Tobacco Storage

Tobacco Storage 

Oil on gessobord, 8x10"

Here is the third of three paintings done last week at Camp Nelson, in Kentucky. The wheat field I was overlooking was full of incredible color that changed with the light. The barn at the top of the hill is what drew my attention. It was a weathered grey, but in the light of the day, and against the brilliant wheat field color it was almost periwinkle. The sky was a similar color so the two blended together effortlessly.

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!!

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.

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...

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.

Black Mountain, oil on board, 14x11"

I returned yesterday from NC full of inspiration. As a landscape painter, I am always invigorated by change of scenery, large expansive spaces containing small intimate shapes.  I tried to capture the light that took over the area for a few moments. The fields were illuminated and shaded by the swift clouds which made for some nice patchwork.

Rose Island Tributary

"Rose Island Tributary", oil on board, 14x11"

I am very pleased with this painting. I had been working on another painting for two days, and it was slowly getting the best of me.  Still, I was trying to make it work. This morning I wiped it off, very discouraged. I came across this reference after looking through some photos from a couple months ago.  I took it at Charlestown State Park in Indiana, where you can access the old Rose Island summer getaway spot from the turn of last century. They are conducting a lot of archeological research currently, to establish where all the buildings stood. There are oral history speakers now, which are helping to bring the memories back to life. The painting is of one of a tributary that feeds the Ohio River east of Louisville. 

"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.

Michigan Dunes

Michigan Dunes, oil on gessobord, 12x12"

I tried to work on still life for about two hours yesterday, but it wasn't happening and they became swipers. I had found this photo a few weeks ago and saved it for another time, which ended up being yesterday and finished today. I need a vacay. Visions of beaches are seeping into my subconscious.

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 

Cypress

Cypress, oil on arches paper, 8x6"

A sunny day at last to go do a quick( it's coollddd) painting of the plethora of cypress to choose from.

#stradaeasel, day 4

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. 

Buffalo Trace State Park

"Buffalo Trace State Park"

This past weekend was supposed to be peak foliage weekend in my area. There was real beauty out there, to go along with warm air and blue skies. I drove to a State Park about 30 miles from Louisville in Indiana and ran my dog all around the lake taking photos. This is the first to come from that series of photos.

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. 

Quiet Lake

Quiet Lake, oil on gessobord, 12x12"

I did some quick sketches at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum a couple days ago. I had planned on staying for a few hours, but the heat and the bugs got the best of me.  I enjoyed the small amount of productivity I was able to accomplish in a short amount of time.  I used one of the sketches to produce this painting,  remembering the light  that was affected by the heat and humidity that day from memory.