Noboleis Winery in Ink

sold

Today's paper is a deckled edge watercolor card by Strathmore, that I have drawn in fountain pen.  Once my vineyard landscape is as I want it, I come into some of those areas with a little water on a brush, to soften edges and get some of those gray tones.  I like having a card, ready for me to paint, but I miss the yummy texture and response of my favorite khadi papers.  It is always good to mix things up and explore untried supplies.  Who knows - the next thing I try may be the thing I can't live without!  Painting number 1684 in 1684. Yes, I've gotten my count mixed up, and will have to go back and edit the numbers.  How can one be expected to keep that straight with all I have on my plate?

Crops in the Field

I've been carving enough time out of each day to paint larger pieces, and this one is 16x20.  The light is so warm in the golden hours of summer, it is a joy to paint the landscape.  The rows of crops have a beauty all their own, much like the rows of lavender and the vineyards.  The rich color of summer abounds here, where the days have been comfortable and the rain plenty.  Everything is so lush during a time of year that is normally hot and dry!  A gift to the painter indeed!  Painting number 1680 in 1680 days.

oil on panel, 20x16
purchase here

Pond off Church Street

Sunday was the last day of the Harvest Festival, and the sale was at the Legion Hall on Church Street.  While the morning was still overcast, I set up on the hill to paint this beautiful scene.  I was not in the shade, so I needed to paint fast before the sun came out to roast me!  This is the painting that unfolded.   I have wanted to paint here for years, so glad I finally had the chance.   Painting number 1355 in 1355 days.

Heartland Haven

Heartland Haven
Oil on panel, 12x9

The farmland of the Washington countryside is a treasure to behold with it's rolling hills and plowed fields.  This painting was the second of the Deppe Farm Private Estate Paint, following one of my favorite paintings of their creek just west of the house.  Their gracious hospitality was followed by a wonderful meal from their own farm!  This painting is now showing at the Gallery of Defiance, and is my 1221st painting is 1221 days.

Mid-day at Montelle Winery

Mid-day at Montelle Winery
Oil on panel, 11x14

For the first time in all these years, we had a beautiful day for painting at Montelle!  In the past, I have braved through, hail, sleet, driving rain, freezing cold, gale force wind - and any combination of the above!  This year, temps were warm, winds were light, and it was a joy to paint on the sprawling deck of Montelle Winery.  This place is known for their fabulous view of the rolling hills - and I have painted it through the very tall trees.  Having painted the full scene before, the trees grabbed my attention, leaving the landscape as the backdrop.  Upon finishing, I enjoyed a wonderful glass of Seval!  Montelle Winery was so gracious to host a social afterward, they really do spoil us up here!  I think this is how life is meant to be lived every, single day.  Painting number 1209 in 1209 days.

Old Dirt Road

Old Dirt Road
Oil on masonite, 9x12
purchase here

I love coming over the top of a hill to see this magnificent view spreading out before me!  And to think, we almost didn't drive down this because it was a dirt road!  Taking 200n east off of Burnt Prairie blacktop, we parked on the side of the road to unload our gear.  I set my easel up in the middle of this road, and was able to get my whole sketch and half a block in done before the first truck came barreling down the road!  I moved back out after he had passed, only to have to shift again.  By that time, I had enough done to finish a bit closer to the ditch, setting up our new bright orange cones - a gift from the planners of this event!  With so much depth in this painting, I was more careful in the application of paint, letting each layer build before moving to the next.  I have wanted to paint a road for a long time, but really didn't want to capture asphalt.....so this wonderful dirt road was the perfect solution!  What sheer joy it has been to paint in perfect weather, and to find such captivating subject matter!  And the icing on the cake?  I won a fabulous $150 gift certificate in the door prize drawing tonight!  COuld life be any sweeter?  This painting makes 1010 in 1010 days :)

Cloud Dance

Cloud Dance
Oil on wood panel, 4x6
sold

This day started with one of Michael's baseball tournament games, followed by various other errands, and it has taken me all day to get to my easel.  Once there, this beautiful skyscape greeted me from the balcony, and the rain was quickly headed my way. With thunder in the distance, I painted quickly.  Using first my brush and finishing with my knife - this was executed in possibly 30 minutes.  The values are key, when they are right - all else falls together.  The clouds were moving very fast - in fact, the rain moved in before I could even take a photo with the dramatic cloud show in the background.  Painting number 896 in 896 days :)

on location

Fields of Plenty

Fields of Plenty
Oil on wood panel, 14x11
Kessler Farm, Augusta, Missouri
Augusta Plein Air Art Festival - sold

The special theme paint for the week was "Cream of the Crop".  I wanted to paint cows - and had been looking for them as we drove back and forth to other events.  A conversation on the night of the Balducci paint led us to the Kessler farm just hours before the turn in deadline.  A bit of scouting uncovered this amazing scene - off of the beaten path.  Tucked in beside the fence, I started this complicated composition with only and hour and 15 minutes to complete.  One by one, these beautiful cows came up and greeted me.  I kept stopping my brushwork to take their photos!  I will be able to turn SO many of them into fabulous paintings!  I did not make the deadline with this one, but was worth taking the extra time to finish.  Landscapes like this are priceless.  Painting number 857 in 857 days.

Winter Snow

Winter Snow
Watercolor on 100% rag paper, 7x5
bid here

This painting is only 7 inches by 5 inches in size.  As I sketched this one out, I strived to capture a lot of information on the small space.  I first used drawing gum as a resist, then came in with most of the color after that was dry.  I did go back in with a second layer to increase the contrast as the watercolors lightened on drying.  After removing the resist, the whites were so stark that I took some soft plum shades to them, warming them up and softening the edges. What shall I work on tomorrow?  Hmmmmm.  This painting makes 740 in 740 days, and Day 9 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge.

Light in the Valley

Light in the Valley
Acrylic on panel, 20x16
purchase here

This has been a non-stop day since my feet hit the floor at 5:30 this morning.  Kinesis class, errands, Christmas shopping, picking up my grandson to watch for awhile, baking bread and dessert for a party tonight, wrapping gifts for tonight, writing all the Christmas cards for tonight's friends, two basketball games and I finished off with our sorority party.  After all that, I am so thankful that I have a couple of paintings in reserve!  I am only ahead by two, so I will need to get busy and work ahead for this crazy holiday season!  This painting makes 702 in 702 days - and oh - how my bed is calling me!

September at Balducci's

September at Balducci's
Oil on panel, 16x12
Sunset Paint - Winemaker's Social at Balducci's Winery
purchase here

On location as the sun goes down

I set up on top of the hill west of Balducci's iconic barn with two other artists.  Honored to by asked to paint for this amazing event, the Wine Maker's Social is a crowning jewel of the Augusta Harvest Festival.  The evening was warm, with almost no breeze - and the landscape was lush!  I have painted the sunset here each spring for the last 9 years, but this is the first time in the fall.  The rolling hills were brimming with crops and the trees were so rich in color!  I had to work very quickly, as I painted a large size - and had limited time.  This painting simply fell off the brush.  Perhaps it was the glass of wine as I worked that relaxed my thoughts and allowed the paint to work it's magic while I watched.  The sun sets quickly, and it was very dark before I packed up my easel for the day!   This painting is 631 in 631 days and Day 21 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge.

Rambling Redbud

Rambling Redbud
Oil on panel, 14x11

On location

This is the first day of the Augusta Plein Air Festival - and our paint out today is one of my annual favorites at Augusta Shores!  This glorious redbud is located just up the street from where I stay - overlooking Hickory Lake.  The weather was the best ever in the history of this location - and I made full use of it.  Finishing two paintings before the driving rain made it into town, the artists were treated to cheese and wine before the amazing chili supper.  Is it any wonder this event has grown to 130 artists this year?  It is just like a family reunion to come back here and see so many friends!  I probably could have completed a third painting if I hadn't visited so much!  The best part about this day is that I felt like I had all the time in the world to paint!  My painting windows are SO small in my normal, everyday life, that when I am given from dawn until 5:00 to paint - I hardly know what to do with myself!  I will bask in the glory of all the time tonight, because tomorrow will be a different story!  I have 3 painting windows tomorrow - and the first two overlap!  I must get up at 3:40am to leave by 4:40am to arrive at Mount Pleasant Winery by 5:00am - I will be painting the sunrise with a few artist friends while Channel 2 News in St. Louis films the process!  So exciting!  This painting makes 478 in as many days - I had better get some rest!

Misty Afternoon

Misty Afternoon
Oil on canvas, 7x5

I simply adore a rainy day!  It is my favorite kind of day for being artistic!  With sounds of thunder rumbling and dark clouds moving in, I feel in my bones it is time to paint - or draw!  Drawing is normally my "dark day" outlet, where the good lighting is not so important to color, but not today.  Today, I want to capture this marvelous spring atmosphere with my oils.  Using a small panel, as once again I have limited time, this creek embodies the mood of this rainy April day.  Painting number 475 in 475 days....now off to run my errands!

April Sunset

April Sunset
Oil on panel, 6x6

Happy Easter to you all!  We have had a day filled with family fun and egg hunting!  The grandsons had a great time finding all the eggs!  So, coming to my easel late once again, I am painting small - and working on one of our glorious Missouri sunsets!  I find sunsets and sunrises challenging - sometimes, the colors are so vivid - they seem unreal!  And, the colors change so quickly, that by the time I've blocked it all in - they have already faded and the sun disappears at the horizon!  This one was painted almost entirely with one brush - and I didn't think to use my palette knife, although it would have made for some depth at the edges of the clouds.  This is painting 474 in as many days......I wonder what I'll paint tomorrow.....

Morning in the Vineyard

Morning in the Vineyard
Oil on canvas, 7x5

As I prime my panels, and prepare my frames for the upcoming plein air events, I am thinking back to those early mornings in the Augusta vineyards.  Arriving while still dark, and setting up my easel with an eye to the eastern horizon, I can almost smell the heady damp ground underfoot.  So much of the experience of actually standing in that spot seeps into the painting in front of me.  The smells, the feel of the wind in my hair and the softness of the spring soil all pour forth into such a painting.  Longing for the freedom of painting once again with abandon, this one makes 463 in as many days :)

Rainy Day at Augusta Shores

Rainy Day at Augusta Shores
Oil on panel, 9x12

After a stormy night, the hard rain held off until Teddy and I had just packed up our gear and loaded the car.  We couldn't have timed it any better!  For the last half of my painting, it was lightly raining.  I pulled out my red raincoat (always in my trunk), and tried to cover the flat parts of my easel with plastic.  Rain drops stuck to my painting and filled my palette as I worked.  By the end of this, I was literally moving the water aside with my paint brush full of oil paint.  Oil and water really do not mix.  I was fortunate to have had most of my panel covered with paint before the rain increased.  Those few little areas left unpainted resisted those oils relentlessly!  I see a few things I will probably touch up, but for now, this one rests - and off to the next location we go!  Painting number 260 in 260 days, and Day 20 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Day painting challenge.

Montelle Magic

Montelle Magic
Oil on panel, 16x12
Montelle Winery Paint Out

After 8 years of participating in the Augusta Plein Air Festival, we finally had beautiful weather for the Montelle Winery Paint Out!  We have endured, heavy rain, storms, hail, freezing cold temps through the years, but now, I have been able to paint from the terrace overlooking the amazing hills of Augusta.  The landscape is breathtaking - simply meant for paint and panel.  This one is my 114th painting in 114 days.  I am so tired from all the festivities - I may just sleep clear through tomorrow!

Morning Glow

Morning Glow
Oil over acrylic on panel
On display at the Executive Offices of Blue Cross Blue Shield

This secluded Augusta cabin was my painting "home" for 4 days on my very first plein air adventure.  A fellow artist, Julie Wiegand offered me a place to stay when she found out I was returning after a quick trip home for 2 days.  It seemed like I drove for miles before reaching this picturesque cabin!  It was a perfect artist retreat!  Julie was a gracious host - inviting over fellow artists, and friends, in the evening.   I will always remember the friendships forged in that little slice of heaven.  It was only the beginning of so many more painting adventures!  This one is mainly acrylic with only a glazing in oils over the top.  Painting number 88 in 88 days - now back to work on a large piece!

Jesse James Farm

Jesse James Farm
Oil on panel, 14x11

On Location

The Missouri Valley Impressionist's paint out for today was at the historic birthplace of Jesse James.  It was beautiful, so warm for a February day - 57 degrees when I packed up!  This is my first paint of the day - my second of the creek is only blocked in.  I stopped a little early to take the house tour!  I picked the distant view because I loved the lay of the land, and how the hills swept toward the house.  Can't you just imagine Jesse riding his horse along this trail to his house?  I'll try to finish the creek painting in a bit, and post it tomorrow.  This is my 45th painting in a row :)