Dog Hill, Cherokee Park

"Dog Hill, Cherokee Park"

11x9", oil on canvas

I have been thoroughly enjoying painting from sketches done on location, much more then plein air painting lately. Maybe it's a phase, but I feel I am having good results. I still get the outdoor experience but can tweak a painting to my liking in the studio. It's the best of both worlds.

Harpers View

"Harpers View" 

oil on canvas, 12x9"

I spent part of last weekend in the Northern Va area, painting in the cemetery at Harpers Ferry, WV. It is such a beautiful location. I edited the scene a great deal, for artistic and sacred reasons. Still the painting turned out much to my liking.

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. 

Spencer County Farm Lane

"Spencer County Farm Lane"

Oil on canvas, 14x18"

I went out sight seeking a couple of days ago, to seek both inspiration and composition. I didn't end up with a whole lot of material, but I had enough to work with to be able to combine photographs together, to make several potential paintings. This is the first.

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.

Sunlit Vineyard 2

Sunlit Vineyard 2, oil on canvas, 8x8"

NFS

This is my 300th painting since I started my blog in April 2014! I have not necessarily been painting and posting everyday but a lot more then I thought would be posting when I started.  

This is a second go at this vineyard scene. This painting, as well as its counterpart, will be a donation to the Louisville Art Association's ArtSquared fundraiser in April. I will write more about that later. 

When I realized I had to paint a second version, I left the original packed up, interested in seeing how I would interpret the scene again. I was just comparing the two, and even though there are some similarities, I am really pleased at their differences.  It shows that one any given day, my brain is wired to see color, shapes and points of interest differently.

Patches

Patches, oil on canvas, 9x12"

It hasn't snowed here in a while but when it did I went out to photograph some fields and a small lake nearby. Even though I thoroughly enjoy painting outside in the snow, it was much too blustery during this last batch.  Here is an active field, shut down and enjoying the peaceful silence.

Uphill

Uphill, oil on canvas, 12x16"

This is the fourth of my vineyard paintings.  I have them all lined up near my easel so I can keep checking on my own progress. A little "checks and balances" I guess.  This one is a bit smaller, only because I ran out of the other size.  The light on the vineyard was making the vines in the foreground sparkle!

Evening Vineyard

Evening Vineyard, oil on canvas, 14x18"

The photo of this painting is actually much duller then the actual painting. I am not sure how to remedy this at this moment. Just imagine it very vivid and alive. While painting it was difficult at first to switch from a vertical orientation of the vineyards to horizontal.  But it was fun because of the light and brilliance that help guide my brush.

Symmetry

Symmetry, oil on canvas, 14x18"

I'm on a roll with vineyards as subject matter, but I don't feel as if I've exhausted the subject for a while. I am thoroughly intrigued by how simple it seems when evaluating a photo reference to paint, to how that turns into something that requires so much more focus then expected. In other words, I am loving it. Despite how detailed vineyards are to paint, I feel like I have been much looser and freer with my painting style.

Long Shadows, Vineyard

Long Shadows, Vineyard, oil on canvas, 14x18"

The rows between the grapevines in a vineyard are equally as manicured as the vines themselves.  They are living, breathing natural artwork, representing painstaking symmetry and balance. 

I dedicate this painting to Peter Mondavi, who along with his brother Robert(who would later leave to start Mondavi Winery) turned Krug Winery into a quality wine growing/making facility. They were early leaders in helping Napa Valley become a premier wine growing region in the world . Krug is also my favorite winery in Napa. Peter lived on the property that now houses their tasting room in a  restored historic structure. The several visits I have made in the last few years, I always hoped to see him and take a selfie with him. But it wasn't to be. Peter died Saturday February 20 at the grand old age of 101. Cheers to Peter Mondavi and the delicious, bold Cabs his winery has given us. 

Sunlit Vineyard

Sunlit Vineyard, oil on canvas, 8x8"

I finished this painting early this morning. It is for another donation, this time for LVA, Louisville Visual Art Association.  So far, as I wind my way back into the world of painting, I have turned down many commission but not donations.  I feel as if there are too many expectations that I would not fulfill within myself with commissions. Donations on the other hand are fun and less pressure.  

This vineyard, in the reference photo, was bathed in light.  I hope I pulled this off. The subject matter is near and dear to my heart so it was natural that I gravitate to them constantly. 

By the way, the LVA's annual Art[squarted] event will be held April 9 at their new location in the Historic Portland neighborhood of west Louisville. I missed the deadline last year so am thrilled to participate and offer this painting for sale. All artist contribute an 8x8" canvas, are anonymously hung in the gallery space and are priced at $100. Please save the date, buy a painting; your donation will contribute to funding the Children's Free art classes sponsored by LVA!

Bundled 2

Bundled 2, oil on canvas, 14x18"

"Bundled 2" came right off the heels of "Bundled". I felt I had to keep the momentum going.  This one was a bit harder to paint because the hay bales were smaller and more numerous.  The color promotes the serenity of the scene but still allows the drama of it to come out.

Bundled

Bundled, oil on canvas, 14x18"

I have been wanting to do a haystack painting for a while. I was going through the photos I took at the end of the summer, and I came across the reference for this painting - a photo I took in Kansas while traveling west.  I am starting a few larger ones to see how it "feels" and to include them in an up-and-coming solo show I will have at the Polvino Art Center in historic Nicholasville, KY during the month of January. I hope to see you there!

Primrose Alley

Primrose Alley, oil on canvas, 10 x 10"

I just found out the name of the lovely pink flowers that bloom throughout the first half of the summer in Louisville.  When I spotted some in the alley across from my backyard, I snapped a picture. The garage is old and stoic, and it was bathed in morning light.
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Celebration

Celebration, oil on canvas 9x 12"

The background turned out just the way I wanted it too on this painting. So for this, I am entitling it "Celebration"!!

Composed

Composed, Oil on Canvas, 14"x18"

When I was researching a bit about cattails, I discovered that the majority of the plant is edible, and Native Americans used them for food and in their basket weaving. The one thing that is constant is they are always found near water. That's probably the reason why I have always loved them and have become enamored with painting them. 

Cattails 2

Cattails 2, oil on canvas, 10x20"

Another day of fun, loose and colorful painting. AND it's on canvas :-)  AND it's bigger :-) :-). Tell me what you think....I think I am onto a new series.

Industrial Wasteland

Industrial Wasteland, Oil on Canvas, 10x20 inches

All towns have scenes like this.  Desolate, eery, isolated areas that give off a vibe of wanting to be far, far away.  Except to me and my son who love to go traipsing down railroad tracks in industrial areas to see how much rust we can photograph.  I loved how the silos almost disappeared into the grey sky. The lone train seemed to be without purpose. The empty tracks continued on the horizon visually through the power lines. I worked on a long canvas to change up the feel, which in turn, slowed me down allowing me to work in-depth with the details this painting needed.

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It, Oil on Canvas, 10"x20"

I decided a few weeks ago to incrementally work on a "bigger" canvas, while simultaneously continuing my daily painting in smaller scale;  and 10x20 is huge to me right now!  This painting, of the waterfront park in Louisville, was painted from a photo taken on a cold, bare day.  I do believe I bestowed much more color and life onto the scene than existed on this particular New Year's Day.  It was much more difficult to paint this scale again than I expected.  I became overly conscientious of scale and I tightened back up with the brush, painting very slowly and in layers. This just tells me to keep working both big and little, as there is value as a painter in both. And...despite not feeling completely satisfied with it, I decided to post it.