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.

"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.

Green Cove

Green Cove, oil on gessobord, 10x10"

Since I finished the Strada Easel 31/31 challenge 12 days ago, I have only worked on some studies, and I have been researching and looking at many artists that are new to me. My goal, stated many times over the past year has been to lean towards abstraction. And, even though it hasn't left my thoughts, I don't feel like I have accomplished this to my satisfaction.  Today's painting DOES do that and for that, I am very happy!  I bought a broad wash brush recently and used it for the first time today. It immediately felt right, and I started painting what has been locked in my head for months.  This little scene is from a cove at Lake Cumberland, painted from a photo that I took at the end of summer.  I guess I should thank Strada easel for the huge push that got me to this stage!

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.

A Little VItamin A

"A little vitamin A"

oil on gessobord, 6x6"

Day 26 of the strada easel, paint from life, 31 day challenge.  Whew. This challenge has been very... challenging!!  I have reverted to still life for most of the challenge which in the past caused me to break out in metaphorical hives.   I am finally getting more comfortable after spending more then half the challenge in the world of fruit and vegetables.  All my paintings from this challenge have been posted to my FB studio page.

Stacked

"Stacked" oil on gessobord, 6x6"

Nine more paintings to do for this "paint from life challenge" for strada easel. It has been difficult in many ways, but I have been working with the difficulty and working through it. Today's painting was almost swiped many times, and it took me longer to do it than originally intended. I stuck with it...as a challenge to myself. It's not the best but, again, it was by far the hardest.

Turkey Run Meadow

Turkey Run Meadow, oil on gessobord, 6x6"

#stradaeasel, day 16

Yay! I finally got outside - no rain until this evening, so I took advantage of it. After my dog and I took a 3 mile walk at a local park, I sat in my car and painted. I think I was smilng the whole time 

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. 

Long Run

Long Run, oil on gessoed hardboard, 8x10"

I have been looking at several contemporary painters that I consider successful abstract landscape painters. This can be a blurry area, and many attempt it. However, it is obvious when it is not done well.  This is my first honest and conscious attempt at abstraction with landscape.  I'm not sure it worked, but I am still happy with it and feel like I worked through it more then the eye can see. I believe I will continue to work on these - as small scale, learning works. Note to self: prepare a limited palette prior to painting based on reference photo or subject matter. 

The one less traveled by

"The One Less Traveled By", oil on hardboard, 20 x 16"

Last weekend my son and I went hiking at a mysterious patch of woods in the middle of the city. It is owned by the Archdiocese of Louisville and it is entered behind a parish church and a wonderful historic building that used to house Passionist Priests.  Way down this very path we found remains of a swimming pool formerly used by the priests, and a gratto that still housed Mother Mary, left behind after close to a century of standing in one spot. 

Behind the Grasses

"Behind the Grasses", oil on hardboard, 9x12"

A white barn, highly lit by the sun, hidden behind a sea of wheat and other grasses appeared abandoned when I shot this photo last month.  I think barns tend to exude that feeling.  Contrasted with the organic elements, I found this to be an interesting subject matter.  

September in Napa 2

September in Napa 2, oil on hardboard, 14x11"

Recently I found some precut hardboards at my local art supply store.  The price was reasonable, so I bought two to try. I had to gesso them which was enjoyable; the Ampersand gessobords that I usually paint on, come pre-gessoed, so it has taken some of the hands-on process away. When I was in college, I used power tools to make my own stretcher bars, stretched and stapled the canvas taut until it pinged (was hard on my hands), and then applied three coats of gesso. It was a ground-up process, and I loved it.  The hardboards turned out to be to my liking so I can paint a little bigger for a reasonable price. September in Napa 2 is referenced from another photo taken by my sister on a recent visit to her "second home".  The composition was so straightforward I had a bit of difficulty with it. I think, in the end, I liked the way the shadowed vines in the foreground broke up the space.

"September in Napa"

oil on hardboard

11x14"

Yesterday after a quick warm-up painting, I hunkered down with some beautiful photos taken by my sister Claire. She visited her "second home" in September and sent me a lot of photos. When I began painting, I thought it would be nice to document various stages of the painting, starting with the toned board and sketch and progressing to the end. The first photo is the finished painting and then they progress henceforth. Let me know what you think.

Highlights and highway"

Oil on gessobord

8"x10"

I got up this morning to work on a quick, loosely stroked landscape to cheer myself up. I have had a rough week and needed some focus time. The reference for this painting was from the highway while driving to Kansas City last weekend to see my art school daughter!!

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.

Plain Garage

Plain Garage, oil on gessobord, 7x5"

This little garage reminded me of a little old lady.  The residents that originally and proudly purchased the homes in my 1920's era neighborhood are long gone, but their souls are hanging on in the form of sweet nostalgic architecture. One of the things that constantly flows through my head as I take my daily walks is the possible lives of the folks who moved in when the neighborhood was brand, spankin' new.  Who were they? what did they do for a living, and most importantly, how were their lives compared to our rushed, frantic, mad world of today. 
Looks can be deceiving....the neighborhood face is still calm, sweet and definitely charming. But the cars rushing down my street breaking the speed limit, and the parents hurriedly cramming their children into cars and returning at night with carry-out, tells a different story.

Red Shutters

Red Shutter, oil on gessobord, 7x5"

This painting almost required nearly the entire thing to be scrubbed, but instead I scrubbed the necessary parts (nearly all of it in the end!) to make it the symmetrical neighborhood home that it is. This house was so "perfect" that the mulch even matched the shutters.  

One of the difficulties I have been having that I didn't mention before is, with this series I switched back to small, small gessobords. I had been painting larger finally, throughout the summer, and as I had originally planned on doing a 30/30 challenge, I cooked up as many small boards to complete a months worth of paintings. When I changed my mind on the challenge, I used the boards anyway. What a difference 4-6+  cubic inches makes with a brushstroke. All in all, the work has been successful if I may add, in my humble opinion.