Back from the Mountains

I had an awesome vacation in the North Carolina mountains. It's an incredibly beautiful area and although the weather was a bit warmer than it usually is (according to people we talked to) it was still OK because the nights cooled off. I enjoy painting in the morning when my energy level is up and the light is nice that time of day too.
Here are a few of the paintings I completed ion the latter days of my vacation. I'll post the rest next week. I am busy framing them and deciding which ones will be saved for show, which will get listed on eBay and which will go to the local gallery. All in all it was a productive week. The drive home was pretty grueling but I can't really complain because I do have air conditioning and it was 95-98 degrees here in the Midwest that day.

This is Iota Valley, in a view from Iota Baptist Church near Franklin, NC

Here also is a painting I did on the porch of the cabin where we stayed. I loved the shadows cast by the old tin watering can.

Plein Air Vacation

Here I am blogging from a mountain top in Franklin, NC. I arrived Thursday evening for a week-long stay and will be painting along with three other artists in the hills, woods and meadows of this beautiful state.
 The weather has been not, unseasonable so according to the locals, but no hotter than what we are experiencing in Ohio this year. It's not even summer yet but the thermometer seems to have no trouble finding the ninety degree mark. I hope this isn't the way the entire summer will go.

 I am definitely a novice when it comes to painting mountains but they are interesting subjects.
 Here are my first two paintings of a path leading up to the mountains and then another painting I did of a river in downtown Franklin, NC.

Plein air at Oak Openings

I had to drive to Toledo this morning to drop some paintings off for a show so I decided to stop at one of my favorite places, Oak Openings, and do a quick painting. The morning was muggy and the mosquitoes were out in full force but it was relatively cool compared to the hot weather we've been experiencing lately. I haven't done a lot of paintings on cloudy days because I usually prefer to go out when there's lots of light and shadow to create drama. It was a pretty successful morning though. The muted colors forced me to concentrate on shapes and values and the painting is very serene and peaceful.

Two new pieces featuring life on the lake

"First Dip"
 6" x 8" oil on canvas over hardboard (Telatti)

"Beach Bum 2" size 6" x 6" oil on Gessoboard

I take a lot of pictures at the beach and I am always careful to change the faces to anonymize the people in my paintings. Most of these impressionistic beach paintings are not detailed enough to really present the subjects as people; the paintings present a feeling or an idea, such as joy or motherhood.

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Yellow Boat

A 12" x 12" painting of Paul's row boat. I used cobalt blue for the water and just a touch of ultramarine blue toward the front. I like the idea of an empty boat just waiting for a person to arrive and cast off.

Two paintings based on "Reflections"

The Age of Romance 16" x 20"
and The Beauty Within 6" x 8"

These paintings are destined for a show but will be up on my eBay page soon if they don't sell.

The final pear in this series

Yellow is the color for this one - and it is sold already but the other two are still up for grabs at eBay.