Blizzard Bales

Another very cold day with pen and ink  - Blizzard from the Diamine Inkvent Calendar!  I love sketching tsnow on the hay bales!  Before I used this ink, I had the notion it would be cooler and airier, with an icy quality.  What I found is a warmer shade that is almost winter storm like.  There is a shimmer to it, but not heavy. Perhaps the shimmer sunk to the bottom of the bottle, and I could have dipped my pen in deeper.  I found two inks I didn't post they've the month - and both were hay bales!  Painting number 4027 in 4027 days. 

Snow on the Hay Bales

What should have been rain turned early to snow - much to my delight!  As I took care of daily chores, I kept an eye out for snow accumulation, checking the light and chroma for optimum painting time. Waiting as long as I thought I could to get the job done before dark - I almost waited too long!  I will need to add a better photo tomorrow in daylight, because the colors are not true in this pic.  It has been SO appropriate that the weather is mirroring my soul.  I've been blue since we moved our youngest to his own place in Saturday, and the skies have been crying since.  He's so excited to take this step, and of course we are beyond proud of him, but this Mama's heart just wants it's babies near, no matter how old they are.  Almost blizzard conditions expected tomorrow, and then an Arctic Blast, so I hope to paint dark, snowy scenes all week to match the very heart of me.  Painting number 4018 in 4018 days. 

Autumn Hay Bales

The reds of autumn are really popping here on the farm, and I am delighted to capture the beauty in oil!  This may be the first time that our last cutting of hay has coincided with peak autumn color!  Though I'm painting small plein air pieces each day on our property, I intend to paint them larger when I've got more time!  LOVE painting the beautiful autumn color in this pastoral setting I love so much!  Painting number 3956 in 3956 days. 

Silent Night Hay Bales

 

It is so nice to get a few moments to capture the snow after gathering with family!  With warming temps, the snow won't last long. I'm using a couple of brushes along with my glass dip pen to play with these new colors, after sketching in the scene with an India ink pen  I Love this etch blue ink - Silent Night by Diamine  - day 19 of their Inkvent Calendar!  It shifts with water, but I didn't check for a bleach reaction - I'll have to do that on a warmer day!  Painting number 4133 in 4133 days. 

Hay Bales

I'm having a little fun with fountain pen ink today in the pasture - do you see who's on watch just behind the tall grass?  I wish he'd been standing there while I was painting - he would be the perfect addition to the scene!  I'm using Diamine fountain pen inks from last year's Inkvent Calendar, Candlelight, Winter Spice and Yuletide, with the tiniest bit of Wonderland added. This is a miniature paper - 4x3 roughly, 140lb cold pressed, and is well suited for this ink work.  The girls were out today and the little ones made ornaments, Mom stopped by and Michael had a friend over to work on a project, all as Mike was working on our septic tank, which decided to cave in!  So, this little sliver of time is my sanity break with the great outdoors!  I do miss all that fresh air when duties keep me inside.  Painting number 4405 in 4405 days. 

Autumn Bales

 I LOVE exploring Diamine fountain pen inks in the pasture, and discovering just what they can do!  I am using 3 from the Inkvent 2021 calendar, Candlelight, Winter Spice, Stargazer Blue and a tiny bit of Wonderland.  These inks are so chromatic that most of the color variations happen as they bleed into the water already brushed on.  Blotting helps control the masses, and I did use a rigger for some application.  In the beginning, I used droppers only - leaving much to chance!  Every painting is a lesson - and this one certainly taught me a few things!  Looking forward to many more!  Painting number 4398 in 4398 days. 

Sunset on Union Chapel Rd

 

It's fun to explore a quick ink and watercolor sunset north of Parkville in the rolling hills of this farm!  I seldom choose watercolor for a sunset, opting most often for my oils, where layering of paint is quick and thick.  Watercolor is a completely different medium to approach the sunset with. Reserving my lights, and working on the landscape until the actual light appears that I want to capture, leaves the sky for the very last.  With a few strokes and adding more color in wet on wet, I am finished, and the sunset is fading.  This is such a peaceful place for such a scene.  I hope to get my own hay bales painted while they lay in the field!  Painting number 4367 in 4367 days. 

Hay Bales in the Pasture

 

Oh I love this time of year, when the large round bales are in the pasture!  Just seeing them brings back childhood memories of family farms.  My children loved jumping from one to the other when they were lined up, and scrambling up the sides to be the king of the mountain!  They are never in the field long enough, so I am painting them while I can - this time in oil.  The oils just seem to lend depth and texture to the grasses, and represent the landscape well. I hope I get to paint them again before they move!  Painting number 3105 in 3105 days. 

Golden Hour Hay Bales

Oh it feels good to play in the oils again!  I reloaded my palette before walking out to the pasture, as I remembered having run out of a few paints last weekend.  Since I've been organizing my paintings and panels during covid, I've decided to paint over old paintings that I'm no longer happy with.  Since I'm my worst critic, many paintings will soon hide beneath fresh, new ones.  Perhaps one day X-rays will reveal their hidden treasures!  The long juicy shadows disappeared as the sun dipped below the trees, but I was almost done, so it only affected my photo.  That light was glorious out there this evening!  Painting number 2752 in 2752 days.

Tractor and Rake

Haying season is a perfect opportunity for me to sketch the equipment in the field!  I'm normally so busy with plein air events that I sometimes miss these chances.  Not this year!  I am painting all things on the home place during this time of social distancing.  With ink and watercolor I capture this scene, one that has been happening for generations.  I love the continuity of that. Painting number 2740 in 2740 days.

Beau in the Pasture

What a beautiful evening after such a hot and muggy day!  On days like this it pays to get out early and late for gardening and painting!  My trusty companion stayed ahead of me long enough this time to get painted in!  Haha!  Perhaps I'll start painting him in more often - he's always hanging around patrolling the grounds!  Ink and watercolor on handmade cotton paper here - and I don't remember what ink I loaded in this pen, but it is warm and reddish - a good compliment to the green of the scene.  Painting number 2736 in 2736 days.

Bales and Rows

It's haying season and the bales are in the pasture!  Its always a busy time of year, but hopefully this year I'll be able to get a few paintings in before the bales are gone.  With a little light left, I paint with ink and watercolor, thinking of the oil paintings to come.  Beau is circulating the area, making sure all predators are at bay!  What a beautiful evening for immersing myself in the land, with paint.  Painting number 2733 in 2733 days. 

Hay Bales in the Pasture

Oh how I love hay bales in the field!  I can hardly go about my duties with these lovelies calling my name.  The bales are already lined up in the front two fields - I hope these stay awhile, the are so many paintings wanting to be painted!  All day long I worked to reclaim the flower beds on this side of the yard, and all day long I was composing in my head and laying down paint.  When I could finally get to it, I had to work small.  Time is short and the chores are many.  Painting number 2396 in 2396 days.

Hay Bales in the Field

I can remember playing on hay bales on this farm, when I was little.  My kids played on them, too, jumping from one to another as they lined up like soldiers in the field.  The large round ones are my favorite, they have such a beautiful shape in the landscape.  For two days I have been admiring these, with no time to get them painted.  So, this morning I got up early to get them painted before I left for the gym.  Ink and watercolor for this quick study, and I hope to paint them in oils tomorrow!  Painting number 2394 in 2394 days.

Raymore Barn

This wonderful old barn is almost all that is left of what used to be a sprawling farm.  Most of the land went the way of progress and is now a major shopping area, but still this barn remains. Large bales of hay are stored here, and on this day I spotted an old truck hauling two of them away.  There are cattle to the north, could they be part of this old farm?  As with all of these old barns, I draw them while I may, never sure how long they will stand. Painting number 2095 in 2095 days.

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Hay Bales in the Field

These large round bales have always inspired me.  When I was little, my brother and I would climb on top of them, playing king of the mountain.  I am working on some large pieces, this one is 24x20.  I really enjoy painting large in the field, but I think I need larger brushes.  The more I get out there with this size, I realize the block in would go so much faster with a 2 inch brush.  Maybe I'll pull out an old house painting brush for tomorrow, as I'm planning on painting large on the prairie after the gym in the morning! Painting number 1675 in 1675 days. 

oil on panel, 24x20
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Hay Bales in the Field

I plan my plein air locations around my schedule each day, and today I had to drop off a painting at the Rice Gallery.  I took advantage of this and stopped by my favorite local hay bale field in Overland Park. The bales were still out, so I set up for a small painting according to my available time. I forgot my favorite sketch journal, and only had a pen I do not like (le pen), so I skipped the drawing and got right in the paint.  It is always when I'm in the field that I remember that I should have topped off my palette!  Yet again, I still need sap green and yellow ochre!  Arghhh!  Another day, another lesson. Maybe I'll do it before the next time I use this pochade box.....! Painting number 1640 in 1640 days.  Wow, the time flies by!

Hay Bales

I drove by this little slice of heaven after running errands in the thick of town, and HAD to double back!  At 127th and Metcalf - this view can be had from the parking lot of a business, no bugs, no standing in tall grass, and with my XM running.  My pocket box was loaded and ready to go, so after a quick sketch, I started painting.  My tiny Altoid tin palette could use a few summer adjustments, like sap green and yellow ochre, but I made due. All those years of using a limited palette only make acclimating to whatever I have a piece of cake.  I like the stiffer oils, and find the creamy ones just a little mushy. I loaded paint to this tiny palette from a broken piece of glass I was cleaning off, and a few of those were Rembrandts. I like the brand, but find laying a stroke over the top more difficult. I love these big round bales, and these are only the first of the season!  Painting number 1634 in 1634 days.

Under the Hedge Tree

Under the Hedge Tree
Oil on panel, 10x8
GOT Art Gallery Holiday Trunk Show

While my parents were still here on Christmas holiday last year, we had  a beautiful snow.  We jumped in their van, and started driving the country roads, looking for great shots.  They both love photography, and I am always looking for new painting reference!  This farm is not far, and I love these big old hedgeapple trees!  Many were planted all through Missouri as windbreaks after the dust bowl years, and our farm is full of them along the north boundary.  I should be painting simple landscapes at this point, as my schedule is getting very crowded.....but I find I'm painting more complicated and difficult subject matter every day - painting number 323 in as many days.