Winter Stand

The light blanket of snow on the landscape is irresistible - even at these temps!  Bundled up in my layers, with a wall to my back and standing in the sun, I made the best of a COLD situation.  Painting fast is key, as are hand and toe warmers. I found myself blocking in masses, and then really studying the colors in those masses, marking them with paint as I worked.  I used quite a bit of raw sienna, which I only seem to bring out this time of year.  My palette needs to be scraped and refreshed, but there's no time for that today.  A little at loose ends, my focus was off, so I just let my intuition take over, allowing the brush and knife to find their own way.  It was hard to tell what I really had until I brought it in, the bright white of the snow playing games with my eyes.  I hope to forge ahead tomorrow on another snowscape - and it is supposed to be warmer!  Yay!  Painting number 1823 in 1823 days.

Painting from the Pasture

Painting From the Pasture
Acrylic on masonite, 5x7

As the final assignment in a figure class this month, I have painted myself!  The photo reference in from the civil war reenactment we had in the pasture, where I invited the MVIS artists to capture the event in paint.  One of the women from the camp loaned me her dress, and voila - I became a period painter!  The hat is one I paint in, and the apron was one I had tucked away from who knows where!  Using my limited palette of acrylics, I blocked in the values and colors that shape the scene.  Next, I tweak those masses using loose, impressionistic strokes.....although I may have tightened up a bit on my palette and brushes.  They are prized possessions that make my life a joy - so, I guess they’re allowed the extra attention!  Twice, I have forgotten to pack my make-up and curling iron on out of town plein air trips, but I always have my art supplies with me!!  This is painting number 1183 in 1183 days.

block in

Bamboo and Dragonfly

Bamboo and Dragonfly
Chinese sumi ink brush painting on rice paper, 15x19
purchase here

This is my first attempt at chinese brush painting with sumi ink on super thin rice paper.  One trick that is new is to layer newspaper under the rice paper as I work. This allows any bleed through to be absorbed into the newspaper, instead of spreading out on the rice paper.  The strokes get easier with practice - and I find that I want to try some new subjects.  Maybe the super cute goldfish, or even a dragon - which several of my children have wanted me to paint since the beginning of time!  It also has me wanting to pull out some of my pigmented inks - which I have never used, to render some of this in color.  This brush painting is similar to calligraphy in many ways - and I love calligraphy, those seldom use it.  It is amazing how exploring something new opens so many doors in the mind!  Painting number 918 in 918 days.

Dragonflies and Bamboo

Dragonflies and Bamboo
Chinese brush painting on paper, 12x18

Today I am totally out of my box with Chinese brush painting and sumi ink!  Our guest instructor for the Tri-County Art League meeting was Valda Hsu, and she had a wonderful demo!  I have taken one other workshop in this technique - years ago, but she her method was more descriptive - and I was able to absorb so much more this time.  I came home with pages of strokes and flowers, bamboo, butterflies and dragonflies, fireworks and leaves.  Using single strokes to make each mark, the way one composes these marks - makes the painting.  This was very informative - and so fun to soak up another culture with this ancient painting style!  Painting number 914 in 914 days.

Painting the Chickens

Painting the Chickens
Oil on wood panel, 9x12
Boone Farm Paint-Out, Augusta Plein Air Art Festival
purchase here

This day's paint out was at the Daniel Boone Farm in Defiance, Missouri. When I walked upon this scene - I KNEW I had to paint it!  After spending over an hour scouting all over the property, with a good idea of what I wanted to paint, I stumbled onto this scene  - and it totally grabbed me!  Lon Brauer had dressed in period attire to paint - so he was the perfect model in the perfect setting! Never before had I even attempted painting a figure for a timed plein air paint, but I LOVED it!  I should have been doing this years ago!  I had so much fun getting this scene down in oils - it was like a concentrated workshop on life drawing - of both Lon and the moving chickens!  With a scene like this, with constant movement - the most important thing to capture is what is most likely to change. The light, shadows, and especially Lon!  He is a fast painter, moving quickly from one painting to the next, so I painted his figure within the first few minutes.  Working next in finer detail, I blocked in the light and shadow.  As one of the chickens would get into a position I liked, I would switch to them, getting them painted in before they moved again.  I had so much fun painting this!  I can't wait until the opportunity presents itself again!  Painting number 872 in 872 days :)

Magic Over the Marsh

Magic Over the Marsh
Oil on panel, 12x9
purchase here

Every summer, we go visit my parents near Lake Erie, and I have so many wonderful photos from this beautiful area!  I am using that reference for today, and started with a pastel sketch.  Next, I brushed in the blues of the sky, working from cool to warm at the horizon, and I lay in the water at the same time.  Next, I brushed in the thick, warm whites of the clouds, followed by the plum shadow sides.  The landscape is just a supporting role to the main feature of the sky, so I handle the colors accordingly, being sure to get those sky colors into that landscape for good color harmony. I did not use my palette knife on this - I had so many distractions today, that it is a miracle I was able to finish this at all!  Painting number 787 in as many days.

Brush Creek Beauty at the Falls

Brush Creek Beauty
Oil on panel, 16x12
Brush Creek Art Walk - Purchase Information

When I arrived on location in early in the morning, I had the Benton Boulevard Bridge in mind to paint....and then I saw the waterfall!   The golden light skimmed the surface of the water and the tips of the foliage in a poetic way.  I had to paint it, instead!  This light was fleeting, so it was my first priority.  I blocked in all of these highlights before going to the first dark.  I then marked all darks, knowing that this magical light and shadow would be the first to fade out of this landscape as the sun rose.  At this point, the light was already changing - so I blocked in the other color masses rather crudely.  This quick brushwork is all over the painting since time was certainly of the essence!  Using thick, wet paint - I needed to go to my palette knife for the final strokes.  The brushes simply moved the paint around too much.  I even skimmed the surface of the water with the palette knife - leaving a trail of "sparkle" in that water.  I think this one really captures the time and place as I quickly worked at water's edge.  This is painting number 625 in as many days and Day 15 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge.

February Snow

February Snow
Oil on panel, 5x7

This has been a very busy winter day.  After being snowed in all last week, I had to catch up on all those things I was unable to do.  After a Zumba class and a Yoga class, and some shopping, I returned home - finally able to think about painting.  Normally, I already have an idea in my head of what I want to paint.  Today, I only knew I wanted to paint the snow.  It was another gray day, so here I have pushed the subtle grays of winter with brush and palette knife.  I have a gamblin gray that I have never used, called Torret gray.  I think I'll pull it out on one of these snowy, gray days - and see what it has to lend the palette.  I was saving it for a grisaille, but perhaps if I actually squeeze it out on my palette, I'll use it.  My artist friends know how I do not like to clean my palette!  I only scrape when I have to, and I keep it in the freezer to make my set-up and clean up faster.  After all, when I paint a painting everyday, I must use every short-cut I can think of!  Painting number 406 in as many days :)

Tending the Palomino

Tending the Palomino
Oil on panel, 16x12
Civil War Paint-Out

When I was still in grade school, I used to write stories about horses. On the playground, my friends and I would pretend to be horses - running in the wind as fast as we could.  I have always loved horses, so it was really a treat to have them included in our civil war reenactment.  This beautiful palomino was just as lovely as one I once wrote about (I named her Goldenrod).  The young woman holding her lead rope, Jamie, was just as nice as could be - and makes such a wonderful model for this vintage painting.  Painting number 229 in as many days.

The River in June

The River in June
Oil on panel, 6x6

I started this painting early this morning, after the housework, and before preparing food for an afternoon lunch, then running my youngest daughter to a friend's house.  I had a lovely time visiting with my Aunt Vicki (in town from Virginia) and Aunt Diana, Tiffany and her family, and Stephanie and her family.  The day was filled with fun and catching up, only to move the party to my house afterwards.  So, here I am again, finishing a small painting late at night - my first chance to get back to it in the whole day.  I still have a 12x16 sketch on my easel, just waiting for me to lay on the paint.  It has been there for days now, after I was interrupted at the critical start time - and I simply haven't had enough time to paint that large since.  Will I ever get back to it?  This is painting number 188 in 188 days.

Snow on the Milk Barn

Snow on the Milk Barn
Oil on panel, 11x14

I awoke to a winter wonderland this morning!  It is such a wet, heavy snow - all the branches and brush are covered!  The deep blanket of snow reaches my knees - and drifts above them as I walk the pastures.  I got to work early, I was afraid the 30 mile per hour winds would knock all the snow from the trees.  It is not often we have such a beautiful heavy snow that sticks to the side of everything it hits!  I didn't need to hurry, though.  It is now getting dark, and those trees are all still covered - only the little branches have dropped their snow.  As a child, my brother and I would explore this barn.  Some of the same old treasures hang from old nails inside.  A few trees have sprung up, and a giant wild rose has taken over the front corner - but oh, how glorious they look covered with snow!  I hope the snow stays long enough for me to get a few more paintings done!  This piece makes painting number 54 since the first of January :)