Michelle Brunner

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Personal Inspiration: Blue +White+ Hydrangeas and Sailboats

Happy Saturday! I hope all is going well with you! This week has been a doozy. My school decided to go remote on Monday night and then we randomly shut down the last two days of school because of Corona virus cases. It was very hectic trying to get students organized and ready to go. (I am a high school art teacher) Getting students supplies to take home was super crazy but I think I got it mostly out to them. We will be doing full zoom classes starting the week after Thanksgiving. At least I will get to see my students .

Any hoo…I just wanted to share with you my own personal inspiration today on the blog. I wanted to share with you the stories behind some of my acrylic paintings. Lately I have only been painting in shades of blues and white with a bit of pink. I guess now I understand Picasso’s blue and rose period.

Blue and White Classic Style

Blue and white has been my favorite color combination since my senior year in college. I vividly remember for my 21st birthday picking out the most gorgeous blue and white bed set from Pottery Barn. It was a special present from my mom and marked the beginning of my love for all things blue and white. From there I was hooked and obsessed with this calming and classic style. To this day I am obsessed with the nautical blue and white style. I have loved the blue and white ginger jars lately and feel they compliment my art perfectly!



You can never have enough blue, white, hydrangeas and rattan!



Sailboats and Hydrangeas

Sailboats and Hydrangeas became my favorite subject matter a year ago and since then I have focused on painting them in mostly shades of blue. These subjects are everywhere near my family’s island cottage. My husband and I also own a small sail boat that we keep at our local boat club. These subjects inspire me and bring me joy. I have decided as an artist I only want to create peaceful, joyful paintings.

The most gorgeous blue hydrangeas on the island. I am in love!

Most of my summer is spent at the family island cottage. Our cottage is on an island in the middle of Lake Erie. We get huge waves, cool rocks along the shore and of course amazing flowers everywhere. I feel so blessed to have this special place to escape, refresh and recharge. Everything I paint has been from my experiences on the island. I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of what inspires me. I can’t wait for next summer when I will continue spending lots of time out there!

I usually work in my sketchbook while I am at the cottage. This is a hydrangeas study.

Siting along the shore is my favorite place to be!

I love to work in a series of sailboats and hydrangeas. They are so fun to work on all together!

Sailboats on the water always inspire me.

An acrylic paining inspired by Put-In Bay harbor which is near our island cottage.