Forsythia at the Fence

 

I simply love painting forsythia in the landscape!  I planted another one today near the chicken coop!  I especially like them at the corner of an outbuilding or corral or flanking an old fence post now unused. They spread at their base, so I can move them around the property, wherever I may someday want to paint.  I will wait for my newest plant to grow, and one day paint my chickens in front of it!  Painting number 4836 in 4836 days. 

Gesa at the Fence

What a treat to paint such a gorgeous horse in her natural surroundings!  As I composed this scene I knew I wanted to go for a square format.  With two choices, I chose the new 8x8 Shizen paper that I had just picked up at a new favorite local shop (Artists and Craftsman Supplies).  This paper was the hot pressed one, which is different than my normal paper.  Oh my!  Was it ever different!  I had to work and work to get the paint to move like I wanted it to!  This paper was fine for my inks, but oh how different it was for the watercolors!  The very best thing about a challenge is how it drives me to power through until I succeed!  Haha - I guess that is my secret competitive nature shining through!  I ended up very happy with this piece after the struggle - but I will save this paper for ink only in the future!  Painting number 2623 in 2623 days.

Allium in the Garden

The morning was cool and rain threatened.  With a few free hours for painting,  Michaela and I headed to the arboretum. This is the scene I picked out for the quick paint, and today I painted it! These blooms are among my favorites,  and I love capturing them in oils!  In fact,  I'm thinking of getting experimental with them later in the week!  Perhaps some acrylics with a little molding paste!  Before I had gotten the surface covered wth paint - the clouds broke open!  I picked my easel up and walked to the front porch of a shed for cover.  Once I got that paint down,  I could return to my spot with no worries.  The rain had let up,  and I was able to finish and head to my painting class.  Michaela finished a beautiful pen and ink climbing rose and filled it in with watercolor.  So nice to share my painting adventure with my daughter!  Painting number 1594 in 1594 days.

Allium in the Garden
oil on panel, 14x11
purchase here

Forsythia by the Barn

It was sheer joy to spend an hour in the pasture putting paint to panel this afternoon!   Warm and a little windy,  I set up my camera to record a video of this painting.  First thing I learned - I should have had my phone fully charged!   When it blew to the ground from a tripod behind me - I realized it was completely dead!   I haven't looked yet to see if there in anything to salvage,  perhaps how I start a painting?   Oh well - I was far too involved in the process before me,  to think about anything else!   I planted this forsythia years ago by the barn, and each year it grows more lovely.  What a joy it is to paint again each spring!  I've also planted it by an old gate, and at the back corner of the house - I hope to get those paintings done before these beauties fade.  Painting number 1527 in 1527 days.

Winter Grapevines in the Fog

Another gorgeous, foggy morning - and I HAD to get out there and capture it!  These grapevines caught my attention yesterday, but the west pasture beckoned.  Today, these vines would not be denied.  I sketched the general composition quickly, then started laying paint.  Whenever I have limited time, I just let instinct take over and work as fast as I can.  This is painted with my limited palette, which ensures strong color harmony.  I used a limited palette exclusively for years with my acrylics in plein air, and I have really had fun getting back to that with my small pocket box set up!  I find I am going back to those limited colors even on my larger works lately!  Painting number 1471 in 1471 days :)

Purchase here 

Snow at the Milk Barn

Well, I had a little trouble with this one.  I started late, already in the golden hour.  I didn't load my palette, as I have been keeping it in the car, so I was out of the tiny bit of viridian, and black (which I use to mix greens). When it came to making a good, strong dark, all I had was ultramarine blue, permanent crimson, Indian yellow and white.  As you can probably guess, getting a strong shadow color out of this was a challenge!  Challenge aside, I do really like the color harmony achieved by using so few hues. As I finished this one up, the setting sun in the west was calling my name......!  Painting number 1459 in 1459 days :)

oil on panel, 10x8
sold

November Sunrise

I walked down the stairs to let out the dogs, and the most glorious sunrise was pouring over the horizon!  Without any time to spare, I threw on clothes and grabbed my paints - determined not to let this moment slip by!  A sunrise painting develops very quickly.  There is no sketching or planning, only the laying down of the colors before me, as quickly as possible.  I never know when the color is at it's peak, until it turns that corner and begins to fade.  It is always a slap dash to the finish, and then I set those brushes down!   Painting number 1392 in 1392 days :)

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Dogwood on 3rd Street

Dogwood on 3rd Street
Oil on panel, 9x12
Washington Paint Out, Augusta Plein Air Art Festival
sold

When I had first pulled into the sweet town of Washington, this house on 3rd Street instantly grabbed my attention!  The dogwood in the side yard of this beautiful, historic house was abundant with blooms, and the picket fence led right into the scene!  I set up on the corner across from the house - in the full sun again, to gain the best perspective of this scene.  The morning light spilled onto the house, foliage and blooms, illuminating them.  I think my favorite time to paint is in the golden hour of early morning, and especially in the spring when blooms prevail.  There is just something so sparkling and new in that early light!  This painting was awarded 2nd place in the Washington Paint Out!  Painting number 1224 in 1224 days.

2nd Place Award

A Pair of Sheep

A Pair of Sheep
Oil on masonite, 10x8

The sheep at the Green Dirt Farm were simply adorable!  Despite growing up with farmers in the family - I was never around them. My great-uncle had every other farm animal, and my grandma did have sheep, but long before I was born!  So, it was a treat to get to spend some time with them!  I love their sweet and gentle nature. In an effort to separate the color of the sheep from their background, I got a little carried away with the red oxide.......so these are "breast cancer awareness" sheep....you know, their pink color........!  I plan to tone them down a bit tomorrow - but as for today, I am already onto other projects!  Painting number 1004 in 1004 days :)

Bike Along the Fence

Bike Along the Fence
Oil on wood panel, 6x4
purchase here

Spending time with friends tonight, I am reminded of how truly special each day is!  Each one is a jewel - and it is SO fun to reconnect!  After a wonderful dinner out, I return to my easel to complete my painting.  I had this sketched out yesterday, but was seriously considering a totally different subject.  Would you believe that I could hardly decide whether to paint this bike along the fence, or a happy cow face?  Those subjects couldn’t be more different, and yet they were both calling to me!  This is painting number 3 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge, and 976 in 976 days for me :)

Magic in the Garden

Magic in the Garden
Oil on wood panel, 14x11
Deanna Rose Farmstead - Stems
purchase here

Tonight was bittersweet as some grade school classmates and I came together to celebrate the life of a truly talented friend, taken too soon from this world.  Kenny Davis touched so many lives.  I am posting late, and this one is from this morning's sunrise quick paint from the Deanna Rose Farmstead. The one hour lightening delay threw off my schedule for the whole day, but I came away with a painting that truly expresses the way I felt in this garden. This painting is number 889 in 889 days.  Life is short, each day is a gift.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Santa by the Fence

Santa by the Fence
Acrylic, molding paste on canvas, 5x5

As I paint this Santa, other Santa images keep popping into my head - just like visions of sugarplums!  So many paintings just float around up there - far more than I can actually get onto a surface.  This has been another day of crossing things off my list - but so much still remains!  Getting ready to hang a show of 48 pieces next Monday is the biggest job on my list - and I have only made a dent!  This painting is also painted with acrylics and molding paste on primed canvas.  It is interesting how the wet acrylic spreads over this canvas - it can easily be seen by enlarging the image.  I'm having fun using the old medium in a new way - and with a bit of whimsy instead of my natural traditionalism.  Painting number 723 in 723 days - now back to work on that show (while watching Christmas shows and visiting with my parents) :)

Roses by the Fence

Roses by the Fence
Oil on panel, 6x6
purchase here

Up and out early this morning, my son needed to be at weights by 6:00am.  I don't have pilates until 8:30, so this made the perfect painting window.  The roses are still loaded - and one thing the puppy leaves alone, so they are beautiful!  Painted in the early morning, before the sun was up - this one is moody.  Striving for a little more realism than yesterday, my values are also much closer together.  The paint is rather thick, with the brushwork closely following the shapes they represent.  I need to cut some small panels - as I have run almost out of them.  I prefer the smaller sizes for studies.  This painting makes 660 in 660 days - and I think I will paint a fall landscape I saw earlier for tomorrow's painting :)

210 Kansas Avenue

210 Kansas Avenue
Oil on panel, 16x12
OPA Paint-Out - purchase here

on location

Set up on Kansas Avenue in historic Marceline, Missouri, I blocked in my colors.  The chilly morning had me bundled in two jackets - and wishing I'd had a third.  A young cat kept hanging around my legs - even trying to jump up on my palette a time or two.  As the owner of cats, I know to drop the lid down on my palette when they are near!  As I finished my painting and was taking it to the car, I could see that the fence needed a bit of work.  When I took it out for a little adjusting, I did so with my palette knife.  With knife in hand, I proceeded in bouncing all over the painting with color.  My previous brushstrokes had dried enough to grab the paint from the knife in an interesting way - it had been the first painting of the day, and had been in the warm car drying since then.  So, my question is - cool or crazy?  I like the marks, but have I gone overboard?  It is a little wild - is this an alternate me - the one with the knife?  I just can't decide!  This is painting number 647 in 647 days.

Hollyhocks of Ephraim

Hollyhocks of Ephraim
Acrylic over molding paste on panel, 14x11
Purchase Information

As you drive along the main thoroughfare through the harbor town of Ephraim, you can't help but see these amazing hollyhocks!  Just north of the Chef Hat cafe, these bountiful blooms were just begging to be painted!  I had already painted a watercolor and an oil for the day, so I decided to mix it up with the molding paste and acrylics.  Sketching first with pastels, I next sculpted the petals and leaves with a palette knife and molding paste.  Drying quickly in the strong winds off Lake Michigan, I started the underpainting almost immediately.  I lay down the background colors first, leaving the thickest sculpting to dry completely before layering on the acrylics.  Before I knew it, my fellow artists were done painting and ready for dinner, so I had to pack it up without finishing.  I would rather not eat and finish my work, but the majority wins - so I took this one back to the Red Shed and finished it at sunrise before everyone was ready to head out again.  I keep very long hours on these painting trips - and I wouldn't have it any other way!  Painting number 583 in 583 days.

Flowers at the Kauffman Garden

Flowers at the Kauffman Garden
Watercolor on paper, 7x5

Today, my parents and I visited the Kauffman Memorial Garden in Kansas City.  It is a beautiful, peaceful place with several wonderful fountains and abundant blooms!  These beauties were basking in the sun, with the shade falling behind them.  It made for a peaceful and serene composition.  After first masking out the lighter areas, I underpainted the darker parts.  Rubbing off the mask, I went back in with my brush to add color to these lighter areas.  With a full day and a house full of family until now, I am painting and posting late tonight.  This one makes 562 in as many days.

Roses Over the Fence

Roses Over the Fence
Watercolor on paper, 6x4

As I explore these watercolors on paper, I find I have way more questions than answers.  Perhaps, I really should do a little study in this new medium - instead of going all willy-nilly with brushes in hand!  When painting in oils, I am working towards a much more realistic coloring of the landscape.  When in watercolor, I don't feel at all constricted to my "realism box".  Why is this?  I also find I am pushing my colors in a more vivid direction.  I have many colors I have not even tried yet - I may have some real favorites out there that I haven't even squeezed out of the tube!  This is painting number 535 in 535 days :)

Hydrangeas by the Arbor

Hydrangeas by the Arbor
Oil on panel, 14x11
Lee's Summit Garden Walk - Plein Air

Oh my goodness, what a full day!  I started this morning as the guest speaker and painter with the Scarritt Renaissance Coffee Club in northeast Kansas City, and next headed for the Garden Walk in the historic downtown Lee's Summit district.  This is my third painting today, and such a lovely spot it was!  The giant hydrangea was begging me to paint it - and after scanning the other gardens on the street and visiting with fellow artists - I returned to my favorite.  As is sometimes the case, I had to tuck myself into a cubby hole of shade to get this exact view.  I wanted the abundant blooms spilling over the iron fence, with the path and arbor leading you right into the garden, so there was no other place to set up. The biggest drawback here is that I could not keep stepping back to check on progress as I worked.  I really could only step to the side along the hedge to get a different vantage.  Once finished, I pulled it out of the deep shade to check the hues, and found it was just what I was after.  The weather was beautiful, though a little windy, and the owners were so gracious and welcoming.  I always enjoy visiting with passersby as I work - and what is better than strolling through lush gardens on a perfect June day?  This painting makes 530 in 530 days, and I will post one of the others tomorrow :)

Lilac in the Garden

Lilac in the Garden
Oil on panel, 14x11
Augusta Plein Air Festival

Some painting days just do not play out as planned.  I started this painting on the day of the Montelle Winery paint-out.  When only half blocked in, my location became very crowded - and the wind started blowing so much smoke my way.  All I could do was breathe into my jacket, hold my breath long enough to fold up my easel - and make a mad dash for fresh air!  I soon found out it was almost impossible.  I ended by setting up partially down the walking trail off the south side of the winery - with only 45 minutes left on a timed event.  I didn't even try to finish this, I simply moved on to a small 6x6 - turning it in just in the nick of time!  The wild, impressionistic strokes are clearly visible on this as I was frantically trying to get it blocked in!  My difficulty in breathing gave this a very dreamy feel - or is that the lack of oxygen look?  Once again, what the artist is feeling truly comes through in the paints.  Painting number 511 in 511 days.

Squire Boone's House

Squire Boone's House
Oil on panel, 14x11
Daniel Boone Farm in Defiance, MO
Augusta Plein Air Festival 2014

Today's scheduled paint-out was at the Daniel Boone Farm in Defiance, Missouri.  This place if full of wonderful old buildings that have been relocated here on the original farm property.  The day was cold, and I had to layer up - complete with hand and foot warmers - and I still grew cold as the day progressed.  If only the wind would settle down!  I tucked myself up close to one of the old houses where a porch jutted out on one side, so I was sheltered on two sides from the wind.  It looked like rain most of the time, but we dodged that bullet again today!  It was nice to finish by 3:00 and get a little free time!  Painting number 484 in as many days, and I'm going to Vineyard Hill in the morning :)