Brooker Creek Preserve Morning

 

I am so honored to have won this morning's Quick Paint at the Brooker Creek Preserve with my painting of the creek.  On the back side of the trail that winds through the preserve, the bridge over the creek is a favorite spot to paint.  With a gorgeous, clear day, the blue of the sky reflected deep into the water.  I moved my easel 3 times on this bridge, landing on this spot right at go time.  I had to have this framed and turned in by noon, making this less than a two hour paint.  My painting companions today were a mama and baby young alligator, who kept popping their heads up and gliding through that water.  It's not every day I paint with alligators! I loved this place so much that I stayed to paint another! Painting number 3688 in 3688 days. 

Garden at the Lodge

Finding a lovely garden at the entry to the Willmore Lodge was a special treat!  I wanted to capture the beauty of the place with my focus on the blooms, as the grand Lodge stood in the background.  I had to sketch this out from a lower vantage to get this composition before adding color to the masses.  It was probably pretty funny to watch me so 500 squats to achieve this in process! It was a lovely afternoon spent in the garden, and this painting was awarded the Liz Kahrs Memorial Award, a ribbon, and found a new home, too!  Painting number 4303 in 4303 days. 

Old Truck at Balducci's

 

Every year there is a sunset paint at Balducci Vineyards, and this year the light was perfect and the winds were howling! With a glass of Vidal Blanc (yummy) in one hand, as I gripped my easel, I painted with the other quick and heavy - trying to get a much paint on there as quickly as possible.  Battling wind gusts while painting is tricky business!  I had to switch my brimmed hat for my ball cap multiple times, in an effort to keep my hair out of my eyes!  Once turned in, it was great to sit down with friends and enjoy a wonderful piece of pizza. This was a super fun paint, despite the wind! Painting number 3400 in 3400 days - wowza!

Morning on Walnut Street

What a lovely morning for painting the streets of Augusta!  It feels like stepping back in time to stand among these historic buildings, and paint.  Enjoying a leisurely breakfast provided by the shopkeepers at Emporium, I started this paintout a little late. Deciding on my subject was easy, because this scene called to me at first sight!  Getting all that information down in my reduced time was challenging!  I painted right up until Teddy pulled up the car beside me and I rushed to clean up and frame.  Even as I turned this in, I was wishing I could do more!  So, imagine my surprise when my painting won the Sponsor's Choice Award!  Painting number 3398 in 3398 days. 

Spring Comes to Crestview

It seems that every season I paint is my favorite season, when I'm in front of my easel!  Spring colors are unfolding today as the sun shines warm upon us, and the birds are happily singing their songs.  After the morning's Quick Paint, I settle into this lovely farmhouse scene, and relish the sheer joy of painting on such a lovely day.  Visiting all the while, I soon finished up and headed out for a quiet paint along the water of the pond.  I love these days spent painting, I am so at home in the landscape with paints.  Painting number 3390 in 3390 days. 

Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream

Right after check in, I headed out to scout the streets of Carmel.  With the golden morning light on this place - I simply could not resist it!  I set up on the patio off the Monon Trail, and started to paint. When light is fleeting, I mark those passages first with paint.  I want to capture those true colors before they fade into mid-day.  I was standing in a small patch of shade under a small tree, so I had to keep shifting to my right just to keep panel and palette shaded.  It was a lovely morning spent painting this local icon.  This painting won a Merit Award at Carmel on Canvas, and now has a new home with the owners! I love painting Carmel, Indiana!  Painting number 3168 in 3168 days. 

Late Summer Blooms at the Disney Barn

I love painting in Marceline, Missouri each year for the NOMO Plein Air Event!  This place calls to me in the early morning light from afar - and I always head here for my first paint of the day! The bloom season is more progressed here than in years past, and I revel in the changes!  Many greens are golden now, and the trees actually have fall color starting  - probably from so many hot days and the stress of causes.  I walked the grounds twice before settling on this spot, and then I jumped right in.  Painting in my composition with a burnt umber, I then marked the light, shadow and color pops with paint.  My fresh ultramarine violet was too buttery to serve me well, so I was mixing my cool shadow shades again. That color has been disappointing me lately, I think I may just banish it from my palette! As I finished, I dropped heavier paint marks for all this wildflowers - and loved the effect and dimension it added.  It was a wonderful morning spent among the wildflowers, soaking in the quiet beauty of this very special place.  I'm so happy this painting won a Purchase Award tonight and will now go live in New York to remind it's family of Marceline!  Painting number 3146 in 3146 days. 

View from Bridal Cave

What a glorious time I've had painting at the Bridal Cave in Camdenton, Missouri!  From the plein air painting inside the Chapel of the cave, to painting this beautiful sweep of the Lake of the Ozarks from the covered overlook just outside the cave entrance, this place will forever hold good memories for me!  As with any body of water, the lake changes color with the sun and sky.  What started as overcast has opened up to a sunny, hot day - and that reflects in the water!  I painted my masses first, lights and darks followed by the central colors, then added the smaller details such as boats and docks. If was very comfortable painting under this covered overhang, with water cooled breezes blowing through. It has been so fun to visit with guests as they wait for their tour guide while painting the beauty of this lake!  This painting won a ribbon at the Lake of the Ozarks Plein Air event and is now showing at Lake Fine Art Galleria in Osage Beach.  Painting number 3140 in 3140 days. 

Road to the Vineyard

This is my first trip to the Seven Springs Winery in Linn Creek, Missouri - and WOW, what a lovely place it is!  The vineyards spill over the hills beautifully, begging to be painted!  The garden surrounding the winery is lush and abundant, yet not quite touched by the sun this early morning.  So, I turn to the vineyard.  With sun peaking in and out I am able to get some shadows, adding interest to the grasses. With brushwork, I boost those masses, lending interest to those and areas.  After two weeks of long days in the hot sun, my paints are beginning to tack up.  It adds a body and thickness not present two weeks ago, but I will certainly need to do some palette clean up when I return home.  Keeping them on ice in my trunk doesn't last all day in this kind of heat!  If only I could find a better cold bag for them!  Painting number 3134 in 3134 days. 

Missouri Bicentennial Celebration

Kansas City Parks hosted a quick paint today to celebrate Missouri's Bicentennial in a park along the Chouteau Trfy.  Unveiling two new statues, the mayor and senator addressed the crowd.  French fiddle and Native American dance music played as I worked, as well as other entertainment.  Food trucks were and horse drawn wagon rides were enjoyed by many.  I stood in the shade of the horse trailer to complete my painting on this very hot morning.  Thank goodness for a little shade!!  Painting number 3112 in 3112 days. 

Afternoon in the Water Garden

 

After a quick paint for the Kansas City Parks this morning I am immersed in the most amazing water garden in town!  I haven't been here for two years, and this garden only grows more glorious!  It is sheer joy to listen to babbling water while working, so very peaceful.  Even though we're in a heat wave, the breeze kept me cool as I painted here.  This garden is so inspiring - it makes me long to put one in! Painting number 3111 in 3111 days. 

Morning at Wurdack Farm

What joy it was to arrive at our private paint out on this amazing Wurdack Farm!  Driving down two roads on this property, I decided on painting young cows in their corral at a different white barn.  I turned around, grabbed my gear, and they had disappeared into the woods behind the barn!   Loving this scene as I scouted the place, I returned to paint it.  I love the dramatic way the farm sits just behind that ridge!  It was so fun to visit with the family that lives here, as they drove all over the countryside to find us artists scattered to the wind! I enjoyed this so much, I moved down to the fence to draw this scene from a slightly different vantage in ink.  If only I worked faster, I could have made it to the spring to paint, too!  Painting number 3072 in 3072 days. 

Stony Bluff Path

Waking to a heavy rain at 5am, I thought I might just be looking for shelter at my painting site.  Clearing off quickly, I was able to get three finished, this path grabbing me as I walked down to the river.  Our gracious host served us a wonderful meal with live music after a fun day of painting!  It's so fun to be out in the real world again, I may never take that for granted again. Painting number 3068 in 3068 days. 

Hickory Lake Boat Launch

We arrived just in time to pick up our packets at the registration in town, dashing to our host home to unload a few things from the car.  Starting a little late, we scouted down the main road through Augusta Shores.  As soon as I saw the light on Hickory Lake, I wanted to paint it!  The very clear blue sky reflected so beautifully off the surface!  Standing mid way up the drive, in the sun, I found my perfect vantage and sketched it out in paint.  Starting a paint at 1:00 is something I almost never do, so the light was a challenge!  I struggled to make sense of the light and shadow in the distant trees, I even had to walk away from my painting to clear my head!  Haha!  With so many daily paintings under my belt, this almost never happens.  With perseverance I tried to make sense of it all as color came back into the scene with time.  This painting took twice as long as it should have - and it ended up winning the Augusta Shores Paint Out!!  The moral of this story is - NEVER GIVE UP!  Painting number 3025 in 3025 days. 

Autumn Barn

 I had stopped by this place right before judging, and the light was starting to illuminate the scene. Without time to paint, I rushed off, knowing I must get back quickly to paint it!  Darting out at my first opportunity, I quickly set up and started painting. The light grew more golden as those shadows stretched out, and I painted as fast as I could to finish before dark.  Autumn here is magical, I'm so happy I could paint this sweet slice of Americana! Painting number 2854 in 2854 days.