not yet ready for plein air

Working on commissions and graphic jobs is nice but I miss plein air painting. However, my plan to do a plein air painting was quickly cut short, because it is really cold out there. A lot of the public areas are still closed for the season which meant finding a place that is not gated. After all that I painted for probably 20 minutes then took a photo and finished at home.

14" x 11" oil on canvas

Walking Out the Red Gate

This was from my hard copy photos taken before digital. I took a lot of bad photos trying to catch these guys without blurring and paying to have those bad photos developed.

20" x 10" oil on canvas

Taylor at 5

A graphic sketch adding watercolor. 

11" x 8" watercolor

Summertime Wading

Something to remind me of hot summer days. 

12" x 12" oil on baltic birch

Too Cold Headed to the Barn

I went out yesterday thinking I could get in some plein air painting, but like the cows, headed for warmer shelter. I did take some photos that are never as good as observing the subtle shades in the snow shadows.

8" x 8" oil on canvas

Red, White and Black horizontal

Another version using the photo reference. This one bringing the white cow out more and using a horizontal format.

12" x 9" oil on canvas

2017 Christmas pins

I was a little late getting these finished due to commissions. I paint watercolor on regular matboard. Then spray them with fixative. Using a sewing needle I string up beads, then dip in acrylic gloss medium and slowly push the beads off the needle. That explains the crooked line of beads. I will sign the pin on the backside then finish up with a coat of the acrylic gloss medium front and back before attaching the clasp.

Red, White and Black

The reference for this is from the garden tour. We had snow yesterday and maybe tomorrow I can get out and try to paint, maybe watercolor painting in my car. 

8" x 10" oil on baltic birch

Merry Christmas

Family

Another version of the commission. 

14" x 11" oil on panel

Tea Party

This is a commission I just finished. After several failed attempts the client was very pleased with this one. I learned a lot and even with all the stress would do it again. 

14" x 11" oil on baltic birch panel

Gray Days of Winter

This was the second painting I did during the Bloomfield plein air painting event. A challenge of  different shades of gray. I have learned to love neutrals. One only need to look at the paintings of Andrew Wyeth to see the possibilities.

9" x 12" oil on baltic panel.

Study of Grays

This time of year the landscape is various grays. Reflections in the water are duller than what they reflect, grayer than gray. For some reason these were also a tinge of green, maybe something in the water that day. Shades of gray are subtle and that is an advantage of painting plein air over photos.

12" x 6" oil on panel

The Arts Enrich Our Lives

Saturday I participated in a plein air competition in Bloomfield, Iowa. A favorite part of these events is reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. Richard Dutton, now a retired college art teacher made the two and a half hour drive to participate. He was also my first watercolor workshop teacher over twenty five years ago. I remember he started by saying he wakes up every day looking forward to teaching art. At 78 he is still teaching workshops, entering competitions and art fairs. A true teacher, he came over and advised me to stop on this painting or I could end up overworking it. I was his competitor in this event and won first place with it. When trying to explain why the arts matter I am reminded of Richard active and still enjoying this long after "retirement"

8" x 10" oil on panel. 

portrait study

Just a quick study.

8" x 6" oil on baltic birch

Abandoned Bridge over the Skunk River

I took the photo reference while standing on the new bridge. I saw this view while returning from another plein air painting adventure and noticed how that time of day highlights the sun hitting the tops of the bridge and the trees. It goes quickly and maybe I can stand on the bridge long enough to do a watercolor sketch. It would be nice to paint plein air, but the new bridge does not have a pedestrian/bicycle path.  Most of the vehicles move over when passing me photographing the old bridge. The bridge is a favorite backdrop for photographs and I have painted while on it, although it does have a few missing planks. It would be nice if they tried to save it like the ones in Oakland Mills and Bentonsport.

12" x 9" oil on baltic birch.

Fairfield All Member's Show

I was going to enter the previous abstract painting along with the top painting. Then I read the requirements and I interpreted it to mean that the paintings had to connect in some way, so I sanded off the abstract and painted the bottom painting to be the other bank of the Des Moines river.

Abstract fun with paint

Another left over paint piece. 

6" x 6" Acrylic on panel

6" x 6" Show

The Fairfield Arts Association is having their annual members show. The format this year is 6" x 6". You can exhibit 4 and it should be interesting what the artists will come up with. Mine is a single stand alone piece.

6" x 6" acrylic on canvas

One Spotted Me

I had to edit the original photo by taking the background cattle and moving them back and left. A lot of the cattle around here are mixed colors. It makes for interesting colors as shown by the one in front whose color resembles that of a Weimaraner dog. That was the challenge. Also notice the cow's head is in the center of the painting, my choice. Like Bob Ross said, "If I paint something, I don't want to have to explain what it is." In other words I don't know how to explain the composition.

12" x 9" oil on baltic birch panel.