Magic School Buses

Magic School Buses, oil on gessoed board, 9x12"

Normally I post as I paint, but this one I painted, then forgot about for a few weeks, so here it is now. My daughter plays viola for the Louisville Youth Orchestra and they had a change in location for rehearsal a few weeks back. It was quite a trek. Knowing I would be in a non-urban location, and knowing it was going to be beautiful weather, I took my painting gear and my dog and set up to paint during her three hour rehearsal. There were buses parked in their lane, that made for a colorful contrast against a grove of trees just starting to turn their fall colors.

Angel River, Zion

Angel River, Zion, oil on gessobord, 12x12"

I revisited a few photos from my "Department of the Interiors" trip, as my family fondly calls it, taken at the end of the summer. This is the first painting I've done from Zion itself, which by the way, blew me away. I hope one day I can retire near it.

We were hiking on an incredibly hot day, when the Southwest was having higher then normal temps. So what are hot hikers to do but put their feet into a very cold river. I took this photo from the center of the river standing thigh- deep in water.  Oh what fun!!

Big Prarie Meadow 2

Big Prairie Meadow 2, oil on gessoed board, 9x12"

I did a smaller, quick sketch of this scene, just a couple of posts ago on location just to see if I wanted to do a larger  version.  I started round 2 on site as well. I blocked the composition in with the same palette, and changed a few things that were occurring, such as light. I also zoomed in just a tad.  I finished it in the studio from photos.  The gessoed board is a different brand then normal (Speedball as opposed to Ampersand) and has more of a slippery surface.  This trips me up a bit at the start, so I have found through trial and error, that I work better in shifts on this brand of board, allowing the layers to settle but not dry. I love the way this turned out....vibrant color and abstract layers of the landscape.

Overwatered

Overwatered, oil on gessoed board, 9x12"

While I was busy working on another painting at Patoka Lake, Indiana a couple weeks ago, I took a break to walk several feet away from the easel.  Looking out at the lake I spotted plants growing in abnormally high water, at least 20 yards from shore. Their distance was due to the ongoing heavy rains the area has had since June. Still, they were surviving, thriving and hardy despite being almost unnoticeable. The yellow and red leaves were a beautiful contrast to the greenish reflection surrounding the top half which dissolved into pristine blue.

Big Prarie Meadow

Big Prarie Meadow, oil on gessobord, 5x7"

This is a quick "sketch" if you will of Big Prairie Meadow, an area of Bernheim Forest and Arboretum that is filled with wild grasses, wild flowers, butterflies, various species of birds and forest rodents, and is the home to quail! It is also filled with sunshine most of the day. When I set my easel up on a hilly overlook this particular morning, a controlled burn was taking place at the farthest point away from where I was. I chose not to add it too the painting because it would have been confusing. But it added beautiful wafting silver smoke in the distance to the already bright and colorful landscape.