Home Through the Snow

It has been so long since we've had a heavy snow like this!  This winter wonderland won't last long here in Missouri, so I must paint as much as I can to take advantage of it!  I got out early before the wind brought in three colder temps. We're going down to record lows tomorrow, with windchills in the -30s! So tomorrow will probably find me painting from shelter! I do love exploring the beauty of snow in paint! Painting number 4022 in 4022 days. 

Farmhouse in the Snow

More snow overnight left a glistening blanket over the pastures.  Still overcast in the morning, I waited for the skies to clear and the temperature to rise.  At 48 degrees - I thought I'd better get out there, before that winter magic melts away.  Using my 7x5 thumb box pochade, I tucked 2 panels in the top and my paints below that shelf.  I use an Altoid tin for my palette in this box, and it needs refreshing before I use it again.  The paints seem to dry out faster here than in my other tin palettes with better seals.  We hiked first since Beau was full of energy, then he could spend his time "hunting" while I painted.  The ground is soft despite the snow, and I think he's sniffing out mice underground!  He loves playing in the snow - I don't think he'll ever outgrow it!  Painting number 3355 in 3355 days. 

Home on the Hill

I love a moody day for painting in the pasture, the colors are so rich and saturated.  This January day has been very warm in the 50's, though we're expecting snow to start at midnight.  I'm excited for a lovely blanket of white to start the weekend.  With no scheduled activities tomorrow, I hope to settle in to the winter wonderland and create some magic!  This day has it's own magic - our newest little grandson was born to Tyler and Hannah.  Words cannot express how deeply I want to share this important day together with them and our family, but we are caught in the web of continual hospital lockdown.  So we celebrate from afar, another life-changing event we can't share together.  These moments once lost, cannot be retrieved.  Painting number 3299 in 3299 days, and day 13 #stradaeasel challenge 

Home Inked

I love drawing outdoors in the golden hour - the whole place shines with golden light!  Often when I'm working in the late day, the colors around me turn magical, causing me to want to ditch my efforts and grab a new panel - because my scene is suddenly a different, magical one!  Perhaps I need to wait until the absolute last minute to begin, so the beauty is before me when I start the paint?  This day, I really just wanted to spend a little time with my favorite pen and ink, bask in the peaceful sounds of country life, and become one with my surroundings.  Such a good reset on a stressful day.  Painting number 3296 in 3296 days, and day 10 #stradaeasel challenge.   I think the #win_winter2022 challenge ended yesterday, which is the week long winter plein air challenge.  I hope to paint outside every day this winter! 

Home through the Redbuds

The redbuds are simply glorious this year - and I HAD to paint them before tomorrow's expected rain.  With a lot on my plate today, I painted this one quickly with my oils over a previous vineyard painting, with had a previous lake painting underneath it!  As I recycle my surfaces, it is fun to think one could uncover two former paintings beneath this paint!  I don't keep any records on that, but I do take photos of the ones in painting over.  I'll adjust my blog later to reflect they are no longer available.  The covid year has certainly helped me organize all things, and helped me pare down what I will show currently.  I only want my best work out there, after all.  Painting number 3018 in 3018 days. 

Home Through the Daffodils

The beauty of these daffodils called me back to their side to paint again today!  This time, I am taking a wider view, including the side of our farmhouse.  This used to be the "barn lot", and I am right under the windmill painting in the large bed I planted many years ago.  Vinca bloom all around me, with the Ice Castles daffodils spreading out before me.  I was having such a lovely time painting, I didn't realize I was losing the light. I'm not sure if I'm really finished - I'll have to check tomorrow in the daylight!  Painting number 2997 in 2997 days. 

Home

I am forging ahead with this direct watercolor challenge of 30 paintings in 30 days.  A painting a day is a breeze, but it is considerably harder when I also have gallery work to finish and commissions in process!  I am trying a architecture today, and thought I'd really miss my pen. I marked a few lines with my brush and it made all the difference.  All this month I have started by laying in the masses in watercolor - and it has been a struggle!  Perhaps this is the way I can actually start enjoying direct watercolor!  Day 9 of 30, and painting number 2708 in 2708 days. 

Home on the Hill

purchase here

What a treat to find my newest watercolor paints on the front porch when I arrived home!  This Woodlands collection from Prima Watercolor Confections is well suited for the winter landscape.  After unwrapping each pan of watercolor and popping them into the metal palette, I am ready to paint!  With a strong wind on this January day in the 50s, I settle into a rather protected area at the edge of the pasture. Using a completely new palette is always a challenge.  My go to colors are not there, I must mix and play and I find the shades I want to lay down.  A couple of stand outs here - #87 Cavern and #91 Bear. #95 Redwood is pretty nice, too.  Can't wait to try the 5 other ones yet to unwrap! Painting number 2569 in 2569 days.

At Home in the Snow

What a gorgeous day for painting in the snow!  It felt like a heat wave (maybe 20 degrees) compared to the sub zero temps of yesterday!  The long blue violet shadows drew me to this spot, the yummy cool and warm tones playing in the snow.  I was not pressured by the cold at all today, so I could take my time to REALLY look at the colors.  This time of year is always about growth and expressing my feelings of a moment in time with paint.  Each stroke is truth, each passage a connection to the very place I stand.  To reach for that truth each day is a blessing indeed.  Painting number 1824 in 1824 days.

Sunset at Home ATC

Tonight I am showing my tiny painting with the pen, brush, and watercolor pans that I used to paint it.  These supplies fit into a pocket, as I switch from pen to brush, letting one stick out as I work with the other.  The brushpen has a well for water, so as I paint I can control the water by my pressure on the barrel.  The watercolor cakes are highly pigmented, and I can mix in the tray that folds out.  There is a ring underneath that I can slip my finger through, allowing me to control it in the field.  It really is perfect for the urban sketcher or plein air artist, where minimal supplies matter.  Painting in the field is SO much more fun when you're not packing your whole studio on your back!  Painting number 1809 in 1809 days!  Happy New Year to you all!

Christmas Tree ATC

Christmas day is always full of family, food and fun - and a whirlwind of activity beginning to end.  It is so nice to settle down at day's end with my pen, ink, watercolor, and visiting with my parents.  There is something so relaxing in the glow of the Christmas tree, a little peace and serenity in a holiday full of rush and bustle. Perhaps we could get a little more snow now that I'll have more time to paint it!  Painting number 1801 in 1801 days.

Hilltop Charm

This 1800s home sits on top of a bluff, looking out over the Mississippi River.  I knew I had to paint it as soon as I saw it!  Dubuque is full of whole neighborhoods of these elegant jewels, so many still in their glory days.  Tonight's artist reception at the Museum of Art was wonderful!   Wine, Magoo's Pizza, Caesar salad and art  - what is better than that?  This painting is 1373 in 1373 days :)

Water Tower from Disney's Pond

What a wonderful day for painting!  Last night"s storms washed all the landscape clean.  We went out to Disney's "happy place" to catch that sparkling morning light.  My intention was to paint the barn, with the wildflowers surrounding it.  Once I came to this spot, I knew I had to paint it instead.  I braved the tall, wet grass to get this painting - and I stood in the shade of a tiny tree.  It's a good thing I'm small!  This painting won Best of Show tonight in the OPA paint out, and this painting has a new home with the owner of this pond!  Painting number 1334 in 1334 days!

Along the Esplanade

Along the Esplanade
Oil on panel, 11x14 - Leavenworth Paint Out
purchase here

I am painting in Leavenworth, Kansas today for a plein air event in conjunction  with Buffalo Bill Days at the Ray Miller Park.   An artist friend directed me to a lovely old part of town, called the Esplinade.  On one side of the street, fabulous antebellum homes line the avenue.  On the other side, looking out high above the Missouri River, is the oldest and first park in Kansas.  Any of these homes would make an amazing painting - but I can choose only one, so I chose my favorite!  Four of my students joined me today, three of which have never painted out in the open air before!  It was SO fun introducing them to something I hope will stay with them for a lifetime!  This painting makes 964 in 964 days.

on location

Dreaming of Tara

Dreaming of Tara
Oil on wood panel, 14x11
Frazier Paintout
sold

Today's paintout was one of three properties owned by the Fraziers in Augusta.  The charm of this home has captured my attention for years!  It sits back from the road a bit, on a hill, and is now  a Bed and Breakfast.  It was a cold start to the day, with rain moving in - so I worked fast.  With such a complicated drawing, I took a little extra time to make sure I had the line right, before dashing in with paint.  This kind of painting just makes me happy - I LOVE the southern charm!  Painting number 850 in as many days.  Hooray!