Spring is Here

Bright Spring Day  12x18 Oil/Board

We've had wonderful warm weather the last few days and the countryside was calling. An afternoon's ride last Saturday yielded this painting finished today: backlit clouds traveling across the sky, casting shadows on the pastures.

Letting Go of Winter

Dewey Lake Inlet 9x12 Oil

This was a long winter, but before the snow hit we took a weekend trip to Jenny Wiley State Park in Eastern Kentucky. One of its virtues is Dewey Lake, created by a dam which backed up water into the steep, narrow valleys which characterize the area.  Most of the western side of the lake is accessible by car or hiking trail.  In early December the water was low, exposing the many streams and springs which feed the lake.

A couple of days ago I was reviewing the photos and was attracted to some of them. In making this painting I simplified the scene but played with color and added some forground shadow to lead the eye to the background.

Out of the Way Places

Along Paul's Mill Road

Southwestern Woodford County's roads stretch far and wide. I never did see the mill but found this stream, probably Clear Creek, which is always running, summer and winter. On this still day in January it was freezing over. It was an overcast day but I added some sunshine to lead the eye back in the painting.

Why do you paint?

Freezing Point   9x12 Oil

It didn't take long to answer this question: it's because it's so much fun to be outside, in all seasons, enjoying the sites, finding new lakes, ponds, stream, forests and fields.  Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill outside Harrodsburg has probably thousands of acres to explore, and different in all seasons. One morning last week the ponds were in the process of freezing over.  Shadows on the ice were a deep blue, almost glowing, much darker than the sky. All kinds of reeds, species unknown to me, added an amazing texture to the scene. The sky was Kentucky baby pink and blue. So there you are.

Big Deal

At the Gravel Bar 9x14 Oil

I learned from Bill Fletcher, our Central Kentucky art teacher extraordinare, that focusing first on recognizing and painting, blocking-in, big shapes first allows us to create paintings with a simplicity and sense of distance. After practicing this and seeing results, I've also found it creates a sense of power in the painting. This view of the Kentucky River late in the afternoon this October caused me to stop in my tracks and say "Wow, look at those big shapes". If you squint at the image, they are even more evident.

Tree Hugging

October 9x12 oil

Grey days are the rule the last few weeks, but cabin fever got me out of the house and to Lexington Cemetery, the premier arboretum location nearby. I looked for big value contrasts among the greenery and sat down and painted a small plein aire piece. This turned out to be "How not to paint this scene". But since time spent in front of the subject is worth many photos, I came back to the studio and used both to complete this painting.

Memories

Clear Creek Logjam
Casting about for something to paint this past week, I riffled through my boxes of photos. In the process, I remembered a photo I had taken of Clear Creek years ago. In the middle of the stream was an island with large sycamore against which was piled debris from the occasional floods. The scene, I thought, had potential. I never found the photo so I painted the scene from memory. This is a handy technique, I'm told, for avoiding extraneous detail, the bane of my painting.