Yarrow Blooms

Yarrow Blooms, oil on gessobord, 6x6
sold

I usually don't post on Saturdays; it's my catch-up day.  But I'm still basking in the afterglow that was my introduction into painting en plein air.  This was the second painting I finished that afternoon. I set it up on my kitchen ledge where I photograph my pieces for this blog and I have left it there to study, along with the painting I posted yesterday. They work very well together. If I had a glass of champaign I would make a toast to the handsome couple!

Speaking of handsome couples, I forgot to mention one of the nicest coincidences from that afternoon was that my good friend Lynn and her husband Denny drove by after a morning of hiking and stop to chat. It was nice to have a break and enjoy their company!

Road through the Woods

 Road through the Woods, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Yesterday I attempted to paint en plein air.  I have a tabletop easel but no field easel so I found a spot in my favorite nature preserve, Bernheim Forest, on a picnic table.  This worked out well except for the fact that 15 minutes after my work began the sun moved, and I was blasted all afternoon. No biggie.  Next time I will remember an umbrella.  I enjoyed working outside tremendously and hope to do it again soon, as the weather has been perfecto!  I worked on this painting for about an hour on location, feeling like it was complete but did a little reworking once home.  I haven't attempted many nature scenes until yesterday and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the rhythmic serenade of cicadas and the accompaniment of dropping acorns while I worked. Heres a picture of my setup before I began :-)

Vignoble de Ribeauvillé

Vignoble de Ribeauvillé, oil on gessobord, 6x8 inches

I fall into a hypnotic state when I stare at a vineyard. I wonder who's  systematic approach was used years ago (sometimes over one hundred) when planning and planting the fields. How did they get everything so symmetrical? Symmetry is a tricky thing to paint because you have to do the scene justice for those planners of yore.  I painted this scene from Ribeauvillé , France at the end of August and sat on it for a while.  After I received a new paint order which included a  vibrant pre-mixed green, I used it to accent the fields. Only then did I finally feel like it honored the integrity of the actual landscape.

Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Do you ever drive the same route for years and years and one day see something you've never noticed before? This spot is on my regular drive to and from work.  Honestly, I've never seen it before last week, as many times as I have driven, cycled, ran or walked past it over the years.  My neighborhood is full of these 1920s structures. Despite my attention to detail I missed this one.  This little garage sits way way back, behind a bigger garage (out of the frame to the left).  The bush in front must have bloomed it's lovely yellows at the perfect time catching my attention, and I spotted this cute old guy.  He's standing alone, letting the spotlight shine elsewhere, minding his own business...just my type! :-)

L'hotel Francais

L'hotel Francais, oil on gessobord,6x8"

This is painted from another photo from my sister.  It was a simple little courtyard patio set, aside an ancient stone building with a terra cotta tiled roof.  I can hear the birds, feel the speckled sunlight, and taste the wine now!

My work schedule seems to be getting in the way of painting.  When I returned to teaching this school year, I tried in vain to find a way to make room in my crowded day for painting.  So far I'm not doing as well as I hoped and mostly because of fatigue.  I have to be able to focus while I paint and a lot of days that is not happening.  I have the weekends, and that I am grateful but right now I wish I had more time to devote. I guess it's always something! 

Urban Expression

Urban Expression, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches

When I was a young painter, fresh out of college, I loved scouring the older sections of my city, especially the alleyways and blocks of abandoned, turn-of-the-century brick structures.  I would take black and white photos, develop them with boosted contrast, to emphasize the grittiness of some areas of Louisville 30 years ago.  From there, I created a series of drawings and paintings that, for lack of a better comparison, assimilated the German Expressionist's printmaking styles.  I have retained that interest in urban industrial decay scenes, and often find myself staring down alleyways, framing up a photo/drawing/painting in my head.  This little scene was just that. 

Ribeauville

Ribeauville, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches

This is painted from another borrowed photo from my sister's pre-move, farewell tour of France.  It is from Ribeauville, a small,colorful town in the heart of the Alsatian region of northeast France.   I was lucky enough to visit Ribeauville seven years ago and enjoyed the quaint shops and vin d'Alsace.  The palette for this quaint street scene was a bit foreign to me but I truly enjoyed it.