Stream in Winter

Stream in Winter
Oil on Panel - 20x16

Fresh off the easel, this is one of two paintings now showing for the Holiday Show at GOTart Gallery.  It is located on 3rd Street in Lee's Summit, MO - in the historic shopping district.  This one is painted from a creek that runs through the woods behind our property.  My grandma always called this place "the wash" - and it was an endless source of exploring to us children!  The creek has so many twists and turns - there will surely be countless paintings to come from this little slice of heaven :)

River Retreat

River Retreat
oil on panel, 6x6

I made several trips to Ohio this year to see my parents.  My dad was having serious health issues, and I would find myself walking down by the river in the mornings before returning to the hospital.  This place has such a calming, soothing affect on the soul - just like a tonic.  This is one of several I painted during these times, setting up with only a little step stool, my palette and a panel.  Things easily packed - and they took up barely any space while traveling. I worked small, so I could finish quickly.  The act of painting was as soothing as the place, leaving me restored and ready to face the day ahead.

Bridge in Autumn

Bridge in Autumn
oil on panel - 6x6

This is one of my entries this year for the Randy Higbee show.  I was just down at Big Cedar - and this scene is from the creek that winds through Dogwood Canyon.  Every turn is a painting, and beautiful bridges are scattered all along the road.  Many of the leaves had already fallen down in the canyon, leaving trees almost bare and lots of leaves at water's edge.  This day was particularly cold, and I was SO thankful for the windbreak of a small wooden storage building just behind me.  It can be quite a challenge to paint when my hands are shivering!

A Flurry of Roses

A Flurry of Roses
Oil on panel - 6x6

This is another small work I am considering for the Randy Higbee Show.  I currently have my favorite six featured on facebook, and am encouraging the public to vote on their favorite three.  Tomorrow is the deadline - so you have until then to make your vote count!  It is so fun to see how everyone picks different paintings!  This scene is from the Overland Park Arboretum, painted in a smaller scale than the original which is 22x28.  I like the square format - it gives it a different feel.  I painted this completely in oil, where the original was under-painted in acrylic first.  I am always drawn to a beautiful garden landscape!

Glow on the Water

Glow on the Water
Oil on panel - 6x6

This one is a loose adaptation of the creek that runs through Dogwood Canyon in southern Missouri.  I may enter this is the Randy Higbee competition - the deadline is coming up quickly!  I have been painting only small ones this week - so that I will have a good variety to choose from.  I love painting by the water - even on these crisp November days.    This was scaled down from a larger one painted during the Big Cedar Paint-Out - and using my artistic license, I omitted a distant bridge. This happened to be one of those days I was bundled up like an eskimo - thank goodness I brought my ski jacket!  I will be packing hand warmers on the next cold plein air day :)

Parkville Pasture

Parkville Pasture
Oil on panel - 14x11

After scouting all of Parkville to find just the right location, I went back to the very first place that grabbed me!  This is so often the case - why do I insist on checking everything out first?  This was painted from the meadow behind the art gallery in Parkville, looking down towards the walking trail in the woods at the back of the scene.  I love the old pastorals, and this just takes me back to a simpler time.  You would never know I was close enough to walk to several wonderful restaurants from this beautiful, secluded pasture!

The Old Dairy Barn

The Old Dairy Barn
Oil on panel, 6x6

I had a beautiful, warm November day for this plein air painting.  Although, the 40mph winds kept me grabbing for the panel!  A Summit Art event, David Gale graciously opened the Longview Dairy Barns for us to paint and photograph on site.  Music wafted from the barn, and the abundance of subject matter could occupy me for days!  It is as if time stops, and all that exists is this bond I share with the scene unfolding before me.  I simply love painting in such an environment :)  More to come from this stunning place.

Majestic Mackay Hall

Majestic Mackay Hall
Oil on Panel - 11x14

I have wanted to paint this beautiful building since my first trip to Parkville, MO.  Autumn's changing of the leaves made this the perfect time to do it!  This is one of three plein air paintings submitted on Saturday for the "Celebrate Parkville in Art - Exhibition and Art Auction" on Dec. 13, 6:00-9:00pm.  Please come out to the Old Mill for an evening of art created by the artists of the Missouri Valley Impressionist's Society and sponsored by the Parkville Chamber of Commerce.

Autumn in Augusta

Autumn in Augusta
Oil on panel - 12x9

This was painted from the top of Killdeer Rd, in Augusta Shores, Missouri.  The path was little more than a trodden place in the grass, but it lead my eye right over the rise.  I sketched this one, and built up a little texture with molding paste.  After drying this in front of my car heater, I underpainted in acrylics, then topped it off with oils.  I love this spot to paint the fall foliage - and remember it fondly.  Like hearing an old song takes me back in time, so does seeing a plein air painting take me back to the time and place.  I can still feel the sun on my face, wind in my hair, and smell the leaves and the earth around me.

Tumbling Waters

Tumbling Waters
Oil on panel - 14x11

Another beautiful location to set up easel and paints - Dogwood Canyon!  I could paint here every day for a month - and still have 100's of paintings left in my head.  This creek passes through the whole park with beautiful waterfalls and bridges at every turn.  I set up just west of the Chuckwagon Site - where the campfires were burning, to provide a little relief from the cold.  I started this one completely in sepia, and only decided to glaze in some colors towards the end.  The sun was warm, and the scenery inspiring - what more could an artist want?

Sunset Over the Portage

Sunset Over the Portage
20x17, oil on panel

This is painted from a 6x6 study that I did from the bank of the Portage River in my parent's back lawn in Elmore, Ohio.  From my location on the bank, I could simply rotate for many different landscape paintings.  The view is amazing, and the light on the river is constantly changing.  Always a peaceful spot, I love walking at river's edge, and turning those feelings into paintings.

A Little Night Magic

A Little Night Magic
Oil on panel - 11x14
Original Sold
Print Available

This new nocturne painting is of the Kansas City Club (the 13th and Baltimore location from 1922-2002) to commemorate their 130th Anniversary.  This cityscape was submitted to the Buttonwood Gallery yesterday.  I have really been getting into these nocturne paints lately - thanks  to Jason Sacran and John Lassater and an October night paint on the square in Carthage, MO!  This is only my fourth one, ever, and the possibilities are just unfolding before me.  Cityscapes are also a change of venue - and I am finding that I love painting them.  It is so fun working from dark to light - just the opposite of my normal daylight process.  Learning new techniques and stretching the boundaries can be so exciting - and challenging at the same time!

Falls the Shadow

Falls the Shadow
10x8, oil on panel

The dance of light and shadow instantly drew me in.  My first time to the Battle of Carthage State Park, and I wanted to explore this place with my oils.  The warm, late morning sun stretched across the field on this perfect October day.  Leaves were rustling all around me as I set my easel up in the deep shade.  I have been trying different techniques of paint application - and on this day, I used a palette knife for almost this whole piece!  It is so liberating to try something new - like blazing a new trail!

Autumn Coffee Stop

Autumn Coffee Stop
10x8 - oil on panel

The leaves were swirling, the sun was shining, and a blue grass quartet serenaded from the lawn beside this painting spot.  I could have painted all day here - and nearly did!  Only my fellow artist calling me to finish (so we could set up for a show in 30 minutes)  - could make me leave this place!  I think everyone should visit Big Cedar in October - every Saturday is filled with fun autumn events - I wish I were there painting again right now.

Lamplight in the Garden

Lamplight in the Garden
12x9 oil on panel
Original Sold
Print Now Available

The night was cold and crisp as the signal was given for painters to start their pieces (for the Nocturne Paint at Big Cedar).  I was quickly grabbing my panel and heading to a spot that had just grabbed my attention.  I loved this garden scene, and how the lamplight illuminated the path.  The paints flowed freely and I finished before the two hour time limit.  Painting a nocturne outdoors is always a surprise.  You just don't know what you have until you are finished and bring it inside.  With this one - it was a pleasant surprise, indeed!  I love when that happens.