Autumn Hay Bales

The reds of autumn are really popping here on the farm, and I am delighted to capture the beauty in oil!  This may be the first time that our last cutting of hay has coincided with peak autumn color!  Though I'm painting small plein air pieces each day on our property, I intend to paint them larger when I've got more time!  LOVE painting the beautiful autumn color in this pastoral setting I love so much!  Painting number 3956 in 3956 days. 

Farmhouse Lane

 

I love getting to paint wonderful family farms across Missouri - and Kick'N K farm is a beauty!  As I arrived, this rambling lane led me to my first painting of the day, but I could not get the view out of my mind.  So, as I was heading out to check out the Meramec River view, i just HAD to stop and paint this first!  I'm happy this painting has a new home with the family, too!  Painting number 3821 in 3821 days. 

Brakensiek Farm

I love painting these old family farms of Missouri, and this rambling one outside of New Melle is a jewel.  Overcast with rain threatening, the day was a perfect backdrop for this spring landscape. As I worked, a gator full of girls came by with an ice cold drink to share!  What wonderful hospitality!  I do love plein air painting in the Augusta Plein Air event!  I'm so happy this painting found a new home, too!  Painting number 3772 in 3772 days. 

Holton Family Farm

It was such a lovely day to paint the Holten Family Farm.  This place reminded me of my Great Uncle Richard's farm, with many outbuildings and livestock.  The chickens would enter the yard fun the left, and the big, sweet dog at my feet would jump up to herd them back!  I painted them in loosely while they dotted the yard.  Just feet from me, baby calves had their own housing, so very curious about what I was doing!  The closest one jumped every time he heard a distance tractor start up, and pulled on his tether in an effort to reach me.  I remember hand feeding the calveson my uncle's farm with giant plastic baby bottles.  It was the coolest thing! I really love soaking in the essence of the place as I paint.  There's nothing like baby calves, chickens and a big sweet dog for painting companions!  Painting number 4228 in 4228 days. 

Milk Barn Forsythia

 I planted this gorgeous forsythia many years ago, moving starts from the patent plant all over the property.  Now it is full and glorious, and perfect for painting each spring!  I will soon be painting Augusta, so I just had to get this painted before leaving town - those sunny yellow blooms will not be there when I return.  Painting number 3395 in 3395 days. 

Yellow Barn Path

Oh that sun is melting the snow faster than I can paint it!  The roof snow was already dripping away when I started painting, and the foliage slid off it's garmets of white.  Our winter wonderlands here in Missouri never last long. When I stayed the winter months in Northern Ohio, the snow and ice jams lasted for weeks.  I even remember still painting ice on the bottom land at the end of March!  I'm painting snow while I can and will soon be painting in 50 degree weather again!  My Richeson palette is well suited for cold days.  They don't tack up or thicken at all in these temps. Painting number 2930 in 2930 days. 

Snow at Milk Barn

gifted

Oh my!  Another gorgeous day of painting in the snow!  Grabbing another old painting to "recycle", this winter scene WAS a sunset vineyard!  Lol!  This milk barn is a favorite subject of mine in all seasons, but especially in the snow.  I'm so lucky this snow remains pristine, so often it warms too quickly, melting the beauty away.  I love the rustic lines, though I think I'll do a little repair on that corral fence in the spring.  I just realized that I did not post this yesterday, interrupted by a phone call. It doesn't take much to get me off track!  Painting number 2916 in 2916 days. 

Tractor and Rake

Haying season is a perfect opportunity for me to sketch the equipment in the field!  I'm normally so busy with plein air events that I sometimes miss these chances.  Not this year!  I am painting all things on the home place during this time of social distancing.  With ink and watercolor I capture this scene, one that has been happening for generations.  I love the continuity of that. Painting number 2740 in 2740 days.

Milk Barn Forsythia

Though I love my oils for this landscape, I thought I'd just try my ink and watercolors today for this favorite scene.  Of course, The ink is very natural as I sketch out the lines first.  As I add the watercolor, I like the amount of light that comes through those translucent colors.  That is the real benefit of watercolor.  I can allow as much light to shine through as I want.  Another benefit?  This media is so fast to execute - I can get right back to my chores without missing a beat!  Painting number  2649 in 2649 days.

Hay Bales in the Field

I can remember playing on hay bales on this farm, when I was little.  My kids played on them, too, jumping from one to another as they lined up like soldiers in the field.  The large round ones are my favorite, they have such a beautiful shape in the landscape.  For two days I have been admiring these, with no time to get them painted.  So, this morning I got up early to get them painted before I left for the gym.  Ink and watercolor for this quick study, and I hope to paint them in oils tomorrow!  Painting number 2394 in 2394 days.

Milk Barn in April

I haven't pulled this sketchbook out since last August, and picked it up today to see only a few pages left.  I had planned to paint in oils this afternoon, even had them out, but just couldn't pick up the brush.  So, I took this favorite book outside in the warm and glorious day, and captured this old barn with her spring trimmings of forsythia and new grass.  The old barns will be getting a facelift this year to prepare for alpacas, so next spring this may be a very different scene.  Painting number 2287 in 2287 days.

Windland Family Farm

What a beautiful farm to paint on this gorgeous morning!  The light was absolutely magical as I started laying paint.  Painting on a farm is a special treat, it takes me back to my childhood on the farms of Grandma Frank and Uncle Richard.  The rustle of the drying cornfield in the wind is like music in the air, a peaceful, calming place to spend the morning at my easel.  Plein air art tip of the day - Raid Yard Guard really does rid the painting area of mosquitoes!  I didn't see one bug when the whole county is full of them after that 10 inch rain!  Painting number 2084 in 2084 days.

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Windland Farm Inked

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What a gorgeous morning for painting!  First piece of artwork for the day was started after a serving of hot cereal with blueberries and honey, compliments of our gracious host for the morning!  The farm is nothing short of amazing, and oh how I wish I had more time here!  This painting has a new home, and is my 2082nd in 2082 days.

Of Barns and Forsythia

As I am posting this painting, there is a giant owl sitting high on a branch supervising my activity.  I am so still as I work, many different kinds of wildlife will come close.  I don't think they notice me until I back up to look at my painting!  It is growing dark on this rainy day, so I guess he's coming out for the night, and this girl is going in!  That wind was harsh today, but thank goodness the forsythia were not nipped!  I will paint these beauties as long as they last!  After all, I did plant them years ago for this very reason!  Painting number 1903 in 1903 days.

Sunset in February

The sky lit up orange and red as the sun approached the horizon, and I'd been waiting all day for this sunset!  There was not a cloud in the sky, but who needs them with this kind of color?  I used an orange primed panel, which allows me to start quickly with all the darks.  Speed is everything when capturing a sunset!  Once those darks are marked, I start with the actual sky colors.  What I start with is what I stay with, there is no chasing the light.  Before the light is completely gone, I look for all those subtle color shifts in the masses.  Often times, it is the little things that make all the difference.  Painting number 1868 in 1868 days.

Milk Barn Jounalled

Another beautiful sunset - and this time I'm capturing it in one of my favorite journals.  This rough, textured paper compares to 300 lb watercolor paper in the way it accepts the water and paint.  The pen skips a bit, hitting the high spots, but that is part of the charm of working with such tools.  Embrace the different and make it your own, you'll never be bored in your craft.  Painting number 1830 in 1830 days.

At Home in the Snow

What a gorgeous day for painting in the snow!  It felt like a heat wave (maybe 20 degrees) compared to the sub zero temps of yesterday!  The long blue violet shadows drew me to this spot, the yummy cool and warm tones playing in the snow.  I was not pressured by the cold at all today, so I could take my time to REALLY look at the colors.  This time of year is always about growth and expressing my feelings of a moment in time with paint.  Each stroke is truth, each passage a connection to the very place I stand.  To reach for that truth each day is a blessing indeed.  Painting number 1824 in 1824 days.

Republic Sunset

Gathering at my cousin Victor's farm for our Frank family Christmas, I had so much to choose from for my daily painting!  Good food, good conversation and the hours rolled by.  As the sun started to set, I could see this landscape from the dining room window.  I knew I had to paint and grabbed my tiny clipboard.  Within minutes I had finished this little slice of heaven. A small memory of a day well spent!  Painting number 1807 in 1807 days.

December Sunset

After a busy day climbing in and out of the attic, I rush downstairs to start dinner..... and see the glory unfolding on the western hill!  Too many times I see this kind of beauty, and simply can not stop to paint it.  Not this time!  I turn the water on to boil, and by the time it is at a full roll, I have captured the sunset!  I've gained speed in the last months, I was finished before all the light was gone - and the sun was already down when I started.  I did not even take the time to get my small pochade out of the car!  I held my panel instead, using two brushes to paint the whole thing.  I would have used one, but I didn't have my oil to wash my brush out!  I can't be picky with so little time!  I guess you would call this "roughing it " plein air style!  Painting number 1783 in 1783 days.

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Stone Pillar Vineyard

I've been wanting to visit this winery for a couple of months, and I finally got the chance!!  This place has been in the family for 150 years and has transformed from cattle farm to vineyard.  The vines are lush, with that wonderful late season color - perfect for painting!  I jump right to the paint today, because I had to.  I forgot my fountain pen!!  My kids scolded me for leaving it in the car all the time with my sketch supplies, and I did have one leaking from to much time in a hot car, so I took it inside.  And that is where it was when I reached for it for the drawing.  Shoot!  I also need to reload my business cards in all of my gear - I had only one to give away!  This painting unfolded naturally while I soaked in the beauty, enjoying a black cherry wine slush in perfect weather.  Days like these are meant to be savored, so I painted another one!  Painting number 1703 in 1703 days.

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