Tobacco Storage

Tobacco Storage 

Oil on gessobord, 8x10"

Here is the third of three paintings done last week at Camp Nelson, in Kentucky. The wheat field I was overlooking was full of incredible color that changed with the light. The barn at the top of the hill is what drew my attention. It was a weathered grey, but in the light of the day, and against the brilliant wheat field color it was almost periwinkle. The sky was a similar color so the two blended together effortlessly.

One Tree Hill, France

"One Tree Hill, France"

Oil on gessobord, 8x10"

When I received this photo from my sister, who often visits France's vineyards, I loved the ancient stone structure and neatly tended rows of grapes. However, I was really drawn to the single tree waving in the wind. While it was overshadowed in a landscape of beauty, it became my focal point. When I search vast fields for my own composition, my eyes are often drawn to a single object. And often, it too, gets lost in a field of beauty.

Concealed

“Concealed”

Oil on panel

14x11”

This was a do-over of a painting I started last week while the weather was warm, and I was painting outside. I took it down to my studio this morning and redid just about everything other than the composition. A recent trip to Maker’s Mark distillery provided me with the photo reference, Wolf Kahn provided the color palette inspiration, Gamblin supplied me with paint and the rest is history.

Maker's Barn

Makers Barn, oil on panel, 11x14”

Some days are diamonds. Some days are shinier diamonds. Sometimes I have to start over after a wiper in order to create a painting to my liking. This is one of them.

Season's Overgrowth

Season's Overgrowth, oil on panel, 10x8"

Not anything to blog about with this painting, other than it is a great way to start my morning off with.

Hilltop Barn

Hilltop Barn, oil on canvas, 36x24"

This is one of the largest paintings I have done in years, and I love working this size again.  I feel like I may need to do away with the tiny paintings for a while, and regain my footing a bit larger.  I've been working slowly towards one of the cliches that are thrown around a lot, "emotional color palette" within my work, without being overly emotional!?!  But with that for me comes expansive space.   The combination is actually where the emotion lies. 

Yellow Field Streaks

"Yellow Field Stripes", oil on canvas, 18"x14"

I haven't posted any new work in a while, so here's to breaking that streak. I have been mostly working on some drawings to change my pace. Settling back into painting over this weekend has been good for me, and working on canvas as opposed to panel, is feeling more natural.

Montreat Lake, oil on board, 14x11"

As I was leaving the western Asheville area last week I drove to the town of Montreat, home of the small liberal arts college. There appeared to be a very beautiful mixture of architecture for a tiny mountain town. To enter the town, one has to drive through an arch made of creek stones found in multitude close by. On the grounds of the College, I found a pond and a few places to take some reference photos. It was a peaceful paradise and a great place to study.

Black Mountain and Lake Tomahawk

Black Mountain and Lake Tomahawk, oil, 14x11"

I used a much bigger brush for the majority of this painting, and it was liberating.  It was a size 16 filbert instead of a 4 or 6 that I normally use. I found the 16 among some leftover supplies that my college kids didn't take with them and decided to give it a good home. It worked.  This photo reference is from the NC mountains, and a small lake.

Black Mountain, oil on board, 14x11"

I returned yesterday from NC full of inspiration. As a landscape painter, I am always invigorated by change of scenery, large expansive spaces containing small intimate shapes.  I tried to capture the light that took over the area for a few moments. The fields were illuminated and shaded by the swift clouds which made for some nice patchwork.

Rose Island Tributary

"Rose Island Tributary", oil on board, 14x11"

I am very pleased with this painting. I had been working on another painting for two days, and it was slowly getting the best of me.  Still, I was trying to make it work. This morning I wiped it off, very discouraged. I came across this reference after looking through some photos from a couple months ago.  I took it at Charlestown State Park in Indiana, where you can access the old Rose Island summer getaway spot from the turn of last century. They are conducting a lot of archeological research currently, to establish where all the buildings stood. There are oral history speakers now, which are helping to bring the memories back to life. The painting is of one of a tributary that feeds the Ohio River east of Louisville. 

Lit Forest Floor

"Lit Forest Floor", 10x8", oil on panel

The weather turned hot yesterday, which provided the perfect opportunity for an early morning hike.  It also provided the perfect opportunity to have the forest to myself. And I wish it was mine. Creek crossings and lots of limestone, pooled water (my dog enjoyed that), bird calls I haven't heard in a season,  drystack walls from multiple generations back, moss starting it's spring coat and more. It was senses overload for a good morning.  The tree canopy is yet to grow, but I will be back.

"Lofty Space", oil on board, 20x16"

I have been wanting to do an interior for a while, since wintertime is generally when we turn inward, literally and figuratively. This scene from a lofted building is a photo I took last winter about the same time. I thought it would be an easy one to start with, but it got the best of me. While most of the scene is outside the windows, I attempted to paint it so it would be secondary to the viewer, with the bright empty space being the more important. I hope I pulled it off. It is hard for me to gage since this is my first interior.

Golden Days

 

Golden Days, oil on gessobord, 12x12"

This field of winter grasses and left-over leaves bore the last resemblance to fall on this particularly sunny day in January. I took this photo reference while hiking in Indiana before my son returned to college after the holidays.

It is so wonderful to have a working knee again.

Michigan Dunes

Michigan Dunes, oil on gessobord, 12x12"

I tried to work on still life for about two hours yesterday, but it wasn't happening and they became swipers. I had found this photo a few weeks ago and saved it for another time, which ended up being yesterday and finished today. I need a vacay. Visions of beaches are seeping into my subconscious.

Fishing Lake, Parklands 2

Fishing Lake, Parklands 2, oil on mounted canvas, 10x8"

I struggled with this painting to the point that the first version was wiped away with mineral spirits and a rag. The funny thing is, unlike gessobord, the image didn't completely go away. It was like a ghost :-) So I went with it, started over with the "ghosted image"and eventually was satisfied with the results. This is another image of the beautiful new Parklands of Floyds Fork park in Louisville.

Fishing Lake, Parklands

Fishing Lake, Parklands, oil on mounted canvas, 10x8"

The Parklands in Louisville, is an incredible experience of newly acquired  land that borders one of the main, long creeks in the east-end of the county. Formerly sections of private land, it took nearly 15 years to piece together, and develop into a linear park, about 10-15 miles long. It includes waterfalls, small palisades, deep forest, areas for mountain and road bikes, long canoe or kayak passages, wildlife viewing, hiking, hiking and more hiking. My kind of place. Here is an unnamed fishing lake near one of the higher vistas. It had many small boulders on its outer banks that shown in the sun this particular day.

Cypress

Cypress, oil on arches paper, 8x6"

A sunny day at last to go do a quick( it's coollddd) painting of the plethora of cypress to choose from.

#stradaeasel, day 4

Colors Revealed

"Colors Revealed", oil on gessobord, 7x5"

Another day of painting in the fog (and drizzle).  Everything was so monochromatic except for a few patches of green and red.

Buffalo Trace State Park

"Buffalo Trace State Park"

This past weekend was supposed to be peak foliage weekend in my area. There was real beauty out there, to go along with warm air and blue skies. I drove to a State Park about 30 miles from Louisville in Indiana and ran my dog all around the lake taking photos. This is the first to come from that series of photos.