Back on the Farm

I like going out to Sue's place to paint. She has seven acres in the country with a barn, an old chicken coop, some woods, a stream, a pasture and a stunning view of neighboring farmland. I am mostly drawn to the barn; I love its shape, but I have painted her manure spreader and a few of her other outbuildings. I was at Sue's place last fall when I needed a larger picture of the steer who was munching in the pasture and I climbed through the electrified fence to get one. Later she told me the steer was a bull and it might not have been the safest thing to do. I thought all bulls had horns so it hadn't occurred to me he that he wasn't neutered.

On Monday it was another view of the barn that interested me.

Sue's Barn, June

9" x 12"

We Now Visit the HORSE in the Landscape

Last week I talked about putting people into your landscape, and painting from life, which was a new experience for me. This week I worked on a very different kind of painting. I live in a rural area and although I'm a city girl I have grown to love it over time. Family farms are still a way of life around here. Farmers raise cows, chickens, pigs, and yes-- horses! I'm a portrait and wildlife painter for the most part, so I have a certain affinity for animals. They are beautiful and whenever possible I will include them in my pastoral landscapes. This painting is a hybrid. I used a picture that I took of a farm I drive by often for the background and the horse lives at an historic village near my home where he pulls carriages. I took his picture the last time I visited and I knew he would look awesome with this backdrop.

I have wanted to paint this barn for a long time and I have lots of pictures of it. What I didn't know when I started the painting was how much it needed to be placed in a 'context'. So what initially in my mind was to be a painting of a beautiful farm became a painting all about a horse. That's OK, because I've learned to live with this inner voice that pops up at some really opportune moments to tell me what I need to paint.

20" x 24" Spring on the Farm

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.

Spring is the Best Time to Paint

I mean, of course, that it's the best time to paint outside! Anytime is the best time to paint, but spring offers a season with cool weather, few bugs and lovely colors in the trees. I have been wanting to paint a redbud tree. Sadly, the one my husband planted last year did not make it through the winter. Apple and pear trees are especially beautiful this time of year too, but I wanted to paint a redbud before it turned green.

the really nice thing about plein air is the inspiration and the flexibility you have. Two birds appeared for just a few moments but long enough to capture and place into MY sky. The Forsythia bush was not close to the redbud tree, but I moved it and it creates a nice foil for the cool violets.

11" x 14" oil on canvas

A look through old vacation images produced a photograph from when we stayed at a Michigan cottage. I wanted to paint something that says, "Spring"! The texture of the wooden door and the bricks proved to be a great contrast for the lovely aquas in the tulip plants. The challenge was to make the red tulips stand out against the red brick. In my humble opinion, a painting with no challenge is not a fun painting!

Complimentary color choices can really make a piece sing so it's important to make a decision about what you want to say with the painting in the early stages. This kind of alla prima painting does not work as well with a layered approach, where the artist builds color layer by layer  over a period of time. In a wet on wet approach I like to keep the colors pure and use the brush and knife together to create the textures and harmony.

Back Door Blooms

18" x 14" oil on canvas