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We are pleased to welcome Brant MacLean's Michigan paintings to the Saper Galleries collection!

Note that three new paintings were just added to the MacLean display in our center gallery!
 
Dexter
                  Pinkney Michigan Farm
Dexter-Pinkney Michigan Farm < New!
Oil painting on canvas
15 x 30"
$700 gallery wrapped
(Canvas wrapped around deep stretcher bars.  No frame needed.)


This painting started as a smaller plein air painting completed during the “Paint Dexter” (Michigan) Plein Air Festival.

I liked everything about the scene, including the hay bales, the buildings, and the Queen-Anne's Lace.

Lake
                  Superior River Mouth
Lake Superior River Mouth (Michigan)
Oil painting on canvas
15 x 30"
Sorry, sold for $700 gallery wrapped

This is a little scene I  discovered while exploring  possibilities for salmon fishing with my son in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

I liked the feeling of light and warmth on the small beach, contrasting with the cooler  tones in the water and the far distance.

Marquette Iron Ore Dock
Marquette Iron Ore Dock < New!
Oil painting on canvas
24 x 18"
$950 framed


This concrete and steel structure sits right on the waterfront in Downtown Marquette, Michigan. It was in use for 40 years until 1971, loading freighters with millions of tons of iron ore pellets.

The wooden pylons which carried four rows of rail track to the top of the structure are now  removed. It left such an  impression, I decided I had to paint it.

Carp River III
Carp River III < New!
Oil painting on canvas
24 x 30"
$1,200 framed

This is an area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula near Carp River where my son and I were camping and fishing in October.

The pines are tall and leave a carpet of reddish-brown needles, giving beautiful color harmonies and the feeling of a natural cathedral.

End of Lake
                  Street
End of Lake Street < New!
Oil painting on canvas
18 x 24"
$950 framed

Lake Street in Glen Arbor, Michigan ends at Glen Lake, where there is a marina.

I painted a smaller painting on site, and with that one and photo references I completed this one.

I liked the colors of the lake, the strong design provided by the large willow, and the dappled sunlight on the pavement.

Huron
                  River View - February
Huron River View - February < New!
Oil painting on canvas
18 x 24"
$800 framed


This is from a section of the Huron River which flows through Proud Lake State Park in Michigan, and is a favorite trout stream in the spring and kayak stream all year round.

I have painted this particular view many times at different times of the year.

It has a lot to offer including the bends in the river, the shapes of the riverbank, and the red twig dogwood.

Isle Royale
Isle Royale III < New!
Oil painting on canvas
24 x 24"
$800 gallery wrapped
(Canvas wrapped around deep stretcher bars.  No frame needed.)

Ninety-nine percent of my paintings are from life or my own photo references, however this one is not.

I liked the photo and wanted to paint it, so I contacted the photographer, Gary Alan Nelson, who graciously gave his permission.

The view is of Burnt Island, part of Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.

Kensington
                  Morning
Kensington Morning < New!
Oil painting on canvas
18 x 24"
$800 gallery wrapped


Kensington Metropark near Milford, Michigan is a place I paint plein-air frequently.

This painting is from a photo reference taken early morning in November.

The muted purples created an amazing mood, and the foreground trees framed the small island beautifully.

Man Walking II
Man Walking II
Oil painting on canvas
24 x 30"
$1,200 framed
(Please call to confirm availability)

I was painting at Kensington Metropark in Michigan when I spotted this lone walker approaching the large group of trees.

I don't often put people in my paintings, but I loved the contrast of the small person vs. the immensity of nature.

Mid-Michigan View
Mid-Michigan View - August
Oil painting on canvas
18 x 24"
$950 framed
(Please call to confirm availability)

I participate in a "paint-out" in Glen Arbor, Michigan in early August, and this view is on the road between where I was camping and Glen Arbor.

There are many other areas especially in Mid-Michigan that are equally as hilly.

I liked the various greens created by the light and shadow, and the design created by the big contrasting shapes.

Wildwing View
                  October III
Wildwing, October View III
Oil painting on canvas
18 x 24"
Sorry, sold for $900


This is another Kensington Metropark (Michigan) scene I have painted several times at various times of the year, but particularly nice in the fall.

I couldn't resist the intense color, blue and orange contrasts, feeling of strong sunlight.

Wildwing October
                  View
Wildwing, October View
Oil painting on canvas
16 x 20"
$600 framed

This is a view of Wildwing Lake, which is part of Kensington Metropark near Milford, Michigan in October. 

It’s a place I know well and paint frequently throughout the year.

This view inspired me with its oranges against the blue sky, and the sunlight catching the tops of the trees.

Kensington, September
Kensington, September
Oil painting on canvas
18 x 24"
Sorry, sold for $800 framed


This painting was completed from a plein air study and photo references from Kensington Metropark near Milford, Michigan, in September.

I was attracted to the effect of the strong morning light on this group of trees and the contrast with the island in shadow.

St. Martin
                  Bay
St. Martin Bay (Michigan)
Oil painting on canvas
24 x 36"
Sorry, sold for $1,100 framed

If you cross the Mackinac Bridge and follow along the lake past St. Ignace, this is St. Martin Bay, the northernmost part of Lake Huron. While fishing for salmon there, I took photo references for this painting.  I was attracted to the big sky, the dramatic clouds, and the brilliant warm yellows and oranges in the grasses against the cooler blues in the distance. The distant land masses are near Mackinac Island, but are actually the St. Martin Islands.
Balltown
                  Panoramic
Balltown Panoramic
Oil painting on canvas
12 x 24"
$600 framed

In October 2019 I participated in a paint-out in Dubuque, Iowa where I painted this on location. Balltown is a tiny community north of Dubuque in farm country, and the Mississippi was visible in the far distance. I loved the color harmonies with greens, yellows, and blues, with a couple of tiny red barns, and the feeling of great distance.
End of Day
End of Day
Oil painting on canvas
24 x 30"
  $1,200 framed

I was participating in a painting workshop near Lowell, Michigan a couple of years ago and was staying at a campsite nearby.

On the way back after a very beautiful late spring day, I caught sight of this pasture with the cows returning to the barn under a very dramatic sky.

I pulled over and took a number of photo references for the painting.

Kensington (Michigan) Yellow Tree
Kensington (Michigan) Yellow Tree
Oil painting on canvas
15 x 30"
Sorry, sold for $700 gallery wrapped

The focal point is a small willow growing on its own little island (a favorite spot for ducks, geese and swans).

This view seemed to give it a good opportunity to shine.

After the
                  Rain
After the Rain
Oil painting on canvas
16 x 20"
$700 framed
(Please call to confirm availability)

I stopped somewhere near Standish, Michigan on my way home from up north to take photo references for this painting.

The rain had made for very vibrant greens.

The next day I completed a small study while it was fresh in my memory, before completing this larger painting.

Wildwing
                  October View
Wildwing October View II
Oil painting on canvas panel
8 x 10"
Sorry, sold for $350 framed


This was completed en plein air at Kensington Metropark (Michigan), early morning in October.

I loved the bright oranges and yellows contrasting with the cooler shadows and some muted purples.

It was asking to be painted.

On the
                  Way to Turtlehead
On the Way to Turtlehead II
Oil painting on canvas
12 x 24"
$500 gallery wrapped
(Canvas wrapped around deep stretcher bars.  No frame needed.)


This started from an early-morning plein air study and photo references which were used to develop the idea.

I went with a wider format which emphasized the wide-open natural space, and the lone figure added to the same feeling.

Near Lowell, Michigan - Morning View
Near Lowell (Michigan) - Morning View
Oil painting on canvas
15 x 30"
$700 gallery wrapped
(Canvas wrapped around deep stretcher bars.  No frame needed.)

This was the scene on my way to town from a campsite near Lowell, Michigan on an early June morning.

I loved the misty far distance, silhouetted house and trees, and purples on the gravel road. 

As often happens, a wide format seemed the best to capture it.

Tunnel of Trees II
Tunnel of Trees II

Oil painting on canvas panel
10 x 20"
Sorry, sold for $475 framed


This was completed en plein air as part of the “Paint Dexter” paint-out event. Just a country road north of Dexter (Michigan).

A near-by resident let me park on his property and referred to the view as the “tunnel of trees.”

I liked the cool tones on the road contrasting with the warm sunlight of the background.

Somewhere in Michigan
Somewhere in Michigan
Oil painting on canvas
12 x 16"
Sorry, sold for $500 framed
This was given its title because I have many, many photo references and couldn’t recall where it was taken.

I do recall that we were camping and I tried to paint this scene on location, but there were too many mosquitoes.

I liked the dark foreground tree shapes, the reflections on the water on the other side, and the natural color harmonies.


Brant MacLean

Artist Brant
                    MacLean My interest in art dates back to my childhood, when my mother taught art in the public school system and also painted still lifes at home.  She also designed draperies and ran a small silk-screen business out of our home. So art was part of my childhood.

I have lived in Iowa, Michigan and Ohio and currently live in Detroit, Michigan.  I had some
drawing, painting and photography classes in college but am mainly self-taught, by looking at art, reading about art, learning from other artists, and by painting.

My Bachelors degree was in sociology, but after college I worked as a millwright in a steel mill and other places before returning to graduate school in psychology and working as a psychologist for 20 years. 

I have always had a love of the outdoors and shared camping and canoe trips with my wife and son, while taking many, many nature photos.  In my 40s I began painting from a live model on Saturdays, and took some community art classes.  Later I began plein air painting (landscape painting outdoors) with a group called the Michigan Plein Air Painters.  Now many of my studio paintings start with a plein air study, along with photo references.  Others depict “ordinary” scenes from my neighborhood.

I am most interested in using light, shadow and color to create a mood, in a “painterly” way, that is realistic without being photo-realistic.  I try to avoid using any formulas or limiting myself to only one style or subject matter, and often I can’t necessarily verbalize what draws me to a particular subject.


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