Jenkins Rd- Barn

Jenkins Rd
11" x 14"
oil on canvas
Click here to purchase.

Well, that was pretty fun. The rust on the roof to the right of the barn was surprisingly difficult, but I think it turned out rather well.

I think I will have to make something of a study of grasses and rusted things...

WIP - Red barn (ha ha ha!)

Just have to fill in the buildings... I find grasses difficult to render. I don't care for the hyper detail of every individual blade painted, but I like some texture and direction. I've seen some artists make their grasses in a semi-drybrushed blocked-in sort of way, and it works... They have rich, wonderful grasses full of texture and life, all in what looks like a few brush strokes. If I could only figure out how to do it myself...

I have a chance to go paint outside this evening, so I am going to take it. I was really hoping what the weather man said would be true, but surprise, surprise... he was wrong... again. Maybe I will get lucky and the sun will break through all the gloom in the next thirty minutes.

Otherwise, I will be painting in grays!

Oh!!! Here comes the sun! I'm outta here!

WIP- #1 in my "Barns of the Palouse" series

So here I am starting a new series when I still have two others open. Lately I don't care much for working on more than one a painting at a time. It bothers me to have unfinished paintings lying around.

But a series is something different I think... As long as there are not more open than I can handle at one time. I had a request for a particular cloud painting, but I wanted to do something smaller as a bit of a pick-me-up. Sometimes I need to just whip a painting out in a day or two so I feel like I am getting loads of work done! The clouds, I think, really need to be on a larger canvas, 16" x 20" at least.

Last fall the hubby, child, and I drive around the Palouse in search of barns. I had a map of the area to mark where the barns were, took photos of the barns, then numbered and labeled the barns in a sketchbook with descriptions of lighting and places to set up for plein air painting. It was so much fun!

National Talk Like a Pirate Day... I forgot till just now

Kamiak Barn
5"x7" oil on canvas

Well. I ended up on the dark side of the barn. Next time I will chose a spot that shows the light and shadow of the thing. Funny how I was on the dark side, but everything is a little washed out. The darker streak to the left of the barn looks like a shadow, but it was a streak of grass and small shrubs.

It was an interesting little barn that looked pretty much like a rectangle planted on sloping wheat fields. I was reminded why it is so important to mix the colors that are there, because this does not look like the scene I saw... except for the barn and the trees from Kamiak Butte. The light was gorgeous but faded fast. Next time I'll catch it!

This would have been a wiper, but I had fun doing it. And it was the first plein air painting I've done in ages. I like it by default.

And in case you other land lubbers out there be forgettin the greatest day o' th' year- today was indeedy National Talk Like a Pirate Day! So get out there and swash some buckles, batten down the hatches, and don't let your peg legs get tangled up in yer eye patches! Aaargh!

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/