On the Shore of the Lake

Canoe on the Point
Oil on panel, 12x9

After painting the canoe up close and personal for my first painting of the Augusta Shores paint out, I moved over to the top of the point to paint it from afar.  It was warming up, and after painting the first one in the sun, I decided to seek the shade of an evergreen now.  With time to spare, I had finished two paintings, turned them in early, and got to enjoy wine with friends at the fabulous Chili Supper at the clubhouse.  This is on of my favorite socials of the event, and a wonderful way to kick off 10 days of painting!  The lake was very still, allowing some fabulous reflections!  This painting is the 1220th painting in 1220 days.

Clinging to the Creek Bank

Clinging the the Creek Bank
Oil on panel, 14x11

This peaceful creek runs between the house and the barns on the Deppe Farm in Washington.  I had to climb down the bank, and set up on a rocky plateau that was pretty wet under foot.  Protected from the strong wind, it was actually hot and humid down in my “painting hole”!  A wonderful place to explore, the frogs kept me company as I worked.  One even entertained me by laying back on the water, kicking his leg, as he looked sideways at me!  He was large - and so were his many friends!  The color of this water was a bit of a challenge, as it changes from browns to golds.  It has been a while since I’ve painted a creek - and I was so glad to get this in!

on location :)

Painting from the Point

Painting from the Point
Oil on panel, 12x9

Since Teddy had an easel disability today - we stayed on the point for both paintings of the Augusta Shores event. Once the sun had appeared, I found a place under the deep shade of a red cedar to set up my easel.  As Teddy framed her first piece, I really got into the zone - completely forgetting that I was to turn in my first painting in only minutes!  The sky was changing so quickly, that I wanted to get all sky and water color blocked in while the formation was so fabulous!  Once done, we ran our paintings up to the Berg House - and rushed back to finish up this second.  I had first intended on paint the boat by the water, but Teddy’s umbrella demanded to be painted!  What a fun day - and only a couple of sprinkles in a day calling for rain!  Painting number 1206 in 1206 days.

Resting at the Lake

Resting at the Lake
Oil on panel, 14x11

on location

What a wonderful way to kick off the Augusta Plein Air Festival!  Arriving yesterday, I spied a fabulous wooden dory in Jim and Saundra’s garage!  This morning, Jim and I carried it down to hill to water’s edge - just so I could capture this painting of it!  The skies changed constantly - from dark and ominous to clear and bright - to little rainfalls which sent me under the evergreens!  It was so fun to start laying paint in such a beautiful setting, with ALL of the comforts of home!  Tomorrow will find me at Montelle Winery in the morning and Nobeleis Winery for the evening.  This week finds me consuming more wine than any other week of the year!  This painting makes 1205 in 1205 days.

Spring at Femme Osage

Spring at Femme Osage
Oil on panel, 14x11

The Femme Osage Creek is such a special place, steeped in timeless beauty!  It winds and twists all through the Augusta region, and I have painted it many times.  Today, I am capturing the beauty of the redbuds as their magenta blooms sparkle against the new leaves of spring.  Often times, these blossoms show up before the green of trees - but not this year! They seem to be “on time” while all other blooming trees were early!  It feels like coming home to paint the landscape in oils again, a wonderful warm up for the plein air days to come!  This painting makes 1195 in 1195 days.

Skies of Glory

Skies of Glory
Oil on masonite, 24x18
purchase here

Starting rather late in the day on this one, I did have a few hours of uninterrupted painting time.  After sifting through reference photos I have taken over the years, I kept returning to this sky.  I merged the sky with a different landscape, to bounce that wonderful color off the surface of the water.  I have used both brush and knife on this one - my old, worn out brushes since my new ones have not come in yet.  The connoisseurs hold up very well for the first 150 paintings, and then begin to show some wear.  But, in their defense, they have very slowly degraded - and I will keep them for all the rough, scrubby work.  That will leave my new ones for the finish work and places where I want sharp edges on the brush.  My favorite palette knife remains the pie shaped one - I use it 90% of the time I reach for a knife.  Since it is now dark, I will let this rest until tomorrow, checking it again in the natural light of day.  Are these blues too strong?.........maybe.........painting number 1125 in 1125 days.

Wooded Winter Creek

Wooded Winter Creek
Oil over acrylic on masonite, 7x5

Happy New Year's Eve!! The freezing rain followed by snow the other day, left a winter wonderland in it’s wake!  Early mornings found me painting the early morning color with just a touch of cad red light in the sky.  It has been a very long time since I have painted a landscape in acrylics, but today they were calling my name, wanting me to try the new portrait methods with the landscape.  The underpainting is completely unsketched, and limited palette color blocked in quickly, but I found myself longing for the buttery strokes of the oils to finish, especially in the water and the sky.  I just could not get what I wanted with the acrylics alone.  So this painting is oil over acrylic on masonite!  Love the depth that can be achieved when applying oils over the matte acrylics!  Painting number 1094 in 1094 days :)

Late December Snow

Late December Snow
Oil on masonite, 8x6
purchase here

Our warm, balmy December weather changed sharply today!  I was out to run errands early, and already the rain was icing on the roads - and sleet was pelting before I was able to get home!  As the first snow of the season - it is absolutely irresistible to the artist in me!  I pulled out my oils for this one, and the transition from acrylics to oils always feels slippery at first.  I realize that I REALLY need to clean my oil brushes!  In fact, I did so as soon as I was finished.  When I paint every day with them, I only clean out the oil once a month or so.  but when they are not used much for 2 months - they begin to stiffen up. Yikes!  Good as new now, who knows what I'll paint tomorrow!  Painting number 1091 in 1091 days :)

Reflections on the Portage

Reflections on the Portage
Oil on canvas panel, 10x8
purchase here

Waking early, I went down to the river bank to catch the morning light.  As I painted, a doe and her fawn walked along the opposite side of the river - never seeing me until I reached for a different brush.  Fish jumped in the river every so often, and a weasel walked along my side of the river - just below me.  He jumped in for a swim, popping up onto rocks and back in again.  It is the first time I've seen a weasel while plein air painting!  Peace fills the air in this place, and painting is the perfect repose.  Painting number 951 in 951 days.

Snow at Water's Edge

Snow at Water's Edge
Oil on canvas panel, 7x5
bid here

Using a looser, more impressionistic stroke with brush and knife today, I am also pushing the color to the blue and violet.  I am again negatively painting the trees, and then going in with the actual tree color.  For the last week or so, I have not been using primed, pre-tinted panels.  I miss the toned surface,  but since I don't use turps or any solvents, I can't use the paint thinned down to do it.  Safflower oil in a wash simply makes the paint too thin, and I then can't get the full body and thickness of later strokes that I prefer.  This painting makes 750 paintings in 750 days, Day 19 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge.

Marceline First Nat'l Bank

Marceline First Nat'l Bank
Oil on panel, 8x10
OPA Paint-Out - Purchase Information

This little bank building in the corner instantly grabbed my attention as I walked down Kansas Avenue.  After scouting all the way down to the park and back, I set up across the street in the shade.  With only 45 minutes until turn-in, I had this brush painted, but had to go in afterwards and do the knife work.  I started late, as I was participating in the Wine Stroll and visiting.  Everyone in this town is so friendly!  There was a wonderful reception afterwards for the artists - so appreciated after a full 8:00am to 7:00pm painting day!  When I later talked to my parents to tell them where I had been painting, my dad had a story for me about this very bank.  He and Grandma Slaughter had gone to the train station to sell a bunch of pigs when he was four years old.  Grandma was payed in silver dollars - and she couldn't carry all of them in her apron.  So, my dad had to carry his own load of silver dollars, holding up the bottom of his shirt to contain them!  He and Grandma walked all the way down Kansas Avenue to this little bank to deposit them!  Isn't this a marvelous story and isn't it something that I felt led to paint this very spot instead of all the other shops in town?  It was certainly fun to walk the streets where my grandparents, great-grandparents, and great aunts and uncles had so many years ago, and really rewarding to paint a few of the local icons.  This little town of 2400 people is also the birthplace of Walt Disney, and this street is called "Main Street, USA".  So nice when these little slices of Americana are preserved for future generations.  This painting makes 617 in as many days and Day 8 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge.

Spring at Femme Osage Creek

Spring at Femme Osage Creek
Oil on panel, 14x11
Augusta Plein Air Festival

On location

There were two Private Estate Paints this year, and the artists could only sign up for one - which gave us a free painting day on Tuesday.  The Shipley's graciously invited us back this year to their home to paint.  Six of us showed up - each choosing our favorite location along the creek to paint.  Last year, we had summer color in the landscape for this event.  This year - spring is bursting out all over, complete with redbuds and dogwood!  During our paint-out, Dan walked down to each artist, offering us banana bread, cupcakes, brownies and cookies - SO thoughtful!  This place is simply full of gracious hospitality!  Is it any wonder I keep returning year after year?  The serenity of painting along the creek, with the water babbling beside me is so relaxing.  I could paint all day next to the sound of the water.  This painting makes 485 paintings in 485 days.  Tomorrow is another sunrise paint - this time at Frisella's Nursery :)

Autumn at the Little Pond

Autumn at the Little Pond
oil on canvas panel, 7x5

I had so much trouble deciding what to paint today!  I need to be working on winter paintings for my Christmas cards, also on smaller works for an upcoming show, and I spent too much time pouring over reference photos!  When I finally decided on a composition in a square format, I realized I had not yet primed the square panels!  In desperation, I had resorted to some ready made canvas panels and had primed about a dozen of them yesterday.  Just not the size I wanted!  So, there was nothing for me to do but choose another subject to fit on what I had.  I hope to get the other 15 or so panels primed today, as I need more 6x6 sizes to choose from for the Randy Higbee Show.  I do like the pop of the colors on this one, and I primed this last batch in pumpkin orange!  So, that color sneaks through here and there!  I am feeling so creative lately, it has been hard to focus on just one thing at a time!  Painting number 311 in as many days.  Maybe I'll get to that square painting tomorrow.....

Misty Missouri Morning

Misty Missouri Morning
Oil on panel, 20x16

A beautiful sky reflecting over water is one of my favorite landscapes to paint.  This place is tranquil and the water is barely moving, showing just a little movement near the bank.  Our low rainfall over the last year has the water level down, which reveals the interesting way the bank has been cut into over time.  I have been drawn to peaceful subjects these last few days, as my real life kicks into overdrive.  Perhaps that is my own kind of art therapy, preparing me for the weeks ahead! This painting makes 87 paintings in 87 days, and now I must get to work on Easter dinner!  Happy Easter to all!