Michael Arnold Art

Alaska whales

2025-10-08T16:49:00.002-04:00

The North Pacific right whale is a very large, robust baleen whale species that is now extremely rare and endangered. The eastern population of whales that occur off the west coast of Alaska likely has an abundance of only a few tens of animals, making it the most endangered marine mammal population in U.S. waters. Prior to commercial whaling in the North Pacific the populations in the North Pacific probably were over 20,000 animals. Between the late 1960s and the mid-1990s sightings of right whales in the eastern North Pacific were rare, widely scattered, and almost always involved solitary animals.

African American Artists

2025-10-08T16:42:00.002-04:00

The most distinguished African-American artist of the nineteenth century, Henry Ossawa Tanner was also the first artist of his race to achieve international acclaim. Tanner is often regarded as a realist painter, focusing on accurate depictions of subjects. While his early works, such as "The Banjo Lesson" were concerned with everyday life as an African American, Tanner's later paintings focused mainly on the religious subjects for which he is now best known. It is likely that Tanner's father, a minister in the African Methodist Church, was a formative influence in this direction.

Floridian butterflies

2025-10-08T16:37:00.003-04:00

The Black Swallowtail is one of Florida's most common garden butterflies. Its plump, green larvae, often referred to as parsley worms, feed on many cultivated herbs, and may even become a minor nuisance pest. With a wingspan of 2.5-4.2 inches, the Black Swallowtail is equally at home along country roads, urban gardens, and meadows. Male butterflies have a strong rapid flight and frequently perch on low vegetation. Both sexes of the Black Swallowtail are extremely fond of flowers and readily stop to feed on nectar. This butterfly is one of six different species that mimic the toxic Pipevine Swallowtail to gain protection from predators.

Florida love bugs

2025-09-17T14:28:00.002-04:00

More people travel to Florida to see wildlife than any other state, and Florida is second in the nation in the total number of wildlife watchers. Lovebugs'(plecia nearctica hardy) are small black flies with red thoraxes. Lovebugs vary in length from one quarter to one third inch. Lovebugs do not sting or bite, but they do make a mess on motorist's windshields!read more at Floridian nature

Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska.

2025-09-17T14:24:00.001-04:00

Alaska's indigenous people, who are jointly called Alaska Natives, can be divided into five major groupings: Aleuts, Northern Eskimos (Inupiat), Southern Eskimos (Yuit), Interior Indians (Athabascans) and Southeast Coastal Indians (Tlingit and Haida). These groupings are based on broad cultural and linguistic similarities of peoples living contiguously in different regions of Alaska. They do not represent political or tribal units nor are they the units Native people have traditionally used to define themselves.

https://www.alaskannature.com/natives.htm

Zora Neale Hurston

2025-09-17T14:20:00.001-04:00

Zora Neale Hurston, born in Eatonville, Florida, was a noted novelist, folklorist and anthropologist who traveled throughout Florida collecting and writing stories of rural people. She was a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920's and was part of the Federal Writers' Project in Florida in 1938. A recipient of Guggenheim and Rosenwald fellowships, Zora Neale Hurston's most prominent works include Mules and Men, Dust Tracks in the Road, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Eatonville annually holds the Zora Neale Hurston Festival, a tribute to Hurston’s lasting literary accomplishments. https://www.myblackhistory.net/Zora_Hurston.htm

Floridian nature wild hogs

2025-08-13T11:55:00.004-04:00

Florida's wild hogs are often referred to as feral hogs or swine and are of three general types. These include free-ranging swine that come from domesticated stock, Eurasian wild boar, and hybrids of the two. Although technically, feral refers to free-ranging animals from domesticated stock, all wild hogs are typically referred to as feral in Florida and all are considered the same species, Sus scrofa.

https://www.floridiannature.com/Floridawildhogs.htm

Satchel Paige

2025-08-11T15:01:00.002-04:00

Satchel Paige was the greatest baseball pitcher of the Negro Leagues and quite possibly the greatest pitcher ever. He became the oldest rookie ever in the major-leagues when he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1948 at age 42. They went on to win both the pennant and the World Series. Major League Baseball made Satchel Paige a legend in his own lifetime. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, Satchel Paige was the first player to be inducted from the Negro leagues. read more

Alaskan Red Fox

2025-08-08T14:56:00.001-04:00

The red fox has the appearance of a small dog and weighs from 10 to 15 pounds and measures up to 2 feet long with another foot for a bushy tail. The end of the tail is black, tipped with white. The Red Fox is most commonly a rusty red, with white underbelly, black ear tips and legs, and a bushy tail usually with a distinctive white tip. The "red" tone can vary from dark chestnut to golden. Because the gray fox frequently has quite a lot of red hair, it may be confused with the red fox. The red fox is essentially a nocturnal animal, but it occasionally feeds during the day, and more at dawn and dusk. read more

Florida Gators

2025-08-06T14:56:00.002-04:00

Florida is well known for its most famous reptile, the alligator. Alligators were once endangered but they are now listed as threatened, although it is hard to go to any source of freshwater in the state of Florida without spotting an alligator. Lakes, rivers, ponds and even retention areas are all filled with varying amounts of gators. They are also found in brackish waters, but not very often and certainly not to the extent of crocodiles, who prefer the brackish waters near the Everglades.

When Spanish settlers first saw the Alligator they named it "el lagarto", meaning "the lizard". The Florida alligator is an ancient reptile that is only found in the Southeastern United States, from Texas to as far north as North Carolina. The only other species of alligator in the world is found in China, but that one is much smaller and very rare.read more

Frozen Sunshine

2020-04-20T11:29:00.000-04:00

Not everyday is warm and sunny in Citrus County Florida. Sometimes we end up with some frozen oranges hanging on the trees. For my more information or to purchase this painting go to Michaelarnoldart.com

Florida Covid Stats

2020-04-09T13:30:00.001-04:00

Steamboat on Withlacoochee

2019-09-23T10:52:00.001-04:00

Steamboat on Withlacoochee is a 18" x 24" acrylic painting by Florida artist Michael Arnold. This painting reflects a time gone by for the Withlacoochee River that marks the borders of Citrus County. The painting can be purchased on our website or on Amazon and prints and novelty items can be purchased on Red Bubble.

Purchase my book

2018-12-30T12:06:00.005-05:00

A collection of artwork created by award winning Florida Artist Michael Arnold. "I enjoy many different styles including impressionism, pop art, abstract expressionism, naturalism, post-impressionism, art deco and contemporary. All of these styles influence my work, but do not define my style."I primarily work in acrylics, but have produced works in pastels, graphite, charcoal colored pencils and ink."Art for me is a creative release, therefore I have no boundaries in my work. I work on what moves me spiritually, visually and creatively."
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1731403828

The Magic Tree

2018-09-03T13:44:00.003-04:00

“The Magic Tree” is an original, signed acrylic painting on canvas by artist Michael Arnold. This painting was inspired by a movie I was watching that had a very unique fig tree in it. I loved the way the tree seemed to have a life of its own and wanted to incorporate its unique shape into one of my paintings. I decided to go with a more whimsical look rather than realism. The painting can be purchased on our website: http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/Magic_Tree.htm

The Lighthouse

2018-08-23T17:02:00.002-04:00

The lighthouse is an original, acrylic painting measuring 24 inches x 36 inches.

My first lighthouse painting inspired by the master of maritime painting Ivan Aivazovsky. I started with a gray underpainting and layered thin glazes of paint over it.

It can be purchased on my website @ http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/lighthouse.htm

Swinging under the moonlit treee

2018-08-16T10:18:00.002-04:00

This painting was a gift to our daughter in law who is also a talented artist. Visit our website to see a full collection of our art for sale www.michaelarnoldart.com

Old Boots

2018-08-08T16:46:00.003-04:00

"Old Boots" is an original, signed acrylic painting on canvas by Citrus County Florida Artist Michael Arnold.

I set out to paint from start to finish a work that copied how the old masters used to paint. They would first paint the entire painting in grisaille (black and white) and then layer thin glazes of paint over the top. Interestingly, many painters had their students do a lot of the grunt work on the grisaille portion and the masters would come along and lay down the color.

I began with a layer of sap green, then added burnt sienna in some areas. I then switched to cobalt blue to deepen the shadows. I worked some Hooker's green into the shadows as well and then came back with some yellow ochre and more burnt sienna. I added more blue and greens into the shoes on the right to get them to black, while I tried to get the shoes on the left to brown.You can purchase the original painting on our website http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/shoes.html

Prints and other items may be purchased at Fine Art America https://fineartamerica.com/featured/old-boots-michael-arnold.html

The Swamp

2018-08-03T09:24:00.001-04:00

"The Swamp" original signed acrylic painting by award winning artist Michael Arnold.

The Swamp is an abstract using acrylic over gold leaf. It was my first attempt at the process and I enjoyed it and will try to incorporate it into future paintings. I named this painting The Swamp because I think it gives off a reptilian feel. As a big Gator fan I consider the swamp to be a compliment to the piece.

You can see additional views and purchase this painting on our website:
http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/swamp.htm

The Rooster

2018-07-26T17:17:00.005-04:00

"The Rooster" original signed acrylic painting by award winning artist Michael Arnold.

I created this rooster after remodeling our kitchen. We were looking at French country decor and everything pointed to roosters and chickens. I created this piece by using the handle of my paintbrush instead of the traditional method of using the brush end. In the close up pictures you can see the lines made by the paintbrush handle. You can see additional views of this painting and purchase it on my website http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/rooster.htm

Steam engine 519

2018-07-18T13:53:00.001-04:00

Steam Engine 519 is a gallery wrapped, acrylic painting measuring 45 3/4 inches x 34 1/2 inches.

I have been intrigued by the idea of painting a train and settled on a steam engine. I wanted to create a mood of the engine chugging along at night covered partially covered in steam. I enjoyed developing the various textures including smoke and metal.

This painting can be purchase at Michael Arnold Art.com, where you can also see additional views of this magnificent painting.

Mother Nature

2018-07-12T11:56:00.002-04:00

"Mother Nature" is an original signed acrylic painting by award winning artist Michael Arnold.

Mother Nature is my second attempt at this subject. The first one was given away as a present and at my wife's urging I decided to try to create a new painting with this theme. This is the first painting that I completed since my neck surgery in June 2017 and I am excited to able to paint once again.

For additional views or to purchase Mother Nature visit our website at http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/mother.htm

Girl with a cardinal

2018-07-02T16:12:00.005-04:00

Girl with a cardinal is an original acrylic painting on canvas by award winning artist Michael Arnold. The painting displays a child sitting with some sunflowers and is joined by a cardinal. This original acrylic painting on canvas can be purchased on our website: http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/girlcardinal.htm

Jazz Saxophone Player

2018-06-26T14:25:00.002-04:00

This is painting of jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter is an 18" x 24" original acrylic painting on canvas.

I have wanted to return to the subject of the saxophone in a painting for some time and hoped to this time include it being played. I also wanted to experiment with painting different surfaces - like metal and glass. My technique for this painting was to paint and underpainting using dark purple and white.

Once I had my tones set and the underpainting completely finished. I glazed over the base painting with thin layers of paint. I used sap green, has a yellow, burnt sienna, Prussian blue and pyrrole red glazing to finish it out.

You can purchase Jazz Sax Player on our website and also view additional photos of this unique artwork.

Progress Report

2018-06-18T19:34:00.001-04:00

I have been using a new process (for me anyway). It is one used frequently by the masters. You lay down a grisaille under painting and then glaze over it. I just finished one of old boots that turned out pretty well. This is the finished work.

I started a new one in a similar fashion. I chose a jazz/saxophonist as the subject matter and I hope to have him emerge from the darkness. I imagine him in a dark, smokey lounge belting out the tunes of the day.
I started by covering the entire 18x24 canvas in several coats of dark purple. I then sketched out the subject using a white pastel pencil.

I then covered the background with a thin glaze of Prussian blue.

With a mixture of dark purple and titanium white I began to create a two-tone under painting.

More progress has been made on the under painting.

Pardon the variation in colors, I have been taking the photos in the closet without the flash. The dark background makes it tough to get a good read taking the photo outside or under fluorescent lighting