Sunday, May 23, 2010

Tough stuff here....







5/3/2010 Oil 9 x 12"



I painted this one day after work. I remember it was a beautiful day with wonderful billowing cloud patterns in the sky. I hurried home to get my easel and then out to the trails. Due to the increasing clouds and dwindling light, I threw my easel on my back and ran about a mile or so to a place I had in mind. Hot, sweaty, and slightly winded I quickly assembled my easel and began to paint. After about twenty minutes, the sun just disappeared behind what appeared to be a coming storm. A few minutes later a couple sprinkles warned of the approaching storm, so I packed up my easel and ran all the way back to my truck. And sure enough, a couple miles into the journey home, the heavens began to pour. The upside was that I did not have to jog on the treadmill that night. The downside was the fact that I had to finish the painting by memory at home. I really don't like to touch my plein air paintings once finished, but this one seemed like it was worth the additional effort. Overall, it was a pretty eventful evening to say the least.







Saturday, May 1, 2010

Last of the Greys.....







3/24/10 Oil 9 x 12"




This plein air piece was created in the first days of spring and is of a chopped corn field that was readying itself for new life. Small bits of green were beginning to emerge, but the overall chroma of the landscape was still grey. It's a good thing that I truly admire neutral and grey paintings because I live in a state (Michigan) that has more cloudy days that sunny ones. I liked this composition because it was a wide open space, something that is sometimes hard to find in my area of the state due to all the tree-lines, etc. As for now, the landscape is definitely very green and far from the grey days of late March. This overall "greenness" can be difficult to paint and means that, as a painter, I have some very near challenges to face. In fact, the last four ventures out haven't been so hot. Well, it's a good thing that the gratification of one small fragment success far outweighs many failures.