Cherry Tree

First Plein Air of 2012. 8x10 Oil done at Kingwood Center in Mansfield, Ohio. It was so fantastically beautiful and warm. It has now turned cold with frost again tonight but will try to paint tomorrow afternoon. Supposed to be 55 degrees but hoping for a little more warmth than that.
I have been working in the yard for the last three days getting my garden ready. Did more than usual as it was cool enough to stay out and finish. I usually get overheated chopping, pulling , cutting! Mowed the lawn as some of it was a foot high.
Also found out one of my favorite paintings, "Abandoned", well, that house was torn down. So sorry as I wanted it to paint it again.
Found out today also that my Painting of the Longhorn portrait I did was reprinted and sold on Fine Art America. I am happy happy today.

Winter Sun

Despite my resolutions, I haven't kept up with the blog. I have kept up with the painting. It became a nice day when I went to pick up my paintings from the Christmas show at the Mansfield Art Center, when they asked to keep seven of them for the gallery. The gentleman said the director loved my work. Well, that does something for the soul! I went outside, and it was warmer than usual and the sun was out. Hmmm. Think I will pack up and go paint in Holmes County, one of the sites to paint in for the Ohio Plein Air Society's Tenth Anniversary Show this year. We only have until May 1 to complete and enter five paintings. Last summer wasn't too great to get them done due to various reasons. So off I went....this is the first plein air of the year. Just outside of Loudenville I found an open area with parking and decided to do this Amish Farm. When I posted on Facebook a friend said it was a Beardsley Amish, a neat clean, no frills Amish farm. I was careful to note that this was in the Holmes County Line.

January Thaw

With one painting finished and time for another, I continued to paint. My fingers were cold. I had some little texting gloves, little knit gloves with the finger tips off. They helped! The geese continued to squabble. No one came around. The time before a Loudonville police man had stopped "to take a look" and said I would be safe in the area. He had pulled someone off today on the main road, probably for speeding, so I knew he was patroling. By the time I was finished painting I was really cold and had to go! No restrooms opened now. I opened the car door and squatted, sitting on the edge. I hoped no one could see. I had no choice.

Open Water

I had been watching the weather as I had found a lake around the corner from the last painting that I thought inspired me for a painting, so on Tuesday I drove to the spot inside the Holmes County Line and did this painting. There were about 200 ducks and geese on the meadow and lake, noisily sparing for their ladies graces.There was a brisk breeze but I loved the atmosphere and the geese. Thank goodness, I feel good about this one! Maybe I can be a cold weather plein air painter!

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.

Schnormeier Garden Waterfall

Painted plein Air today, October 15, 2011. This will most likely be my last plein air painting this year unless we get some warmer days. This was painted on an outing to the Schnormeier Gardens, near Gambier OH. There are hundreds of views and I will be anxious to go back in the Spring and spend the day painting. Today was cold and very windy. I didn't think ahead that being near the waterfall would be colder also! I love doing water and there are many falls and streams in this garden. I can see some things I may change. The falls need to be broken up a bit, too much of that white sliver! Had a good time!

Falling Leaves

I just had to do another painting this day, Oct. 11, 20ll, It was just too beautiful to pass up. I am so sad to see the leaves falling. They stay so brilliant for so little time.

Autumn Colors

This is my favorite painting for the month! It was such fun to paint. I painted with Sharon and this was her daughter's place. A great number of views to paint but I especially liked the back lit field and my trees came out well.One of the last warm days of October I fear.

Fall Brilliance

This painting was done October 9, 2011 back in a lane with a lone barn. I took my husky, Rusty with me and he was so good. We walked around, took pictures and settled on this view. It is getting late in the season and the leaves and color will be gone soon. I hope to paint from my photos that I took this day.

Carpenter Inn Garden

This was my last painting for the Competition. A lovely garden where I stayed. These paintings were done down in Southern Ohio, old coal mining country and I would still be lost wondering around on those dirt and gravel roads if I hadn't borrowed a GPS!

Carpenter Inn Pond

This was my second painting done after I finished the former pond picture. I ran out of time and don't know if I may leave it as is. It has a loose quality to it.

Weather for Ducks

This was my first painting after getting my boards stamped in Athens for the OPAS competition. It was cloudy and it did rain halfway through the painting but I had put a 5 can soup recipe in my crockpot and it was perfect coming in from the rain, and it poured while I had lunch and then the sun came out and I finished up the painting.

Morning Rising

This was my one of the paintings Done in Athens, Ohio for the Ohio Plein Air Society Competition. A fantastic view with the fog in the valley beyond. Almost too vast to paint. But it was so inspiring I had to do it. This was the painting that I entered in the Competition. I did not win anything but the competition was fierce!

Afternoon Bales

Sept 14, 2011 near Galion, OH plein air. One hour quickly painting! Toned orange canvas. By the time I got started my companions were ready to go so I hurried and this is what I got. Sometimes I think I work too long on a painting and the ones that are quickly done are the best.

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 4, A lovely place to sit.

I think I may be caught up except for some workshop paintings and some Competition paintings that haven't been photographed. I considered this for the plein air competition in Columbus but had to decide on two only. I liked the composition and the abstract shapes. I think the eye follows around well in the painting. I especially like the pot in front. I had some critique on this and finished up the green foliage background after some suggestions about the sky distracting so didn't feel it was all done on site. It looks lovely in a bright gold frame.

Blue Green, Summer Shadows

Painted plein air in a Bellville, OH park after driving, driving,driving to find a site. There were lovely blues in the background and I just continued the colors! Not really satisfied with this and would like to do it again. Maybe in the Fall.

Gazebo again

This is also a plein air painting done at Kingwood of the Gazebo. The flowers change monthly and this was a spectacular view. I found it after trying the Herb garden but they were watering with sprinklers in there!

Garden Fountain

This was done plein air at Kingwood Center Gardens. This was also entered in the Plein Air Show in Columbus. It was early morning and the sun was behind the heavily wooded area and the water in the fountain really sparkled. This was also done in the block in large shapes with their local color on a rose toned canvas. Then the darks, then medium values put in. and the lights last. This process seems to work for me better than starting with the focal point and working outward.

Abandoned

Finally getting back to this blog! It was almost if I had "abandoned" my blog! Not so, just been busy with painting, a workshop, teaching and visitors. This painting was done plein air on an abandoned dairy farm and will be entered into a Plein Air gallery show in Columbus, OH the end of September. It was a cloudy day with only a few spots of sunshine once in a while. I noted where those were in my value sketch before I started. I toned my canvas with permanent rose and started blocking in my colors in big shapes. Putting in the darks first then the medium values leaving the pink of the canvas for the lights and highlights. I began massing in the leaves and green areas with various green colors and yellow mixes. Finally the details. This painting worked well. I especially like the color of the bricks and the sunlight in patches.