Improbable Places

At Jacobsen Park 9x12 Oil

Good friends scheduled a plein aire paint-out at a city park adjacent to their home. Since parks are usually manicured, excessively grassy or excessively peopled, I did not have  high expectations for my results.   It was a good sign that we arrived during a beautifully sunny day with puffy clouds. A dark one stopped for a moment over our heads and caused us to huddle under umbrellas while the fisherman left.  After this I took advantage of the lake and lush backlit trees and was able to finish this in two hours. After that a scrumptous dinner was provided by our hosts. A great day!

For the Love of Barns

Woodford County Spring 12x12 Oil

I love the area around Nonesuch, Kentucky. It's characterized by rolling hills, farms and a multitude of barns, mostly former tobacco barns, now used for hay or a tractor "garage". If I win the lottery, I'll buy land there and a second home. It's close enough to commute to Lexington if you need to. I've always loved barns for their smells, mysterious dark corners and farm implements, the uses for which I'm usually ignorant. But I'll find out after I get my lottery check.  In the meantime, they, and the land they seem to grow out of,  will be frequent subjects, I'm guessing. 

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.