our garden is growing in clay pots on our porch.
Thanks for reading, and happy sprouting!
To see more of my artwork, please visit MikeSchultzPaintings.com.
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New Studio With Black Box and Assistant
April 8, 2010
Recently I moved into a new studio and home. Here is a shot of my assistant, Violet, with a state-of-the-art black box that I have been using to paint a new series of works involving still lives. The box enables me to easily direct and limit the amount of light on my subjects. My assistant administers motion to the subjects if they persist in being static to her disliking.
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Studio With Titian Copy in Progress
October 31, 2009
Here is a shot of my studio with a small copy of a Titian painting in progress on my easel. 
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Studio Windows
June 9, 2009
Paint Jar in Studio
May 28, 2009
The jar of palette paint scrapings in my studio.
