Spring Weather Arrives

It finally got warm enough for me to get outside and paint. I need 50 degrees or better and I like it to be 60. I am a wuss, I know. This wisteria is growing up the side of a tree. The back lit shrubs were brilliantly lit. No wind, lots of shade, steady light and lots of birds flying around. My host furnished a glass of wine and all was well in the world for a couple hours. A perfect day to be outside painting.

12" x 16" oil on canvas

Michigan Barn with Herefords

This is a barn in Lenawee County, Michigan, that I photographed the last time we painted in the area. Michigan is full of old picturesque and unique buildings and barns, many of them constructed of stone. This barn seems to have been abandoned and the Herefords weren't actually there. I added them because I like to see a little bit of life in paintings and I think animals add interest. I'll often throw in a cat or someone walking their dog if the picture is too static.

9" x 12" Michigan Barn

Frey Farmhouse

This old farmhouse was built by my friend's grandfather in the 1930's and is still owned by the family. We painted in the afternoon because the house faces west and we wanted light on the front. I embellished the flowers but for the most part it's a good representation of what I saw and another unusually pleasant eveningt for August.

11" x 14" oil on canvas

Old Barn, Plein Air

I prefer to paint outdoors when I have the opportunity in the summer. I painted this plein air piece on a warm morning in July last week. The farm has been in the Fry family for generations. When I paint I aim for a "mood" more than a photographic image. The painting should tell the viewer a little bit about how I felt when I viewed the subject.

I was feeling really relaxed and on my game that day, so maybe some of that comes through. It was a perfect morning for plein air and that always cheers me too.

11" x 14"

Turn of the Century Barn

Plein Air Delta Ohio

I painted this view of Fulton Union Christian Church from my friend Sue's yard. Her little pit bulldog Zeeva kept me company the entire time. A beautiful late summer evening!

9" x 12" oil on canvas

Sharon and Larry Frey's Farm

My friend and I visited her cousin's farm a few days ago and we painted their old chicken coop. Sharon use it as a potting shed more recently and their yard is full of perennials. We stood in their shady yard under some large maples and painted looking west into the sun. It was a very pleasant summer evening.

9" x 12" oil on canvas

Irish Hills Vista 10" x 20" oil painting

10" x 20" oil on canvas

Irish Hills Vista

The second day we drove east on Route 12 and ended up stopping at a fruit and vegetable stand. Strawberries were in season so we bought some and I was eyeing the hilly farm to the north, while my friend was enchanted by the produce stand. I painted this bucolic vista of rolling hills and baled straw, while she concentrated on the truck and stand. A glorious day in the low seventies, sunshine after the fog lifted and NO MOSQUITOES! A great day to paint outdoors.

Fall in the Country

It was a beautiful early fall morning and I finally had some free time on my hands. The kitchen is done for the most part. There is still some painting and moving and sorting of 'stuff' but we are looking at the finish line. All the things that seemed to weigh down my calendar this year have happened and I fell as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

I took a ride to my friend Sue's house. She has seven acres just outside of Delta and a very nice barn, some pastures and even a creek. It is my go-to place when I want to paint something quickly. There will always be a nice scene waiting for me.

Sue wasn't even up when I arrived but soon her two pit-bulls, Jake and Diva, came trotting out to greet me.

I am NOT a country girl. Sue told me there was a steer in one pasture and some donkeys in the other. I really wanted some pictures of the donkeys so I lifted the fence line and walked into the steer's corral. OMG! It was huge. I had not been expecting something so big and black and 'friendly'. I stayed out of his way and took some pictures of the donkeys and slowly backed away and went under the fence again.

"You know that's a bull," Sue remarked as she walked down the path, sipping her morning coffee. A steer is a bull? Is a bull a steer? I was confused. I thought all steers were neutered. Apparently not. I am NOT a country girl. Before I exited his arena I took some nice close-ups of the steer's head, and he had almost seemed to be smiling. Maybe he was laughing at me too.

9" x 12"

oil on linen

Networking, Painting and Making new Friends

Networking with other artists is important. When you pursue an activity like painting, which involves many hours spent alone in the studio, you need to schedule time to get out and be with like-minded folk. Most of my friends are artists. Not all, but most. I think that's because I love painting and creating imagery so much that I tend to spend my free time looking for ways to improve what I do. So I make a point of attending a portrait group where we draw or paint from the live model once or twice a month. I belong to several arts organizations and these groups plan activities like paintouts, workshops and shows. Right or wrong, these are the ways I spend my free time and I've met a lot of interesting people along the way.

Next week I'll be attending a workshop given by Marc Hanson and sponsored by an arts organization I belong to. It's all about using your plein air paintings to create larger studio work. I have been trying to do this lately and it's been tough just using my own intuition so I'm willing to pay someone who knows a lot more than I do to help me learn. During the workshop, which is quite a distance from my home, I'll stay with an artist I met through another artist a year or so ago. I'll give her a painting and she'll give me room and board. Like I said, networking with artists is important! I will meet many new people at the workshop and I hope to make some new friends. You make new friends, you expand your horizons and you have FUN!

Once a month, my artist friend Teri Bersee, who owns Bountiful Arts Studio, sponsors a couple hours of life drawing in her studio, which is an old converted barn. I asked her if I could come a little early this week and paint the barn, which was built in 1849 and then moved to her property later when the state was going to tear it down.

Teri has a trio of lamas, two fluffy but large dogs and dozens of chickens. She and her husband Jim also grow lots and lots of organic vegetables. It's a really great location to paint at and I want to go back when the weather warms up and more flowers start blooming.This is my plein air from that afternoon.

10" x 20"

Bountiful Arts Barn