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.

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.

Hushed October

Hushed October, oil on gessoed board, 20 x16"

Nothing is more freeing to me, then walking on a path, when no one else is around. For just a moment or hopefully more, you can pretend that this one small parcel of earth is there only for you and your thoughts. I worked on this painting for several days, as it is bigger then my normal 10x8.  It made me crave patience which I am normally full of, but in the end it all was found and utilized. 

Walkabout

Walkabout, oil on gessobord, 6x6"

My 250th painting I have posted since beginning this blog and so fitting that it was painted at Bernheim!

This is the second painting I started at Bernheim over Thanksgiving days. I turned my easel 180° from the location I was painting "Roundabout" - yesterday's post. It was a meandering path that lead from the perfect locations - the forest to the lake!
The light was fading and lovely. I did not take a reference photo when I was forced to stop painting but finished it from memory the next morning in the studio. It was a liberating feeling not to be tied to a photo reference, for a change. It is how I formerly painted, and may try and force myself to do that henceforth.

Winter Valley

Winter Valley, oil on gessobord, 5x7"

I took a leap of faith this week and committed to an Art Festival, date and more info to come later.  I have been wanting to do a festival but parameters of all kinds (life!) weren't right, but this one .... is! So with it comes the need to produce many, many frames to display the work as well as how to hang/display the art itself, without spending an arm and a leg.  This fair supplies the tent and table so that part is taken care of, so it will be a good intro into the whole world of Art Fairs and Festivals. With that said, I may not be posting as much, maybe one to two times a week until after the 3rd week in May. 

This painting doesn't necessarily resemble a normal winter scene but it was produced from a photo taken on a colorful  winter day.  Painting this pine forest was similar to the methods I was using for the cattails, just less lively foreground. As always, all my paintings are for sale. Contact me here or through FB for details. Thanks for visiting my page.