Farmer's Flowers - Show Tip #21

Farmer's Flowers, 24 x 30, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2016

Sold in Solo Show, "Chasing Color, Finding Light", Davis Gallery

In this painting, I revisited a favorite plein air day from last year at Boggy Creek Farm. This local, natural farm is always welcoming to artists and is a fabulous place to paint. They also have a beautiful farm stand with all organic, delicious vegetables. The day I was there, these rows of zinnias were ready for picking, and painting! I loved the scene, especially with the little yellow house at the end of the row. 

Show Tip #21 - Frame Incrementally
I am a painter who pretty much frames everything. I do it all myself and it's a big job. Here again, I recommend tackling this in small batches. When I try to frame a lot of pieces at once, I inevitably hurt my wrist or tweak my shoulder because it requires repetitive movements and muscles I don't use every day. To avoid that pain and the subsequent weeks of recovery, I try to space the task out (it's a great weekend job). This works well with my other systems... after the paintings dry and are varnished they land in the framing queue. With the show just 23 days away, it feels very good to see my "framed and finished" pile growing! :)

Here are links to other Show Tips:

Tip #1 - Stock up on Supplies
Tip #2 - Set up Deadlines
Tip #3 - Determine Subject Matter

Tip #4 - Work in Series

Tip #5 - Establish a Schedule

Tip #6 - Be Kind to YOU

Tip #7 - Follow your Heart

Tip #8 - Stay Flexible

Tip #9 - Whistle While You Work

Tip #10 - Fight Through Fears

Tip #11 - Take Notes

Tip #12 - Know when to Quit

Tip #13 - Stay Updated

Tip #14 - Balance Effort and Ease

Tip #15 - Assign Tasks

Tip #16 - Step Back

Tip #17 - Sign As You Go

Tip #18 - Take Your Best Shot

Tip #19 - Celebrate Growth

Tip #20 - Varnishing Day(s)

Painters - join me at this Plein Air Workshop:

April 28-30, Anderson Fine Art Gallery, St. Simons Island, GA

Contact Info: Mary Anderson, 912-634-8414

Fall Pasture - 3rd Place Winner at Kerrville Outdoor Painting Event!

Fall Pasture, 9 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2014

3rd Place Winner!!

Available at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, Kerrville, TX

This past weekend, over 40 artists convened to paint for three days in the Texas hill country at the Kerrville Outdoor Painting Event (KOPE). We had perfect weather, worked hard, and then presented our work at a wet painting show on Saturday night. AND… I won the third place ribbon! Woo Hoo! Julie Davis took first place and Jimmy Longacre took second place. It's an honor to be in the winner's circle with these two dear friends and fabulous painters! Many thanks to the organizers and sponsors of this event; we all had a great time!

 Me, beaming with my ribbon!

Julie, Me, and Jimmy

Me with show judge Phil Bob Borman,

an incredible painter of skies and atmosphere. 

Feathered Friends 1

Feathered Friends 1, 6 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2014

SOLD

This little painting was a great study of bird bodies, feathers and chicken gestures. And it was fun. Chickens have so much personality and swag… and maybe a bit of pompous-ness? In this case it almost seemed like they owned the place. (Perhaps they do!) :)

See larger commission piece here. 

See more Small Works here.

Family Farm Study

Family Farm Study, 6 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2014

SOLD

… And this is the study for my commission piece of the family farm in Iowa. (See larger commission piece here.) Since I knew the chickens had to be part of this scene, I painted them a few times leading up to the final painting. I had several photos of our feathered friends, and this piece helped me determine their actual size and placement in relation to the magnificent barn. 

Family Farm - Christmas Commission

Family Farm, 16 x 16, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2014

Commission - Sold

The holidays have come and gone and we are already halfway through January! How did that happen? This Christmas, I was commissioned by some dear friends to paint their daughter-in-law's family farm in Iowa (she lives in Texas now). They secretly gathered photos and information from her parents and grandparents for the project; and it was a fun team effort bringing about this Christmas surprise. Are my friends great in-laws, or what?

In the process, I quite fell in love with this wonderful, gothic barn and the brood of chickens who reside there. I did several small studies in preparation, to get "practiced up" on my chicken painting techniques. So… more feathered friends to come. :)

Farmstead - Door County Plein Air

Farmstead, 8 x 16, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2012, SOLD

I am just now catching my breath after a most fabulous week in Wisconsin at the Door County Plein Air Festival! My heart overflows, truly. I would love to give you the blow by blow, but suffice it to say, it was an intense time of painting from sun up to sun down every day. Some of my painting happened in very public, advertised settings with many spectators; and some happened on quiet back roads, completely private and off the beaten track. This piece is in the latter category.


"Farmstead" came about on my last afternoon. I was tired and not sure I had one more painting in me as I drove down a deserted country road. This farm, all aglow with the afternoon light, completely reinvigorated me. It turned out to be my favorite piece of the week, and was the first to sell at the Friday night gala. Sometimes pushing through the exhaustion is a really good thing. :)


Side note: I left my good camera at home because it was too much to carry with all my other equipment. Consequently, the photos of my work are not the best. I had to shoot them with a tiny, hand-held camera in my hotel room. Lesson learned. 

Summer's End (and thoughts on using thick paint)

Summer's End, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

Here is another painting from last week's paint out where I my goal was to use thick and juicy paint. This is an area of focus for me right now - I am even making my students try it in our still life class. (Sorry guys, just sharing the joy.) :)
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Here is a question from one of my readers I thought might interest others...

"Why is it desirable to apply paint in thick brush strokes?"

I am just trying to better enjoy the buttery, goopy quality of the paint. The whole process is so much more delicious when the tactile factor is higher. Children get this intuitively. They don't need to be taught to smear it everywhere. 

Adults need to be retaught (or un-taught). I see it all the time in myself and in my students and friends. Due to some crazy grown-up fears, we are 1) miserly with paint both on the palette and on the canvas; and 2) tentative and overly careful with our mark-making to avoid mistakes. Our fears of depleting supplies and wastefulness make us scrimp and our fears of imperfection and failure restrict our ability to express.

Fear is not a good place to work from when we are trying to be creative. So, what better way to get past those fears than to face them full on, with more paint and bolder marks? Turn it into a game. Make it play. SET A GOAL. (Whatever it takes.) 

Of course, this is completely a matter of personal taste. Thick, chunky paint may not be everyone's cup of tea (it may even be UNdesirable to some people!) Whatever your preference, just remember to have fun.

Farm Day

Farm Day, 6 x 6, SOLD

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There is something about the tidy rows of produce on a farm. Maybe it's the rhythmic pattern and geometry of it all. Maybe it's that they are so orderly in a chaotic season. (Probably!) Whatever it is, they do have a peaceful lure for me.

.

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Delivery Day!!!

Rocky Outcropping, 36 x 24, (reworked - original was posted on 10/5)

Morning Harvest, 24 x 36 (reworked - orginal was posted on 10/15)

Today I delivered 20 new paintings to Davis Gallery for my upcoming show. The opening reception is Saturday, October 24, from 7-9pm here in Austin. It's always so exciting to reach this point, where the work is done and the celebration is still ahead. Bill Davis has an incredible knack for putting it all together... I love going back and seeing how it's all been hung! If you are in town this weekend, please come by!!!

PS - The two paintings above called for a little last minute "fixing" before they could go to the gallery. :)

Morning Harvest

Morning Harvest, 24 x 36

This is an enlargement of my last post - a scene from one of our local organic farms. One thing I loved about this scene was the haze in the distance fields juxtaposed to the lit foreground. I tried to push that relationship a little bit in this larger version.

Side-note: A sweet surprise came my way yesterday - I was the featured artist on Eric Cator's "PaintBlog" site! Please go there and take a look. Eric presents a different artist each day and his blog is a great place to see a variety of wonderful work. Thank you, Eric!!!

Johnson's Backyard Garden

Johnson's Backyard Garden, 9 x 12

This month one of our brilliant Plein Air Austin members, Kate Merriman, came up with the idea of painting local farms. She researched and connected with a number of small, organic farmers who were most happy to have us come visit. (Thank you, Kate!) Unfortunately, on the day we scheduled this farm, it rained. Not to be deterred, two of us actually stayed and painted from our cars. Mind you, I have a tailgate to seek shelter under, but my unwavering (equally crazy?) friend, Stephen Parker, literally used his steering wheel as an easel! Always an adventure!

Circle Corral

Circle Corral, 6 x 6

I love the long shadows early in the morning... this corral couldn't contain them!

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