Rainy Day Barns

Starting my morning out with a leisurely cup of hot tea, I noticed how foggy the pasture was becoming.  Rain was not expected until after noon, so said the local meteorologist.  Pulling up radar on my phone, I could clearly see a large area of rain not far from me!  Jumping into action, I first donned running gear for an outdoor run with my trusty companion, cooling down with my quick paint in the field.  The run invigorates me - and really warms me up for the painting time to come in the cold and wet.  Worked like a charm, but the rain was already beginning by the time I started.  Well, I was plenty warm, so I forged ahead knowing I would have to stop if my panel got wet.  When in the rain, I tilt it downward, which keeps the water off until I can get that surface covered with paint.  Once covered, the oils paints repel the rain.  Uncovered, the rain repels the oils, and I'd have to give up or start with a dry panel.  The rain steadily increased, but I had plenty of time to get my painting finished before calling it quits.  Two rain paints this week - and I loved it!  Love capturing the mood of the day while standing in the midst of it - THIS is plein air!  Painting number 1863 in 1863 days.  Now for some hot tea, a warm blanket and watching the Olympics!

Misty Autumn Day

I always have an easel or two, and sketch supplies in the car, just in case I stumble upon something irresistible.  The fabulous fall color stopped me in my tracks, and I just HAD to paint it!  The red and yellow, surrounded with greens, had the perfect misty, drizzly weather to show off that saturated color!  This kind of day is simply made for capturing those warm autumn hues.  With a tiny painting window, I did not lay my darks in with acrylic.  Instead, I fell into my normal groove of laying in masses of color, blending edges together once the panel is covered.  I've also started softening edges with a large fluffy bristle brush which I keep in my others pochades.  This is a relatively new step for me, and I haven't yet added one to this tiny box. I'll have to find one in a smaller scale, and chop most of the handle off!  It is only a 5x7 pochade, after all! Painting number 1757 in 1757 days.

Barn in the Mist

The fog was still heavy when I left the gym.  YAY!  What should I paint?  The weathered red of the barn vibrates so well against the cool grays - I headed straight home to the milk barn.  I first brushed in the lines of the barn, then started filling in masses.  I used my newish 8x10 Guerilla Painter Cigar Box this morning.  I've only used it a couple of times - and there are a few things I should have packed!  I didn't have safflower oil on board (no washing brushes), nor did I have a palette knife (!) or a rubber scraper (which I sign my name with)!  I made due, but I will be remedying this situation pronto!  I like everything streamlined, ready for me to grab and paint!   Painting number 1507 in 1507 days.

Foggy Winter Morning

With more fog expected this morning, I rose early.  With every intention to finish this painting before pilates, I rushed to get outside.  Once painting, I relished the opportunity to paint such a thick, juicy atmosphere!  I knocked this one out quickly, but I was still late to pilates!   I made up for it with extra laps on the track...... painting number 1470 in 1470 days!   I hope this fog continues!

Oil on panel, 7x5
Purchase here

Winding in the Mist

With the rain moving in and out again, we've had several soakings in the last few days.  I love the misty, moody atmosphere for painting!  Colors appear more vibrant, and ask is fresh and clean from the rain.  I have the tiniest painting window this afternoon, so I am choosing my panel accordingly - 5x7.  No time for a sketch, just some fast, quick strokes to get the job done, before I go pick up Tiffany's glasses and then the boys!  This is 1337 paintings in 1337 days :)

Winding in the Mist
Oil on panel, 5x7

Misty Meadow

With a little time to myself, I jump right into a dreamy landscape in the back pasture. I was thinking of heading out to a local stream, but was foiled when Mike wanted to take my car to pick up the boys for a little shopping expedition.  With such a misty day - the meadow was ideal, the colors rich and atmosphere heavy.  I have painted this whole piece with two small flats that came in "myartscape" brush set.  They are keeping their form nicely.  This moody painting is the 1312th in 1312 days......or is it 1311?  I forgot to check, and am relying on my memory now - yikes!

Misty Meadow
Oil on panel, 6x6
purchase here

Gentle Reflections

Gentle Reflections
Oil on masonite, 10x8
purchase here

Another day packed with activity - sunrise to sunset!  Michaela has headed back to college, and the rest of the family has left.  So, as I come to my easel tonight, I am longing for peace and solitude - and my painting reflects that mood.  Not feeling like pushing the color, I am instead letting the soft colors of this misty, drizzly day reign.  I have used the brush completely, not even picking up the palette knife.  Now that my art fix is finished, it is time to unwind, and let the business of the day roll off me like rain. This is painting number 8 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge, and 981 in 981 days for me :)

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!

Old Redbud by the Barn

Old Redbud by the Barn
Oil on canvas, 7x5

This was such a misty overcast morning, with a dark front moving in.  The moody feel of the morning crept into this painting, as I capture a redbud that is not in real life blooming!  Ah, to be an artist - I can simply paint things as I want them to be!  Who needs to tie themselves down to reality?  I am really feeling this misty, moody landscape.  I may just paint this much larger and hang it in my living room!  I have 20 panels primed and drying, and must next move on to getting my frames wired.  This makes painting number 464 in as many days :)

Song of Spring

Song of Spring
Oil on panel, 12x6

As a misty drizzle coats our streets, quickly turning to ice, I am toasty inside and painting the view from my window.  The cool, violet skies drew my attention, but the harsh dormant colors of winter really didn't.  Not today.  Using my artistic license, I simply painted the gardens coming into their spring glory - instead of their winter sleep!  The honeysuckle on the fence remains deep green in the winter, and the "dog path" is a little wider here than in reality, but all the new spring growth is completely from memory.  This is a plein air painting - in the warmth of my home and with all the extras I felt like painting today!  Who needs to stick with reality all the time, anyway?  This is painting number 396 in 396 days :)

Misty Autumn Morning

Misty Autumn Morning

The rain is headed our way, and a chill is in the air.  Today I am capturing the changing leaves as they cling to the trees - before the rain blows them to the ground.  The fall colors are reflected in the water, lending a very peaceful, tranquil mood to the landscape.  If only I could linger in this quiet place.  But, once again, I have a busy night ahead, so will need to make this quick.  This is painting number 302 in as many days, now I'm off to pick up Michael from school and get him a sports physical for basketball :)

Rebirth and Renewal

Rebirth and Renewal
Oil on panel, 12x9

This beautiful little church is in the heart of Augusta, and I have wanted to paint it for years!  We found a good covered porch with this view - and started laying paint on panel.  It was raining steadily as I worked.  Once I had all the masses in, the clouds opened up to shed a few rays of light right through the middle of my scene!  I brushed them in quickly - before they disappeared.  Everything has been washed so clean by the heavy rains - the spring colors are simply bursting forth!  This one makes the 110th painting in as many days, and I have another sunrise paint in the morning :)

Redbud Rhapsody

I had such a wonderful time painting in Augusta Shores today!  This little piece of heaven is just outside of the front door in my Augusta home at the Curry's.  Sheltered from the rain by the overhang, I painted this view as my first painting of the day.  The redbuds are just starting to show their color - and I have been wanting to paint them for a whole year now!  It has been years since we have caught the redbud bloom in Augusta.  The residents host a WONDERFUL chili supper at the end of the day to celebrate the occasion - with many desserts to top it off!  It is always a premier event in the Augusta Plein Air Event - and SO wonderful to see so many artist friends and catch up!  It feels just like a family reunion!  Of all plein air events - this is my very favorite - the community welcomes the artists with open arms, and the friends we have met through the years are here to cheer us on!  So amazing, I could paint all day and all night in such a setting as this!  This is painting number 105 in 105 days - I know, it just sounds crazy town to me, too!  I just don't know how I've been able to get it done.  It will be EASY these next 8 days :)

Redbud Rhapsody
Oil on panel, 12x16
Augusta Shores Paint-Out

Whispering Spring

Whispering Spring
Oil over acrylic on panel
On display at the Executive offices of Blue Cross Blue Shield

With my son's wedding quickly approaching, I had worked a couple of paintings ahead in the event I could not get to the easel.  Good thing I did!  I painted this from photos I had taken at the Maggie Marsh up in Ohio near Lake Erie.  Years ago, it was very well maintained, almost manicured.  I remember the park full of people enjoying the wildlife refuge, beach and walking trails.   As so many places, they have lost funding with the economy downturn.  Now, this place has almost returned to it's natural state.  Still lovely, but lonely and remote. Long beaches now inhabited only with seagulls and outbuiidings no longer used. Painting number 90 in 90 days :)

Autumn Color in the Quarry

Ruckus Ridge
oil over acrylic on panel, 12x9

The misty sky was a good backdrop for the changing leaves in Augusta.  The locals call this "Ruckus Ridge" - a place where people like to hike up the ridge and gather around a campfire.  I under-painted this one in acrylic, and layered the oils over this foundation.  The palette knife was my last tool, building up texture on the rocks and foliage.  There are rumors that a cougar has been spotted here - so each rustling of the brush behind me pushed me to work a little faster.  It is so fun to experiment surrounded by such beauty!

Misty Morn in Autumn

Misty Morn in Autumn - 11x14, oil on panel
sold

I love when the weather starts changing and autumn is in the air - especially after the super hot, dry summer we have had in Missouri!  Fog and mist were spreading like a blanket as I started this painting.  Easel and paints set up in Augusta shores, this plein air "path" was really a clearing through the woods for electrical wires.  With a little artistic license, the path unfolded before me.  The leaves were dropping beautifully - lining the woodland floor and leading me right down that path.  I pull out indian red and cad yellow deep at this time of the year - and I'm playing with the Gamblin grays, too.  I use a limited palette so much of the time - it is fun to try something new on a whim!  The turning of the leaves is such a brief and magical time - I sure hope they don't all turn and drop before I've painted my fill!

Autumn in the Air

I have mixed it up again with this fall plein air painting.  I started first with my sketch, then with my palette knife applied the texture for the tree and shrub foliage.  Once dry (again, holding it in front of my car heater on high), I worked a loose underpainting in acrylics.  I like my Golden acrylics the best, I love their high pigment content - and they have wonderful mediums to play with!  The acrylic dries very quickly, so I then started with the oils.  When I layer like this, I find the depth and atmosphere build up easily and naturally.  I painted on location at the top of Kill Deer in Augusta Shores - where the autumn color is amazing :)

Autumn in the Air
9x12 oil, acrylic & molding paste on panel

Through the Rose Arbor

When I look again at one of my plein air pieces, it is just as if I am transported back to the time and place in the painting.  I can smell the humid air, feel the breeze on my skin and the brushes in my hand.  I painted this one to replace a piece I sold at the Stems Plein Air Event of the rose garden at the Overland Park Arboretum.  I used my artistic license and changed the sweep of the path for better composition.  I also painted the beds a little wilder than the perfectly manicured flowers on site.  The day was hazy and the morning sun was just starting to warm up the scene, when I picked up my brushes.  The paints seemed to glide into place almost without thought.  I intended to underpaint in acrylics, going over with oils as I neared completion.  But, once to this point, I only topped off the flowers and foliage with oil.

Through the Rose Arbor
22x28  oil over acrylic on panel
Best Of Show Award - Tri-County Art Show

A Dream of Hydrangeas

Early one morning before a workshop, I set out to find just the right spot to paint at the Overland Park Arboretum (during the STEMS Plein Air Event).  As I approached the beautiful iris garden, these hydrangeas bloomed in profusion!  It has been such an early year for all the flowers, that these were out a month early.  It was misty and damp as I started blocking in the masses.  This time, I worked in acrylic, fully intending to top it off with oils.  The early morning sun cast a golden glow as it rose over the tree line.  I used a little soft gel medium to add texture to the petals, laying in the colors in a loose manner.  As I neared the finish, I stepped back, took a long look, and decided the oils just weren't needed.  The effect was misty and moody - and it was time to put the brushes down.  That is one of the hardest things to know - just when to stop.

A Dream of Hydrangeas
14x18 acrylic on panel
sold

Frisella Falls

I set up for this painting early one misty morning before sunrise.  Frisella Nursery is a wonderful place in Defiance, MO, full of garden scenes, statues, water features and foliage.  If you love gardening, this is the place for you.  It was hard to pick my spot with so many beautiful choices to paint!  The air was so crisp  - my fingers stiffened up around those brushes!  I had to take a break midway through just to go in and grab some hot tea and a wonderful yogurt parfait loaded with fresh fruit! Hands warm, back to work, and the paint just slid off the brush.  The early sun bathed the scene in a pink glow just long enough for me to get the color in.  Too soon the light was gone, and it was time to move on to another event.  I hope to return here someday and paint again.

Oil over acrylic on panel
sold