Pumper #1 in Augusta

Pumper #1 in Augusta
Oil on panel, 14x11
Harvest Festival Quick Paint - Second Place Winner
purchase here

on location

We could not have had a more perfect day for the Augusta Harvest Festival Plein Air Event!  Starting the day with a delicious chai tea late from Kate's Coffee, I could start my day at leisure.  Painting from 11:00 - 3:00, this 1860 Pumper #1 from Bole's Fire Co was our subject for the day.  Such a  fabulous antique fire engine - and so complicated to capture!  I was a little scared of this detail, so I painted the entire "stage" before I ever put one stroke down on the "star"!  Not my usual way of blocking in, but rather - the pansy way!  Once I started adding the reds, it soon fell together and the joy of the process took over.  The greens and the reds work so well with each other, and I "married" these colors by bouncing them around the landscape.  This process prevents the red firetruck from sticking out of the scene like it was cut out and pasted on.  I am honored to have won the second place award for this painting.  It is always a pleasure to paint in one of my favorite places in Missouri!  Painting number 630 in 630 days and Day 20 of the 30 Day Challenge.