Through Facebook, I seem to be finding new friends in Michigan lately, and one of them posted this about storms they’ve been having there.

Michigan Storm Damage

With all the news on TV lately about the hurricanes hitting the southern states of the US and mud slides in the Middle East and South America, along with the dire predictions made by such films as The Day After Tomorrow, we shouldn’t forget that Northern Michigan has its share of devastating weather too. Attached is a photo illustrating the damage caused to a friend’s home from a storm that passed through a couple of weeks ago. It really makes you cherish what you have, and reminds us not to take things for granted.

damage from Michigan storm

I wrote in my other blog (which covers my goal of changing the world, one giant step at a time) about how excited I was to get my first digital camera last year, the Panasonic DMC-TZ1. I still love it, and I still don’t know how to do everything- like take a picture at night or sunset that isn’t exposed too long. And I wish the longer lens settings were more in focus. (but that’s what Sharpen is for, right?)

Mostly, I love that it’s always with me, because it’s so compact and lightweight. I took this 6 months ago of trees straddling the barbed-wire fence of Silver Lake Reservoir, a nearby LA-style cement bathtub that we pretend is a lake. I love crows, anyway, but the balance in this photograph, the lacy lines, and the very very clever crows that almost blend into the tree – although not quite!- make this a winner for me. I also love the hint of vintage – it reminds me of 19th century scut black paper ilhouettes, although it would take a very sharp pair of scissors.

I know a lot of viewers won’t agree – it’s not exciting, and mostly, no color. But for a black and white line drawer like myself, this was very satisfying!

Click to enlarge. There are actually FOUR crows hiding up there!

I have this weird thing, where, when I color a cartoon, I often decide that there aren’t enough colors. Not that there aren’t enough colors in my paintbox or on my palette ( or more recently, in my Painter Essentials 4 program), but not enough colors in the universe.

LA is green.

I can’t even think of the colors I need and want, which makes it that much harder. I get mad looking at my huge cardboard color wheel; who the hell invented this, with not enough colors on it?

I’ve noticed greens are one of the hardest to find. I think I bought most of the shelf watercolor tubes in green. My mainstays and faves are olive and lime green, but I’ve noticed lime green doesn’t go very well with a lot of other colors. Turquoise is good, but then you’re tending towards blue, and that’s another whole can of worms.

But one day last “winter” – the best season for photography in LA – I saw this from my window. This is nature’s way of saying “green rocks, and don’t you forget it.”