Wow! How time flies...I had not realized I had been gone so long. It has been a struggle for me to write as I feel that with so much information pouring in from everywhere, who needs one small artist's thoughts on any given topic, even on art. However, I made a decision to attempt a come back for my sake and hopefully yours as well. 

Here is a painting I finished up this spring. It was started a year ago but I could not seem to work on it much until finally it called me back to the easel to getter done.

Just an Illusion, 30x24, oil on panel SOLD

Here is the block in almost finished. I wanted to see if I could get the warm yellow transitioning to cool shadows in the white house. I think that is what initially stumped me for this was about where this painting sat for so long. I would venture into the tree on the side and the foreground and even into the reflections in the windows, but not that daunting white clapboard. Once I got started on it though, I ran with it and gotter done. This painting was submitted to the Framed Image show, on blues and greens, and it sold in the first week the show was up. That is very gratifying.

I had done a poor sketch of the doorway to capture the warmth of the light even in shadow at the time I took the photo reference for this painting. I had also done another study on the back of the property to get a grasp of the feeling I wanted to remember of the whole. My on-site sketches are just that - to instill a memory of what caught my attention. I don't usually show these sketches but here we go...I did this first as this is what I came upon as I was walking around during the Georgetown Plein Air event. (of which I did not participate) I try to do these very quickly and think about the shapes. Essentially, a block in. But as you can see, the shadow side had a warmth to it that I did not want to forget.

Then the quick grab some basic info before meeting friends for lunch:

I bought this linen oil pad for just his purpose and I find it is working out well for me since I really don't plan on doing a completed painting most of the time. It does get awkward so I added a binder clip after this trying day to hold the pad pages from flapping in the breeze as I try to paint.

This years Georgetown Plein Air is the end of this month, so I am going to plan on going up to paint again with a few friends. Seeing what catches other artists eyes if always fun to observe and inspire.