Trotter Farm

What a gorgeous day it was for painting en plein air!   The last full day of the event found me painting like crazy!   This amazing trotter farm was a beautiful place to spend the day painting.  Clay and Buddy Simpson were gracious hosts - even letting us use their gator for hauling our gear and scoutingthe property!  Fairfield rant does have the most friendly people!  This painting is the 1369th in 1369 days, and it sold tonight at the art sale  :)

From the Katy Trail

 Oh my goodness!  What a day!  Arriving in town to with enough time to set up our panels and artwork at the American Legion Hall, I then needed to head down to the Katy Trail Head in Augusta outside of "Pop a Wheelie", where the two hour quick paint was scheduled to kick off the event.  It was so hot and humid, but distant thunder could be heard in the distance.  The golden water of this run off creek by the Katy Trail caught my attention - and held it.  I started painting very quickly, as the weather was changing right before my eyes!  The wind started blowing, the temperature starting dropping, and leaves were blowing right onto my painting and into my palette!  Before I knew it, I was bracing my painting, and holding down the contents of my paintbox - because the wind was strong enough to blow things out!  I stayed until the lighting was popping and big raindrops began to fall - and then I headed to shelter to take down my gear and frame my painting.  It had only be 56 minutes.  I spent the rest of the evening enjoying good friends, summer shandy, dancing and fun! What a way to kick off this Augusta Harvest Festival!  Painting number 1351 in 1351 days :)

Off the Katy Trail
Oil on panel
Katy Trail Pain Out - Augusta Harvest Festival

Fleeting Light

Fleeting Light
Oil on panel, 10x8
purchase here

Mondays are extremely busy,  and I had not yet given any thought towards my daily painting.   The house quieted down, the daily chores finished, and I jumped into the shower to unwind a bit.  Once done, I walked out to see the most amazing color in the sky!  With wet hair piled high, I grabbed my palette from the freezer and walked out barefoot on the balcony to capture this fleeting beauty!  Color like this only lasts for minutes, so I worked very quickly.  This photo was taken in very little light, and it was almost dark when I cleaned my brushes.   What a gift to have such a lovely cloudscape dropped in my lap!  Painting number 1252 in 1252 days :)

Heartland Haven

Heartland Haven
Oil on panel, 12x9

The farmland of the Washington countryside is a treasure to behold with it's rolling hills and plowed fields.  This painting was the second of the Deppe Farm Private Estate Paint, following one of my favorite paintings of their creek just west of the house.  Their gracious hospitality was followed by a wonderful meal from their own farm!  This painting is now showing at the Gallery of Defiance, and is my 1221st painting is 1221 days.

Llama on Watch

Llama on Watch
Oil on canvas, 6x4 - purchase here

When I first turned in to the Green Dirt Farm, this amazing llama towered above the herd of grazing sheep, as if he were the watch dog.  In fact, I didn’t even see the very large white dog at first, as he blended in with the sheep!  As we came closer with our easels, he let out a few barks - letting us know that he was in charge.  Today, I have precious little time for painting, so I am painting small at 6x4 inches.  This painting is my 1005th in 1005 days - it is so crazy to be into four digits now!!  :)

Sunflower Fields Forever

Sunflower Fields Forever
Oil on masonite, 14x11
purchase here

Tonight finds me getting ready for the Sunflower Festival.  It is so relaxing to immerse myself into this meadow painting after the bustle of town.  I love the rural midwest landscape, and capturing it with paint is sheer heaven. Right before leaving or Carmel, I topped off my walnut oil with safflower oil.  I didn't have time to clean out the can, so I ended up with a 50-50 mix.  The honeymoon with walnut oil was waning, as I did not like the stiff, sticky residue that was beginning to adhere to ferrel and bristle, as well as the way it was setting up on my palette.  The simple addition of safflower oil has made all the difference!  Oh, how I have missed the safflower oil!  It cleaned my brushes right up, even reversing the damage the walnut oil was doing, and my bristles are supple again.  After two months, the benefit of a tiny extra bit of gloss was not worth the cons of the walnut oil.  This is Day 21 of the 30 day painting challenge, and my 994th painting in 994 days :)

Through the Poppies

Through the Poppies
Oil on canvas panel, 5x7
purchase here

Today finds me dreaming of garden landscapes and peaceful walks through the blooms.  We moved our fourth child to college today, and it is bittersweet. She is such a bright and shiny star - her whole future spreading out before her feet.  We miss her already, and her puppy wanders from room to room, anxiously waiting.  So, looking for some art therapy today - I return to my paints.  Choosing to work small, I am not painting from any reference (as I usually do).  I am not concerned with colors or values, the process of expressing is my solace. Strokes made with brush and palette knife, this painting is my 957th in 957 days.

Path in Poppy Fields

Path in Poppy Fields
Oil on canvas, 6x9
purchase here

Some days, I actually have paintings playing out in my mind while I go about my daily duties.  Driving to the gym, license bureau, to weights and robotics, with scenes unfolding before my eyes.  It is SO hard to keep my mind on my tasks!  It is as if I have been on "auto pilot", and keep coming back to reality with a snap!  I could hardly decide where to begin once I did get to my easel - there are three landscapes uppermost in my mind this day!  Deciding on this one first, I sure hope I can get to at least one more later.  I am working up a small piece with plans to enlarge to 24x36.  I would have just painted large to begin with, but I don't yet have the wood cut....and time is limited today.  I brushed in the whole underpainting, and have added the thick, juicy paint with a couple of palette knives.  I may need to pull a few more cool tones down into the poppy fields, but for now I am letting it rest.  This painting makes 926 in 926 days.

Grazing in the Rhine Valley

Grazing in the Rhine Valley
Oil on wood panel, 12x9 - purchase here

Quite a while ago, one of my European artist friends - Valerie Jael - posted the most amazing photo of these horses grazing along the Rhine.  I knew I had to paint it - and she graciously gave me permission.  I love the composition - and the timeless pastoral mood that exudes peace and tranquility.  Painted mostly with my brush, I have only used the palette knife for a little pop here and there.  Once I get my sky the way I want it, I then make sure those clouds are full of soft and hard edges.  The best tool for softening the edges?  My finger - gently pulled away from the center of the cloud, massaging that paint in the way I feel it should be.  And the giant tree in mid ground - it truly is that size in comparison with those horses. It must be ancient!  This painting makes 917 in 917 days....I think I will paint this one much larger in the future :) 

Rising Clouds

Rising Clouds
Oil on wood panel, 10x8
purchase here

The most amazing cloud shows have been appearing at every turn!  On the way home from Michael’s guitar lesson - this magic spread out before me.  As we neared home, the clouds grew closer and more beautiful - just in time for me to paint them! Painting number 907 in 907 days.

Clouds Over Springfield

Clouds Over Springfield
Watercolor on paper, 7x5
purchase here

I have never painted a cloudscape in watercolors before.  I started to think about it as I painted yesterday's cloudscape in oils - how the colors would flow. Playing with my edges, I paint right up to the clouds for hard lines, and a quick stroke with a wet brush softens others.  This is one of the glorious cloud formations of this last weekend in Springfield - when I was driving to a game, and couldn't just set up my easel and paint!  Painting number 905 in 905 days.

Misty Afternoon

Misty Afternoon
Oil on canvas, 7x5

I simply adore a rainy day!  It is my favorite kind of day for being artistic!  With sounds of thunder rumbling and dark clouds moving in, I feel in my bones it is time to paint - or draw!  Drawing is normally my "dark day" outlet, where the good lighting is not so important to color, but not today.  Today, I want to capture this marvelous spring atmosphere with my oils.  Using a small panel, as once again I have limited time, this creek embodies the mood of this rainy April day.  Painting number 475 in 475 days....now off to run my errands!

Forgotten in the Snow

Forgotten in the Snow
Oil on panel, 10x8
Rural Cass County

I started off this morning by giving myself a one hour painting time limit.  I watched that time pass.  Only 30 more minutes.....I tell myself.  That, too, slipped away.  Oh well, who needs time limits?  I'll get to that housework when I'm done!  With an impromptu party now fours away, it is time to get those other things done - and walk away from my easel.  Sometimes that is SO hard to do!  This painting site is just a couple miles from my house in rural Cass County - another find while out scouting with my parents in the snow.  Painting number 324 in as many days :)

Glory in the Sky

Glory in the Sky
Oil on panel, 6x6
sold

I spent the entire day working in the yard, getting the many flower beds ready for winter, and even transplanting a couple of plum trees to the orchard.  After so much hard manual labor, I was left at a bit of a loss when it came to selecting subject matter for tonight's painting.  I had planned to paint our windmill, with the yellow fall foliage of the maples which are crowding it, but it just didn't appeal to me.  As I looked through my many reference photos, it occurred to me that in the last 306 paintings I have painted, not one has been a cloudscape.  In fact, I think cloud painting is very difficult with all the subtle color changes within the clouds.  But tonight, I thought, why not try it?  What do I have to lose?  So, here I have painted a glorious sky using a couple of my recent additions to my palette - manganese and prussian blues, along with my old favorite - ultramarine.  It was fun using them all to create depth in the sky - and challenging!  I was able to finish this small one in an hour, and have another 6x6 to choose from for the Randy Higbee Show coming up soon.  Painting number 307 in as many days.

Illinois Farm

Illinois Farm
Oil on panel, 12x9

The midwest farms are simply glorious during harvest season!  The leaves are not yet turning in southern Illinois.  Many corn fields stand tall and yellowing in the fields.  Indeed, it is corn in the fields behind this cluster of barns on the rising hill.  Some of the grasses have turned to gold and reddish, set off beautifully by the fresh greens.  All have just been thoroughly washed by the passing downpour.  I don't paint many of these skies, but I sure do like the drama of them.  Painting number 280 in 280 days.  I think I'll paint my roses tomorrow - they are bursting with blooms!