Runner-Up!

I am thrilled! This painting was a Runner-up in the People's Choice Award for the show Breath of Fresh Air, a plein air show, at the High Roads Gallery in Worthington, Ohio. I am so happy that so many people chose this one that they liked.

Morning Bales

I was inspired by the backlighting this September 14, 2011 morning. The colors changed so fast. There was a mist in the background and then no mist. I did the small value study then quickly put in the darks, then the middle values. I had trouble making the bales look like bales instead of barrels! My fellow painters were not finished so I did a quick 8x8 in about an hour and everyone liked it the best. That painting follows

Herb Garden 3

I love this painting. I love the shine that the medium gives me and finally feel like I am an artist!

LAVENDER IN THE ROSE GARDEN

Done Thursday June 30,2011 at Kingwood Gardens. The weather is finally cooperating. My painting has improved so much with the blocking in of local color with medium.

Gazebo

This was done June 29,2011 at Kingwood. I am really feeling good about the way I paint now.

Sunset Farm

Second workshop painting done in the evening. Used the same method as previous painting. I really like working like this and my painting has improved.

After the rain

First workshop painting with Chris Leeper. Wonderful workshop. Main principles: Shapes, value, color, edges. It was partly cloudy so the block in was with local color. Used some painting medium and blocked in lightly, adjusting the values. The color dried quickly and I was able to apply wet paint on top, then got my close edges with some bright color. I like working like this.

Herb Garden 2

I was definitely intrigued by those pots in the herb garden. I wanted to do this painting the day before but we had to move due to spraying in the rose garden. I also wanted it to be an 8x8 but only had an 8x10 panel. If I cut it down the composition changes. I don't like it as well as the day before painting. The greens are a challenge and the amount of different foliage is a challenge also. What to eliminate to make a good painting!Sometimes painting a formal garden makes it difficult to do melodic lines!

Herb Garden 1

This was done on Monday June 6th in the early morning before it got too hot. I especially like this painting. I feel the composition works well, the planes read well, and the color is much to my liking as I feel lately my work has been on the dull side. I am hoping that the Chris Leeper workshop coming up will help me with this as his work is brilliantly colorful.

Kingwood Garden

This was done on June 4th at the OPAS paintout at Kingwood Gardens. Certainly a challenge with all that green. I did get some good critique remarks by Debra Dawson and she also suggested some lighting changes, which I did when I got home. Not perfect but I am learning to do greens and planes!

Cherry Tree

Third Plein Air...really working on trees. Difficult to get the blooms without getting spotty. Pretty happy with this except my photos are eliminating some of yellow. Probably this cloudy weather!

Crab apple trees at Kingwood

Second plein air painting at Kingwood Center.

Spring Hill Farm

Painted this between rainstorms in Holmes County OH on May 1st for the start of the Plein Air Society's 2012 Anniversary Exhibition. A challenge, rain, clouds, wind and a strong odor of cow manure in the barns we used as a windbreak. First plein air of the season...feels like starting all over again.

Farm House

This was this week's homework: to do a landscape with green and trees. I have followed Johannes rules, but my next landscape will be toned red if I am going to have greens in it. Began using the Yellow Ochre Pale and hardly any bright yellows. Trying to remember all the rules. To marry colors, to not put the grass the same as the trees, hard and soft edges to make the trees round, make each tree have character, warm and cool, values oh and fit fun in there!!

Spring's Promise

Another challenge. Spring trees. I did not realize until Johannes's classes how much I clone everything, trees, tree limbs, mounds in the water, everything! Even after I finish and photo, I see clones. It seems when I fix the clones I even clone the fix with something else!! I am learning so much. I still feel my work is not as dramatic as it has been..perhaps when I get the basics down, I will start getting to the one color per stroke. Maybe need to make more dramatic value study. I think I am so worried about not going over and 8 on the value scale that I end up making everything mid tone.

German Road After

Much happier with these changes. I feel it is more vibrant and colorful. I am still trying to stay within Johannes guidelines and I did post it on Daily Paintworks Challenge

German Road Before

I worked on this DPW challenge yesterday and just was not happy with it. It seemed bland and boring.

Coastal Pine After

So I did change the shape of the small peninsula and changed the shape of the rectangle at the bottom.

Winter Lake

Decided to send in my homework early to be able to get some criticism! I had used the modeling paste and painted without the Gesso. Definitely needs Gesso. I am learning a lot, to not use the photo as photographed but to do the value sketch and stick by it. To change the shapes to abstract, make more interesting shapes and lines. I wanted this to be a moody painting and I feel I accomplished that. So much to think about, hard edges, soft edges, where to put them. I am sure Johannes will find many things to work on.

Edges Homework

This week's homework! Difficult! Johannes wanted us to paint a group of trees with soft and hard edges, using all the tricks and secrets on how to make a tree an abstract shape. My pines are not abstract enough and keeping to the mid values makes the painting seem dull with no life. Last week I went high value with my maple tree, this week mid value. I am not excited about it at all.