In The Studio Today. . . .

"County Road"

8x10 oil on linen

Hard to believe I was in the studio today when it was 52 degrees and sunny here in MN in January, but I was!  I had this painting in my head and needed to paint it today regardless of the unseasonably warm weather outside.  I DID take advantage after I was finished though and took a good long walk, what a treat!  :) 

Although this small painting resembles most of my 'plein air' work, it's a studio piece done from a photo, and once again, I use the photos as memory triggers, not a literal interpretation.  If I didn't have the experience I have from painting from life, I don't think I would be able to do this.  I can't stress enough the importance of working from life.  When I work like this in the studio on smaller pieces, it's a goal of mine to keep the paint fresh and clean, as if I were painting from life.  In order to do this, I limit my time.  This piece was done in about 2 hours. 

Since I've taken the month of January off of teaching, it's my goal to paint as much as possible on a variety of different subjects.  I'll probably do another small piece tomorrow and then start a larger one towards the end of the week.  I find after doing a piece like my last 20x16 where there was a lot of subtle quiet work and many hours, it's nice to push the paint around on smaller pieces and start and finish in one sitting. 

Into The Reflection

"Into The Reflection"

20x16 oil on linen

I hope this post finds everyone well and happily and creatively entering the new year ahead!  "Into The Reflection" is my first painting of 2012, just finished today.  I started the new year off in the studio on Sunday with a solid 8 hours in this painting.  I then took 3 more days with a couple hours each to complete what you see here.  The scene you see is a place I love to escape to in Door County during the Plein Air Festival I've participated in the past 3 years.  (This year I'll be teaching a plein air workshop in July there)  If you know anything about being a featured artist in the plein festivals, you know that they can be intense and somewhat demanding at times with many many events and locations you are to be featured through out the week where lots of people come to see you paint!  It's all good and I'm not complaining but as much as I paint in public for my classes, demos etc, I am a quiet painter.  I need my own space and time to connect with my subject, and to emotionally respond to the time and place, usually being Nature to truly feel in 'the zone'.  This little place is way off the beaten path and it would be rare for someone to find you painting there, it's one of those places that feels like it's there 'just for me'.  :)  I know that's not true, but it feels like a place I connect to on a deeper sensitive level.  I know I did at least 3 plein pieces here over the past few years, maybe more. . . . this year I took a number of photographs and found this angel the other day and knew it was what I wanted to paint! 
Truly, I composed the photo quite well, I didn't have to change much as far as composition.  However, each time I use a photo as a reference, it's usually always a place I feel I know quite well from painting it from life.  I always feel the photos I take are cold and my memory recalls the warmth of the day and warmth of the colors in the water.  All the photo does for me is triggers these memories so I can bring myself there in order to paint it again.  No matter how many times I paint the same place, each painting is it's own painting. 
Looking into the reflection was an after thought once I started the painting. Day one, I truly didn't even consider this element in the painting, and by day two it was in.  I wanted to be able to paint the effect of this incredible little piece of water in all it's richness yet complete clarity as you could see the bottom in the reflection.  The most difficult part was stopping and not putting TOO much in.  I think I painted just enough although it was so tempting to put a little trout twirling and glistening around the bottom, just teasing. . . :)
 
So, painting number one of the year, done!  Happy Painting and Happy New Year!

December Reds

"December Reds"

12x12 oil on linen board

This is my latest piece, just finished.  Discovery, reds are difficult!  So much warmth needs to be balanced by cool vibration, this is where the magenta vibration comes in.  There's a LOT of paint on this canvas, so it was even more difficult than normal for me to photograph, lots of glare.  I think the painting is probably more subtle than shows in the photo but I got to the point that I thought I'd just get it up and posted.  But you get the idea, hope you enjoy!  

Late November Subtleties

"Late November Subtleties"

8x10 oil on linen

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there!  So much to be thankful for.  There is the obvious, my children, friends, family, students, health, and believe me, I am SO grateful for all!  As an artist, I'd like to extend my gratitude to the gift of vision through my eyes.  What an amazing gift everyday to be able to see  the incredible colors that exist in Nature, that so Many forget to stop and absorb.  Yesterday was the day after Thanksgiving, my son Nick and I spent the day out at my Dad's enjoying just being outside.  It's unusually warm here in MN for late November (50 degrees today), we had a small snow fall last week that has since melted, leaving the ground wet and saturated with rich but subtle color.  My eyes almost can't believe what I see in the grasses these past few days.  "Late November Subtleties" was my yesterday's attempt at capturing what I believe to be some of the most difficult but most inspirational scenes to paint.  VERY flat light we had, but so SO beautiful.  This piece was done at about noon and I could hardly see my palette, it was so dark, very strange.  The green in the pond which was a thin layer of ice under the melting water top was very interesting to me since I don't usually get to see this color was fun to study.  It's a short lived effect.  

Happy Painting to those who paint.  I hope you enjoy what you see today!  It truly is a great gift!

Morning Fire - Heavenly Day

"Morning Fire - Heavenly Day"

12x12 oil on linen panel

This is a piece I did last week and will be in my show opening one week from Friday (Friday November 4th, 6:30-8:30) at The Phipps in Hudson WI.  I woke early this day, it was quiet as the kids were still sleeping, walked into the kitchen, looked out the window and saw THIS.  Truly amazing the colors that exist in Nature.  I stood there in wonder as I watched the fleeting effect, making mental notes of this moment as I knew it would only be a matter of minutes before the intensity of the color would fade.  This was one of those moments that nothing else existed and the connection between me and the light I was absorbing was completely inspiring and moving.  I see lots of sunsets and sunrises but this one and I had a connection which is why I painted it, and is why it came to me with great ease when I did paint it later on that week with the image vividly planted in my head.  

Contstanly Curious!

"Along The Pumpkin Patch"

11x14 oil on linen panel

I've been really busy lately teaching and preparing for my show that opens November 4th at the Phipps Center in Hudson WI and runs through Dec. 12.  Between all the teaching and painting I've had little time to post new paintings, it's such a balancing act at times but there are times when we need to just leave the computer and all of life's 'little daily duties' alone and just paint!  This is why I'm so excited to have the week ahead of me with 5 days  of blocked out time in the studio to do just that!  Even taking the week off from teaching.

This piece is one I did a couple of weeks ago and am just posting now.  It was a beautiful day and I was eager to get out and paint but once I got set up and started I began to paint 'stuff' and it was going downhill quickly, instead of painting my impression of the day and all it's beauty in color.  I was about an hour into the painting and decided it would be better to save the panel and scrape the painting out.  So, I did.  Started cleaning up (about as cranky as I can get when I painting goes wrong. . . .)  when I looked out at the landscape I was standing in and had the breath taken from me for a moment with the beauty of the day and the color!  My spark was back, I slapped myself for forgetting for that hour what I was doing here, capturing color and atmosphere with my impression of this moment.  I started and finished my painting entirely painted with the palette knife in under an hour and absolutely love the honesty of what I captured.  As I grow, I'm becoming more and more interested in quality of paint and what I can do with the paint.  I've been thinking and experimenting more with than any other element lately and am so captivated by the endless possibilities of what can be done by being constantly curious!   

Corner Of Nason

"Corner Of Nason"

11x14 oil on linen 

What a beautiful fall day!  I just got in from painting one of my favorite places in Washington County, close to Marine of the St Croix.  I spent some time painting this great little road last year about this time.  I'm in love with the color of the bean fields right now, so warm!  Usually farmers switch from corn to beans from year to year.  Personally I'd rather paint the bean fields than corn so this was good!  Painting outside was a refreshing break from being in the studio this past week, I really needed to get out and paint directly from Nature.  I'm now renewed for teaching this week in the studio again.  

I do have to say, I'm not thrilled with the photos I've been taking of my paintings lately.  They look a bit harsh in the photos compared to the originals.  Eventually I'll take the time to figure out this problem but for now, you get the idea!