Empty Fields

Empty Fields, oil on board, 18x24"

Barreling down the highway for extended lengths of time never gets old.  The fun part is trying to take photos that aren't blurry, no matter how advanced of a camera (the camera operator is not advanced!).  Here is a flat, farm scene that I'm always on the lookout for.  I never tire of wondering how different their life is, compared to my urban dwellings. 

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. 

Plein Air Day

Plein Air Day, oil on board, 10x8"

The last few times I have attempted to paint on location, I have failed miserably, to the point of frustration. Part of the frustration comes from the fact that I would spend all my waking time outside if I could, so to paint outside is all I want to do. But to have the opportunity but no success is enough to make me crazed.  This painting worked. Finally!! I tweaked only the color of the road, but not the shadow when I got home but other then that it remains how it was painted on the side of the park road. 

Signs of Fall, Lake Nevin

Signs of Fall, Lake Nevin, oil on board, 10x8"

I really don't have a favorite when it comes to seasons because each one is a welcomes different extremes.  Fall is definitely a time of beautiful color, but in some ways difficult to express on a canvas because it's so overwhelming. With that said, I like the understated scenes, like this one from Bernheim. 

Early Morning Calm, oil on board, 10x8"

I took a beautiful photo reference while out on an early walk a few days ago.  It had a nice, tidy composition.  Despite the fact that we have had little or no rain for a while, everything was strikingly green.

Storm over Kansas

Storm over Kansas, oil on board, 18x24"

I'm heading out to the knobs of southern Indiana today to hopefully set up shop, dog and daughter in tow.  I finished this painting a few days ago, but didn't immediately post until I thought it was finished.  Even though a landscape is often simple, there is always so much more going then at first glance. Storms in Kansas, if you have driven one side to the other, come up fast and furious.  So much so, that the rest stops have emergency alert notifications that go off before you can see a storm on the flat plain. It is one of the scariest and exhilarating experiences I have encountered. Nature showing its strength.

Beside the Lake

Beside the Lake, oil on gessobord, 8x6"

I had the best of intentions yesterday, to start a long weekend working and painting outside in various locations. My intentions will not go as planned now as it is going to be a rainy weekend.  It was raining when I set up near a park lake under a tree but I didn't let that stop me. I painted for about 90 minutes before wiping the painting off.  Turning more towards the lake in a brief moment of light, I saw these little fuzzies lining the bank. Before the next downpour could do me in, I captured this little grouping.

Labor Day

Labor Day, oil on gessobord, 7x5"

I started this painting on Labor Day but wasn't satisfied with it in order to post that day. So here it is, tweaked here and there.  Labor Day weekend was a very productive painting time period for me. This is the last one that came out of that binge and I like it! It's like icing on a cake!

Red Row

Red Row, oil on gessobord, 7x5"

Here is the second painting in the series "Local Architectural

Color and Elements". I felt like I got the perspective mostly right with this painting.  The details are hard, I have to admit. 

But it's only #2 so hopefully progression will show itself. 

Open Road

Open Road, oil on gessoed board, 24x18"

I've been working on this one for the last three days.  It is not one I felt rushed to finish, and allowed myself the time to think about attempting new things and changing others that I felt weren't working. The photo I worked from was taken on my trip last summer where we drove from Louisville to Colorado, Utah and New Mexico and saw non-stop beauty along the way. This was a simple highway scene, to contrast the grand-scale beauty within those states, but it was it's simplicity that brought me to it.  Sometimes the simplest things go unnoticed within the grand scheme of things. As Ghandi said, "Simplicity is the essence of Universality"