SUMMER FADES

Well, around here the end of summer is becoming a pond with so much rain.   I've been watching this pasture all summer, enjoying the cattle lost in the grass, so I made a point of painting it early one moring.   Enjoyed the balance of clarifying, but not saying too much with the brush.   It's become one of my favorites, and I will be taking it to the
MONTE SANO ART SHOW Saturday at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville. 
Hope you can come by for a visit, and we can enjoy the art show sans rain!
The White Calf - 11x14 oil on linen panel, framed in a great gold frame,  $450.  Click for paint texture ( or lack of texture)

September Morning, #2

Assisted by a lady... start of a plein

air painting of a barn in Limestone county

can you see the ladybug (middle top of the painting) who flew in to say hello? You might have to click on the image to get it to enlarge.







Barns have a visual "draw" that I can't explain - could it be red against green like Christmas???

Without the ladybug, this one is 6x12, oil on cradled panel. Click on the image to see the thick and thin paint.  I wonder why the doors are closed, and the side roof fell off.   The cows even avoid it!
Matthews barn, Limestone county, Alabama

September morning

This plein air piece was one of the lucky times when I knew immediately it just had to be painted.  The only question was - how much to include and what to leave out??   From where I stood I had a 360 degree view with each direction a fine choice for painting.    You can see I love trees - this grove had plenty of character and seemed to be a cornerstone of the farm.  Just getting to the farm was arduous - at least for my little PT Cruizer.  The road had been abandoned long ago.  I wish everybody could have a nice a day as I had.  What a lovely thing to be able to go out and paint a view like this...

Painted for the benefit Land Trust of Huntsville

Apologies for the blurry photo - you may be able to see texture by clicking on the photo

Hope you can come to the Monte Sano Art Show on Monte Sano Mountain, Huntsville Al   at Monte Sano State Park

Saturday only, Sept 19th

I'd love to visit with you...

3 A DAY

pastel on Canson paper, about 12x15

12 artists are lucky to be taking a workshop with Margaret Dyer
http://www.margaretdyer.com/ painting in pastel with a model for 3 days. Pastel is new to me, and I'm thrilled to give it a try under this master artist and wonderful models. I'm calling these studies and showing you the ok and the not so ok.
pastel on Canson paper, about 12x17 This one falls in the not so ok category

pastel on Canson paper about 12x16

I wish I had permission from the model to show photos of the live pose. I was just trying to do do justice to the teaching and the great poses from the model. Margaret is explaining firmly that the darks are needed first, saving the light shapes - emphasizing that almost any color will do as long as it fits in the value scheme. That's enough to distill, along with trying to find the technique to convey what we see in front of us. I'm also tickled to get 3 paintings (sketches) done in a day. Even as an oil painter, I can recommend Margaret Dyer as a super teacher - pushing students and encouraging at the same time.

FAST CURVES

Fast Curves 9x12, oil on linen panel
I had a delightful time this week with a painting class- they inspire me and keep me laughing- and they're wonderful oil painters. This is a scene they requested as a demonstration. The photo had good lights and darks, but the pattern wasn't totally clear. I paid attention to something to help the composition and an x or v pattern emerged. Then I laid in the thin darks and slowly built it up shape by shape and color by color - which turned out to be simple neutrals. I say slowly, but it only took about an hour. That acid green fools the eye into thinking there is more color that is actually there. Looking at forest streams is like being at the ocean - the motion and sound lull me into peaceful thoughts....
$350 unframed, click on the image to see the texture