Nature Trail Pond

Nature Trail Pond
Powell Gardens
Kingsville, Missouri

This peaceful setting is in Kingsville, Missouri at Powell Gardens.  There is a nature trail - called the Byron Shutz - that takes you right past this pond and around the skirt of the whole property.  On such a warm and windy June day, this little place of solace was out of the hustle and bustle of the normal garden traffic.  I just love the landscapes that take me back to my childhood.  Visiting my great uncle's farm in Adrian, Missouri and my weekly trips to visit my dearest Grandma Frank -were places of pastures, woods and ponds.  I still love this time of year when the frogs are popping out, and their sweet music is lulling me to sleep each night.  Such is life in the country, and I don't think I could ever go back to the suburbs.  This is painting number 178 in 178 days.  Now it is time for a nice glass of wine :)

Trailing Petunias

Missouri Valley Impressionist Society hosted a paint-out today at the beautiful Powell Gardens.  It has been 5 years since I have been there - and how it has changed!  I remember when all the trees were small near the visitor center, and I could see most of the cement walkway as it circled the large pond.  Now, all the trees are mature, and they create many "rooms" of various garden beauty.  The lily pond was fabulous - and I already have paintings finished - in my mind!  Another late posting - as I stayed out working in the flowers until dark.  Painting number 177 in 177 days.

Trailing Petunias
Oil on panel, 14x11
MVIS Powell Gardens Paint-Out

Arms Full of Love

Arms Full of Love
Charcoal and white pastel on mi-teintes paper

Tonight I am playing with my childhood friends, the charcoals!  I don't think I have ever even used the white charcoal before tonight, and honestly, I am unimpressed.  It simply didn't have any real highlight power, when laid on top of the black charcoal.  So, I pulled out one of my white pastels to push a little light in.  I feel like I am just beginning to learn how to work with these charcoals.  I think I will much prefer working on art spectrum sanded paper - but I simply don't want to take the time to dig it out.  If I am going to start using the charcoals frequently, then I need to do a little exploring down the paper isle at the art store.  I am using simply what I had on hand - and I'm not sure why I even bought them in the first place.  I plan to use this charcoal drawing as a study for an oil painting.  For the painting, I think I will crop in a little closer - to add a little more drama to the piece.  That is the great thing about drawing the study first - I can clearly see the needed adjustments.  This is artwork number 176 in as many days :)

Pride of Jeek's Farm

Pride of Jeek's Farm
Oil on panel, 12x9

I have fond memories of the first estate paint that I attended at Jeek's Farm in Augusta, Missouri.  It was a very rainy day, and I was using acrylics at the time - so I painted from within the shelter of a barn.  I remember the smell of the wet earth, and the beautiful horses on the property.  The hosts were very gracious, welcoming each artist warmly.  I painted one of the barns on that day, and have only now gotten around to putting these beauties down with oil.  After yesterday's charcoal sketch, this was an easy paint today.  Painting number 175 in 175 days.

Mare and Colt

Mare and Colt
Charcoal Study on mi-teintes paper
Jeek's Farm

I have drawn this tonight from photo reference taken at Jeek's Farm in Augusta, Missouri several years ago at an estate paint.  I am planning to do this in oils, but the charcoal on the tinted paper has such a vintage, timeless feel.  I don't know where my time went today!  It started with running one daughter to work, stopping for tea at another daughter's, then shopping for am upcoming trip, then a baseball game cancelled on the field, to a house full of company until 10:30.  That is when I pulled out my charcoals!  This is painting number 174 in as many days.  I hope tomorrow is not as crazy!

Blooming Marigolds

Blooming Marigolds
Oil on panel10x8

Yesterday, Michaela picked these out at the nursery, and I planted them in the front beds.  I have never before tried to paint marigolds - so this is definitely a learning experience!  I may look at this tomorrow and see some adjustments - but for now, I must let it rest.  I have company coming in minutes - and a baseball game in two hours!  This is painting number 173 in as many days :)

Heavenly Hydrangea

Heavenly Hydrangea
Oil on panel, 9x12

Each day now is SO full of yard work in preparation for our annual 4th of July party.  In fine tuning every flower bed, I could see the need for just a few more annuals.  I need things that will be even more beautiful by August - when we have another event planned.  So, while on a trip to the local nursery today, I spotted these beautiful, white hydrangea.  They are very tall already, and in a very large pot.  My daughter and I  had our hands full of a few more annuals, three more perennials and several unusual herbs, so I didn't pick this one up.  After planting all the rest - and thinking of the one left behind, I came in and painted it!  I have a lot of flowers, and any time I come across a variety I do not already have - I pick it up!  I guess I am an avid collector of flowers and plants.  I am heading back up to that nursery in the morning to pick this baby up, too.  I am thinking of planting it somewhere near the pool.......This is my 172nd painting in 172 days.  What new adventure will tomorrow bring?

Three Little Doves

Three Little Doves
Oil on panel, 8x6

I have always loved animals.  My youngest daughter works at a pet store, and we have brought many little creatures home, as a result.  Two little diamond doves were up for adoption in the fall.  Their little voices are so sweet, making a little train whistle sound that is always pleasant.  We have added one female to the two males since then.  They sit in the large kitchen window, with the garden as their backdrop, as well as the many wild birds that frequent the feeders.  Here is a little painting to capture their sweet spirits.  Painting number 171 in as many days.

Longhorns in the Pasture

Longhorns in the Pasture
Oil over acrylic with pastel, 16x12

These longhorns are just down the road from me, and they beg me to paint them each time I pass by!  Finally, I have painted them today. With this painting, I am working on loosening up my brushwork.  Especially when I work with animals and people - I tighten up those strokes to follow each and every curve.  So, in a real effort to be more impressionistic, I have painted this with broad strokes.  It is fun and liberating to treat this is such a manner!  I guess my resolve to do a figure a day only lasted one day!  This is painting number 170 in as many days :)

Michaela in Charcoal

Michaela in Charcoal
Tinted charcoal on mi-teintes paper, 12x9

The last couple of days I have been drawn to figure work again, wanting to try different mediums and surfaces.  I pulled out my tinted charcoals - which I have only used a hand full of times, and this creamy paper.  I selected the burnt embers color of charcoal - and started my work.  It has been so long since I have used charcoals - that I had forgotten the feel.  The way they scratch against the surface, resisting in some areas - it is so unlike my consistent graphites.  But like an old friend, they grew on me......I remembered how I liked them and how they were one of my first real mediums, when only in the second grade.  The idea of doing 30 figures in 30 days has kept popping into my mind.  I have thought of it before, but I have always drifted away from it.  Maybe it is time for me to give it some attention.  It is a sure way to hone those skills in a hurry.  This is my 169th painting in 169 days.  Where will tomorrow lead me?

Barn Across the Pond

Barn Across the Pond
Oil on panel, 12x9
Augusta, Missouri

This picture perfect setting is nestled in the hills of Augusta, Missouri.  I took the reference photos last year at the private estate paint, but did not have time to squeeze one more painting into that particular day.  I have wanted to paint this little slice of heaven ever since.  Some landscapes are so peaceful and serene, it is simply a joy to paint them.  I can still remember the perfect temperature and soft breezes by the pond.  Its funny how a painting can truly bring back the memories of the day.  This is painting number 168 in as many days.

Hydrangea Impressions

Hydrangea Impressions
Oil on panel, 6x6

All over town, these beautiful blue hydrangeas are beginning to bloom. Right outside my kitchen window, my own little beauties are stretching towards the sky.  I love these flowers, they have always been one of my favorites.  I was tempted to paint these in a larger format, but with all I had on my plate today, my logical side won out.  So, painting small at 6x6, I first sketched this out with pastels.  Using a rather large brush, I blocked in all the masses, and started to define the petals in a light and loose fashion.  Originally, I intended to paint more of the glass vase, a view a little zoomed out.  But, as it progressed, I found that I wanted a closer vantage, a bit more drama.  So, here we have the 167th painting in 167 days.  I'm feeling a little restless for new subjects.....

First Light

First Light
Oil on panel, 6x6

Today is our 30th wedding anniversary.  Hard to be believe 30 years have flown by in the blink of an eye.  Our lives have been rich with love, laughter, 5 children, 2 grandsons (so far), and so much more - and I still feel this is only the beginning!  On this special day, I am painting a quick and small 6x6 inch painting of the dreamy morning light as it first shows it's color.  Feeling impressionistic today, I am minimizing the details.   I am using some loose brushwork, in fact the whole thing was painted with a 1/2 inch bristle brush - a rather shaggy one at that!  Off to enjoy the rest of the evening - this is painting number 166 in as many days :)

Early Morning Light

Early Morning Light
Oil over acrylic on panel, 14x11

The early morning light was spectacular this morning, in between the rains!  I started this one with an acrylic underpainting in golden tones.  The acrylic really makes a resistant coat for the oils, one that doesn't soak up the paint.  My brushstrokes hold their shape better, and I am leaving more paint off my brush.  So far, I like the way I can manipulate the oils with this kind of base.  Our baseball game was rained out tonight, so I am posting early for a change!  This is painting number 165 in 165 days.  I just put the finishing touches on a graphite portrait, too.  Today has been a good day!

Japanese Garden in the Woods

Japanese Garden in the Woods
Oil on panel, 14x11
Gardens of American Rose Society
Shreveport, Louisiana

The gardens of the American Rose Society in Shreveport, LA are beautiful and varied.  There are many different areas, all with their own specific garden structures.  This one is in the woods, beneath the very tall pines that fill the northwest louisiana landscape.  Paths lead the visitor from one place to another, or you can drive from one end to the other.  I have prepped this panel with a coat of acrylic underpainting.  Wow - the oils are moving so freely, I can push them around with my brush!  Not sure if I'll do this every time, just experimenting a bit.  This is painting number 164 in 164 days.

Rainy Day at the Pond

Rainy Day at the Pond
Oil on panel, 14x11

I love rainy days!  They keep me out of the gardens and really put me in the mood to paint.  I'm a little late at getting this posted tonight.  I had finished this painting right before we rushed out for a late night showing of Man of Steel.  So, just now returning, I captured an image to get it on my blog.  Feeling more impressionistic today, I have painted this one with loose brushwork.  When I first started landscape painting, I only wanted to paint the sunny days with the golden light.  Now, I find I really enjoy painting the rainy days!  This is painting number 163 in 163 days - and it is time for bed!

The Garden Gate

The Garden Gate
Oil on panel, 8x6
Craig Sole's Floral Design

This beautiful gate adorns the walk from the parking lot to the charming cottage of Craig Sole's Floral Design in Overland Park, KS.  For the first time all week, I thought I could start my painting at a leisurely pace.  No one needed to be taxied hither and yon - or so I thought.  Then I get a call from my husband that our daughter's car needed to be dropped off at an upholstery shop 40 minutes prior.  Next, I was ready to begin again, and my other daughter needed me to watch the grandsons for a while before our lunch at a local tea room.  After a few antique shops, we returned home later than expected, and I needed to hurry off to an art reception for the Stems event.  I love these gatherings - it is wonderful to see all of my artist friends again, and great to see all of the amazing paintings on display! Finally arriving home, earlier than expected - I'm ready to jump right into painting.  Nope - my younger daughter needed a trip to Kohl's to pick up a few things for an upcoming trip to Orlando.  So, once again, I am home late and starting my painting at 11:00 at night.  Silly me, thinking this would be a leisurely day for painting!  This is painting number 162 in 162 days :)

The Arbor

The Arbor
Oil on panel, 6x6
Loose Park Rose Garden

After a full day of working in the yard with the grandsons, I had little energy to think of painting.  When you paint as much as I do, keeping panels prepped and ready is a challenge.  As I looked for a surface tonight, all I could find was 11x14, 12x16, and larger.......and then I found a few 6x6's.  When I'm exhausted, small is by far the wisest choice - even though the scene I wanted to create would have been well suited to a larger size.  The Loose Park rose garden is absolutely gorgeous this week - so I am taking advantage of the beauty!  Arbors like this one surround the rose garden, with a beautiful fountain in the center.  I feel like I have just walked out of a palace and into this garden - that is how amazing this place is!  Painting number 161 in 161 days.

Apples in Crystal Bowl

Apples in Crystal Bowl
Watercolor on paper
12x9

Avery, very busy day has me posting a painting that is not quite finished.  This is a still life done in watercolor (yes, I did say watercolor).  I like to experiment with different mediums from time to time, and this is one of those experiments.  Watercolors are so very different from oils, and more difficult to work with for me.  I already see things I would do differently here, but I will save that for another day and another painting.  This is painting number 160 in 160 days.

Sculpted Roses

Sculpted Roses
Molding paste, heavy gel w/acrylics, oils
9x12

Feeling experimental today, I first sketched out these roses from the Loose Park rose garden.  Then, I took out the molding paste, and applied to the roses, foliage and other assorted areas.  After drying, I mixed acrylics with heavy gel medium and applied the first coat of paint, also adding texture.  When just dry enough to work over this, I started laying in the oils.  Then, it was off to baseball photos and then another game, and I have only now returned home.  And, guess what?  It is almost midnight, so there is no time for further painting with oils to explore the depths of shading.  So, wild and crazy and it is, this is my painting for the day.  Painting number 159 in 159 days.  I think I'll return to something a little more sane tomorrow :)

Cascading Roses

Cascading Roses
Oil on panel, 14x11
Loose Park Rose Garden

I simply adore the Loose Park Rose Garden!  This painting is of the outer circle of arbors that surrounds the water fountain.  These roses are  overflowing with blooms like cups running over!  When I picked out this landscape, I wondered which size to choose for my panel.  I erred on the side of logic, picking a 14x11, as 16x12 would take longer - and I didn't have that much time.  Oh, how I wish I had chosen a larger size!  This landscape is so regal, it simply begs to be in a grand size!  I will get to at a later date........painting number 158 in 158 days.  What shall I paint tomorrow?

Fountain of Loose Park

Fountain of Loose Park
Oil on panel, 16x12
Fountain Festival Plein Air Paint - sold
purchase prints here

What a perfect day to paint en plein air!  Perfect temperature, perfect breezes, PERFECT rose gardens!  As part of the Fountain Festival, I am one of the area artists creating artwork for a special auction in August.  50% of the proceeds go to the Fountain Foundation for much needed repairs on 7 Kansas City Fountains.  This amazing landscape is the Rose Garden at Loose Park.  The roses are absolutely bursting with blooms - and the fragrance was  heavenly as I painted!  I love roses, and I can not believe I have never been to this park before now.  This is only the first of many painting trips in my future!  Painting 157 in as many days :)

Fountain Festival
(3 paintings to left are mine)

Arboretum Iris

Arboretum Iris
Oil on panel, 9x12
Overland Park Arboretum

This  is another of the paintings I started at the arboretum and have just finished up.  The iris bed was just coming into it's glory on this day.  I am working with loose and impressionistic brushwork on this one - and my paint is pretty thick, as well.  Too thick, in fact, to do any kind of glazing - I will have to add that a bit later!  I am planning on painting at the Festival of Fountains tomorrow on the plaza, so I need to prepare for that tonight.  This is my 156th painting in as many days.  Hoping for good painting weather tomorrow!

Geraniums on the Farm

Geraniums on the Farm
Oil on panel, 9x12
Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

The weather was so beautiful today - I worked in the gardens with my grandsons most of the day.  Once in the house, thing after thing went wrong.  Vacuum cleaner overheated - twice.  One of the boys spilled his water on the table - and it leached under the large glass top.  The other grabbed handfuls of chips, leaving a trail behind him (and sandwich crumbs and a couple of half eaten apples I didn't find until later).  After dinner and much cleaning - and trying out the new ice cream maker, I turned my attention to painting.  Honestly, I thought - I don't feel like painting anything!  What a day!  And it started out so wonderful!  So, I looked through my images.  I remembered sketching this one out right after the sunrise paint, but had not had time to start blocking it in.  Thinking this was right up my alley after such a crazy day - I started it just an hour and a half ago.  It is loose and free - and offered me just the right amount of creative therapy for tonight!  Feeling so much better - painting number 155 in as many days.

Night at the Dragon Inn

Night at the Dragon Inn
Oil over acrylic on panel
Old Town Overland Park

I am posting late tonight, as it has been a very busy day - ending with a late baseball game.  This painting is from old town Overland Park, Kansas.  The reference photos were taken after I had finished up another nocturne, and the lights were still on here.  This is an Overland Park icon - and I have wanted to paint it for years!  This sky was very, very dark - rain was just starting.  The streetlights illuminated the buildings even more than usual against such a sky.  There was still the delicious aroma of late night dinners in the air, and I wish I had been able to set up and paint on the spot.  But, framing yet-to-do and a sunrise paint-out reigned me in.  I find that I really do enjoy painting these nocturnes.  There is something so still and quiet in the night, it makes painting so inviting.  This is the 154th painting in as many days and I'd better get to bed.  I am watching the grandbabies in the morning!

A Father's Love

A Father's Love
Graphite on bristol, 16x20
sold

Once in a while, I will be given a photo to work from that completely takes my breath away.  This is such a piece.  From the moment I first saw it, I knew this one could really be amazing.  The light was perfect, a single moment in time captured flawlessly, and such a peaceful, tender moment between father and baby!  With graphite portraits, I often work in stages.  Especially with this one, it took time and patience to get all of the angles just right.  At each step, I would set it up on a separate easel (as I am constantly painting on my normal one), and live with it - to see what needed my attention.  Tonight, I will let it rest.  I will look it over in the morning with "fresh eyes" - just to make sure it is finished.  I love this intimate scene.  I have truly loved working on it.  Nothing is as grounding to me as putting pencil to paper.  It is such a true representation of fatherhood.  This is my 153rd artwork in 153 days (although this has been in progress for many days!).  I think this is one of my all time favorites :)

Morning on the Farm

Morning on the Farm
Oil on panel, 16x12
Deanna Rose Farm Sunrise Paint

The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead is a wonderful place for a sunrise paint.  This year, I chose a location about as far from the entrance as I could get.  This is in the old part, and the barn pictured has a slide for the children and the play yard around it.  I can remember my oldest children playing all around it many years ago.  The chattering of quail and chickens right beside me,  my company as I painted.  I love these sunrise paints, all is still and the sun is just rising.  I can truly focus so early in the day.  It just may be my favorite time to paint.  This is my 152nd painting in 152 days :)

The Flagstone Path

The Flagstone Path
Oil on panel, 16x12
Overland Park Arboretum

This is the second time I have painted this garden - the first a couple of years ago at the sunset paint.  I painted this one early on one of those overcast days.  The light was soft and this garden was so inviting.  I had to stay on the stones, because everything was still so wet from the rain.  This was painted mostly at one time, but I did go back and finish the blooms at a second visit.  When painting gardens, I will lay in bloom color loosely, and then not return to them until the rest of the painting is done.    I want the blooms to sit on top of the oils, like the jewels in a crown. This is the 151st painting in as many days.

Queen of the Vines

Queen of the Vines
Oil on panel, 9x12
Overland Park Arboretum

Clematis is known as the queen of the vines, largely due to the abundant and long bloom times.  This lovely purple beauty is climbing a trellis close to Monet's pond, at the Overland Park Arboretum. It gently called my name each day I worked in it's vicinity, and each time I chose a grander, larger landscape.  On one visit, I sketched this out on my panel with pastels.  On another, a general color block in.  At last, with another painting under my belt, I put on the finishing touches.  This clematis is so much larger than the little section I have painted.    My first attempt at painting a clematis, it is such a pleasure to capture the gorgeous and abundant bloom of this small wonder.  I am few paintings ahead for the week, and that gives me a little breathing room to accomplish all those tasks I have recently been ignoring.  Wow - this is my 150th painting in as many days.  I never thought I'd be able to keep up this pace!

Cottage Illumination

Here is the nocturne I rushed off to paint last night again in old town Overland Park - a renovated 1908 bungalow.  Craig Sole is a such a kind, gracious host!  In the two times I have been there painting, he has come out with cold water with key limes, lemons and oranges - and last night he brought out split pea soup to nourish us!  This was a fun paint - so much to see with the indoor lights and the street lights on.  There is quite a glare on this photo - so I will try to get another tomorrow in the daylight.  The sky is actually a darker blue, and the house reads whiter than it really is. This is my 149th painting in 149 days as the Stems event comes to a close tomorrow.

Cottage Illumination

Oil on panel, 16x12

Craig Sole's Floral Design

Old Town Overland Park