Michael Dean, another artist that we know, came by to paint in the afternoon ... just as Ed was leaving. Michael's style is totally different from Ed's. Ed's paintings have a distinctly impressionistic style to them, while Michael's work is bolder and much more expressionistic.
This photo doesn't show Michael's painting well ... it is wonderful and incredibly lively in person.
I met Michael years ago when he was recommended by a friend to restore the plaster in this old place ... In addition to being an artist, Michael is a preservationist plasterer who does things the old school way (meaning the CORRECT way, with lime/sand/horsehair ) and he thoroughly understands how an old building works. He was here working on our plaster twice, once upstairs and once downstairs, each time for about a month. He left town for a few years, pursuing his dream of a studio in New Mexico ... but he's back now and it was great to see him and reconnect.
(If you're local and you want to see artists like this in person, and you want to support a great cause in the process, stay tuned for details of the Hartwood open air art festival, which will be held here on September 17, 2011.)