#98 - NE 12th Ave. & Lincoln St. NE

#98 - NE 12th Ave. & Lincoln St. NE - 11x14 - oil on panel

Another one of those somewhat rare gravel alleys that I found and
also another that has been on the to-do list for a long time.

#89 - NE 15th Ave & Washington St NE

#89 - NE 15th Ave. & Washington St. NE
18x24 oil on canvas
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I haven't done one of these at this size in a while. I spent a little extra time
experimenting with it, trying a few things that I've picked up along
way doing smaller alla prima and plein air work.

#82 - 13th Ave. NE & NE 2nd St.

#82 - 13th Ave. NE & NE 2nd St.
7"x5" oil on panel

With less than twenty alleys left, I plan to try and push myself more toward simplification, design, and abstraction. More and more, I'm drawn toward mystery - things left unsaid. This alley was a great opportunity for that, with the back lighting and the big shapes. I left out all the little details and just let the paint do the work.

#61 - Quincy St. & 24th Ave. NE

#61 - Quincy St. & 24th Ave. NE
12" x 30" oil on canvas 05-31-2015

I've been limiting the palette again.
(reminder: click image for large view)

#59 - 13th Ave. & Buchanan St. NE

#59 - 13th Ave. & Buchanan St. NE
5" x 7" oil on panel - 04-01-2015

Up in Northeast Minneapolis there are still a handful of unpaved alleys.
If I recall, this one was gravel. I also found a few that are dirt.
These blocks are like a time machine.

#44 - Spring & Van Buren NE

#44 - Spring & Van Buren NE
18" x 36" oil on canvas.
(sold)

I've fallen behind on posting lately.  I've been so busy making
new ones that I forgot to keep up the main reason I'm doing
all these alleys....this blog!

I recently got to see this one again.
It always surprises me to look at a painting
after an extended time. I often think to myself,  "How did
that happen?!"  It's a nice feeling to get away from a picture,
forget about everything that went into it, and
just enjoy it as if it were new to me.