Amish Acres-- out of the Wait Box

This painting has been in my "wait box" for almost a year. The WAIT BOX is a box where I keep paintings that have potential but are not quite ready for prime time. Let me explain: when I finish a painting I am usually either happy with it and ready to frame it and sell it or dissatisfied and ready to pitch it or re-use the canvas. If you follow this blog you know I am not afraid to paint over my mistakes. Good results are often easier to obtain with a nice colored ground already in place. Or maybe that's just what I think. I don't know. It works for me -- sometimes. There are a few paintings-- and for the most part they are plein air pieces that are done outside and with less than lovely colors---that I like but I know they need something more. This piece always had nice color and a good mood but something was missing. Last week I realized the missing piece was a cow. There she is and now I like the painting and it really represents the way I felt about this beautiful, bucolic area in the hills of Penn Valley.