Sunswept

"Sunswept", oil on gessoed board, 11x14"

If you have ever scrolled through my paintings on the CeliaKellystudio page you will see over the last two years I have painted a lot of vineyard scenes. I have always love the symmetry and organization it took to plant and maintain rows and rows of fruit. And it helps to have a sister who sends unlimited photos of various Sonoma, Napa, Healdsburg, St. Helena and everywhere in between!!

Peace in the Valley

Peace in the Valley, oil on gessoed board, 20x16"

During a recent trip to Harpers Ferry, I hiked two days in a row in sudden onset thunderstorms.  It was an exciting experience that forces you to find your mettle within the forces of nature.  The second day, cover was sought under the Jefferson's Rock near the Harpers cemetery. Watching rain blow sideways, and the fog spurs rise across the Shenendoah, Maryland Heights and the town of Harpers Ferry below, was something I won't forget. 

Springhill #3

Springhill #3, oil on panel, 11x9"

Here is the third of 3 paintings from my jaunt to Springfield,KY a few weeks back. This one ended up my favorite. I really loved working from sketches and memory over my normal photographic references, so hopefully I will find some more inspirational landscapes to work from.

Springhill #2

Springhill #2, oil on panel, 11x9"

Here is the second painting produced from a multitude of plein air sketches a couple weeks ago. It was interesting  painting from sketches.... really allowed for the creative process to take over in all aspects.

Springhill #1

Springhill #1, oil on panel, 11x9"

A week or so ago, I traveled to a small vineyard an hour south of Louisville. It was a beautifully hot day, and in an extremely quiet country setting. It was the best medicine I could have given myself. I sat in various shady spots creating pen and ink drawings, breaking in a new larger sketchbook. It was nice to walk around undisturbed and focus. The greens were brilliant, and the shadows cool. From the ten or so drawings I produced, I decided to create a series of three. Instead of painting them in a linear fashion however, I set all three panels on the easel side-by-side. The idea was to work on them simultaneously (something I drew from my visit with landscape artist David Skinner in Asheville) so the color values and palette are not disjointed. Here is the first of three...

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.

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. 

Private Universe

Private Universe, oil on gessoed board, 16x20"

I worked on this painting for a few days from several images I had taken from a short Lake vacation near the end of the summer.  The reflections on the evening water were intense, and I had problems with scaling down the intensity for one painting.  As I am a few days removed now from finishing it, I like the way it is equal part calm, equal part alive.

Dawn's Early Light

Dawn's Early Light, oil on gessoed board, 16x20"

One of the interesting things about waking up beside a large lake is the amount of space available for natural light and color to present themselves on a minute-by-minute basis.  Yesterday's painting showed a near colorless scene right as the morning has broken. The scene for today's painting is after the sun has gathered some energy and illuminated  everything on the horizon. 

Morning Mist, Looming Clouds

Morning Mist, Looming Clouds, oil on gessoed  board, 16x20"

I spent four days last week on a houseboat on Lake Cumberland. It was an interesting experience as far as painting goes - I was able to do some paint sketches. The first morning I was up so early and everything had lost its color. It slowly, slowly was regained as the clouds parted and the sun appeared.  This scene is right in the middle of all that.

Crossings

Crossings, oil on gessoed board, 24x18"

I've been working on another moody palette landscape for a few days.  My goal in the next few months is to get a phone or camera that will take better pics for the blog.  There are layers here that just can't be seen. I often have people say that the paintings are so much more colorful in person, so hopefully better images coming in the near future.

Illinois

Illinois, oil on gessoed hardboard, 8x10"

I've been wanting, for my own knowledge and ability, to start pushing to the abstract end of the spectrum of painting, without abruptly changing immediately. I don't think that would be good for the thought process that goes into each work.  I found a reference photo that I took while driving through Illinois on the way to St. Louis, that is geometry all the way. As I told my son, the artist, I used a palette knife, not to apply paint (brushes only at this juncture) but to take it off exposing other color underneath, or to manipulate texture in other areas. 

This painting is dedicated to my friend Shawn, who left this world on Tuesday. He had been living in Iowa for a few months. These fields reminded me of the Iowan heartland. 

Grey Skies, Ohio River

Grey Skies, Ohio River,  oil on gessobord, 9x12"

After packing up my painting gear on Sunday, I took the back roads in Southern Indiana. About an hour later ended up here...O'Bannon Woods State parks. It has an amazing section way up on a river bluff. I hiked down as far as I could without falling off the ledge and set up the easel.  The wind was strong, and the footing a bit ominous, and it was quite exhilarating!!

Here is where I set up my easel. Luckily I had the sunshine after about an hour of painting to warm me up.

Red on Green

"Red on green"

oil on gessoed board

9x12"

200

Sometime when you fall into a ballpit of lemons, you do come face-to-face with the one lemon that will give you a pitcher of lemonade (after you add the water and sugar).  Or whatever that expression is.  I painted last night to the point of an extreme headache, and overwhelming fibromyalgic pain, without finishing what I set out to do. This morning, nature awoke me at 5 (not unusual), so that I could go back into the studio to feel accomplished before heading into work. This is fresh off the easel and not the best photo of it. Still I'm excited about this painting. What say ye?

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.

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.

Arches

Arch, oil on gessoed board, 11x14"

I painted Arch on a much larger sized gessoed board than I am used to.  The grand, yet simple scene allowed me to gravitate in this direction.  I actually took about 10 progress photos as I worked through this painting, documenting my actions.  I tried to put them all together so the viewer could "flip" through with your arrow keys on the computer, but I couldn't find the correct way to format it.  So here's the finished product. I am very proud of this one.

Sprague Lake Reeds

Sprague Lake Reeds, oil on gessoed board, 9x12"

Sprague lake was one of those places on my recent trip that put me on senses overload.  We were finally to Rocky Mountain National Park by evening and had enough time before the sun set to take a small but beautiful hike.  Sprague is a shallow lake that attracts fly fisherman who stood like statues, casting long shadows.  It has several layers of illuminated reeds and shore boulders on one side.  And that was just the beginning of the trail!
This painting, however, almost bit the dust several times during the process of painting.  I am not that adept yet with painting water....despite giving it many shots.  I took a photo of the painting in progress and sent it to Hugh, now in college in St. Louis, telling him I was at a standstill. He gave me some simple advice on "fixing" the water, and 10 minutes later I had a painting that I liked. Just a bit more touch-ups and it was done.  I will say that I normally don't get so detail-y, but felt with the reeds, I couldn't do them justice without it this time.  I am thrilled though, at how "un-detail-y" the background is, basically the initial wash I put down, with a small bit of touch-up.

Passing through Vail

Passing through Vail, oil on gessoed board, 9x12"

When I started Passing through Vail from a relatively dark photo, I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I have been reading a lot about atmospheric perspective and how objects turn lighter or blueish to the naked eye, the further they are away.  When I was out West, I tried to recognize this with the distant views I was taking in, to apply it to my future paintings  I would be doing of the trip. The photo was taken while driving on the highway near Vail, CO. There was a small lake that held the reflection of the beautiful sky that day, with the Rockies on both sides.