Napoleon Barn

We painted this Napoleon landmark at The Armory Arts & Event Center Thursday night. Will probably have another class in two or three weeks. PM me if you are interested. I demo as we paint and finished up the edges on this on tonight. I love the teal color of this building and the hot peach roof- just a gorgeous scenic barn. I'm hoping to do a plein air of it on location this summer. 

11x14 oil on canvas

Fall Painting

FALL COLOR

9x12 oil on canvas

This piece is a demo for a class I did in September. We all used the same photo reference but it's amazing how differently everyone's paintings looked when we were finished. A common error, even when I point out easy ways to judge proportion, is to make the focal point too large. About half of the barns ended up in the center of the painting, even though I was careful to point out that the barn rests on the left side of the canvas.

What I really like about this piece is the brilliant fall color in the background which manages to remain cool and unobtrusive because of the ultramarine underpainting and lack of detail.

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

Updating an Older Painting

Often I'll save a painting in the back of my closet, knowing it needs something, but unsure of what. When I have a few minutes I'll pull it out and evaluate it from the perspective of time. I did that with this painting, a plein air piece from August, that seemed a bit lackluster.

I decided it needed some signs of life so I added a few Holsteins and a fence so they woudln't run out into the road. I'm happier with it now.

Plein Air on a Cloudy Day in Ohio

I enjoy painting outside on cloudy days for two reasons. First of all, the light is consistent. Or I should say it's more consistent than it is on sunny days, when shadows move more quickly and it's more difficult to capture them accurately. Secondly, the light is beautiful and pure on an overcast day, and there is little, if any, glare. My eyes have become more sensitive lately and glare makes it impossible for me to paint. Wearing polarized sunglasses is one option but not the best when you're trying to pick up the delicate value changes in a landscape.

This is a scene from Licking County, painted last Saturday. I was drawn to the scene when the sun was shining and I pulled over and set up my easel only to have the sun hide behind clouds just as I was ready to paint, Rather than move, I accepted the scene as it was--it was still very beautiful to me, just in a different way. Soybean fields attract me every year at this time.

12" x 16" oil on linen

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

Creativity

According to my mother, I've been an artist since I learned how to hold a pencil at the age of three. In discussing this with other artists over the years, I have learned that it's pretty common. We are "drawn", (pun intended), from a very young age, to create visual images. We like to figure out how things fit together and what we can do to make them look better. We can entertain ourselves for hours and we have great imaginations.

Many of these same characteristics are shared by writers and musicians. Artistic people imagine and create and they are always trying something new. Last month I enrolled in a Creative Writing course and although it is eating into my painting time I am enjoying the writing process very much. I think the act of writing unleashes a different sort of creativity than the act of painting. I'm counting on the two mediums to complement one another and accent each other in the months to come.

This barn is a familiar sight when I drive westward. What made it interesting enough to stop and photograph was the light. You hear that all the time from artists. It's all about the light." Well, that's because it is. This is an early morning just before dawn breaks kind of light.

16"x 20"

oil on linen

Pettisville Barn

Barn on Finzel Road

This is a barn on Finzel Road in Whitehouse, Ohio. 11" x 14" oil on canvas. I started it on site and finished it recently.

Soybean Fields

You might wonder what is so beautiful about soybean fields. I will tell you that I am downright distracted by them this time of year, especially in morning and evening light. The golds and violets are stunning. It is my goal to capture this beauty correctly SOME DAY.

As I said, it's a goal. I'm not quite there yet. The fun thing about being an artist is that you will probably never be as good as you wan to be; so there is always some unattainable goal for you to work toward. It keeps life interesting.

I used two photos to create this painting, plus a little imagination.

Mr. Chip's Barn

I painted Mr. Chip's barn again yesterday. I had to get outside on what will more than likely be one of the last few nice days. Mr. Chips is a bull who is staying at my friend Sue's place for another couple weeks. Then he will head for that corral in the sky. He's a pretty happy guy right now though. I was smart enough NOT to venture into the pasture with him this time.

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

Kunkle Horse Barn

 9" x 12" oil on linen

It was a perfect afternoon to paint and my friend and I had permission to paint on a farm in Kunkle, Ohio. We wanted to take pictures of goats and Brenda Baker has 8 or 9 of them in her pasture. Unfortunately, one of the "kids" took a liking to me and my painting gear. Here he is investigating my suitcase. Later he jumped up to have a look at my palette and got cadmium yellow light all over his foot. Then he walked around, ate some grass and ended up with paint all over his mouth! I tried to clean him up with a baby wipe but it didn't do much good. He had the paint all over my pant legs by then and I decided to make the best of it and try to ignore him. However, I seemed to be dealing with a drunken 50 lb. puppy who had no concept of what the word "no" means. "Billy" would forget about me for awhile and munch his grass, then suddenly he would look up and spot me again. "Maaa?" He would cry as he galloped toward me and I braced myself and my easel for his enthusiastic greeting. It was quite an experience. I was surprised that my painting turned out as well as it did with all the external elements I dealt with that day.

The Calving Shed

This is a 9" x 12" plein air piece I did a few weeks ago when we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Central Ohio. A very rustic but cute little building that once served as a calving shed. I took some artistic license and adjusted the path a little.

The Calving Shed

9"x12"

Finished this piece that I began a few weeks ago

A friend and I painted on her porch Sunday.