No April Fool's

I got out and did the first real plein air of the season yesteday with a small 8 x 10 oil on canvas panel of a clump of daffodils I planted as a lark last fall. I found a bag of bulbs in the garage purchased Zeus only knows and got them in the ground before the frost. Up they came so looking for a motif their it was. Not bad but I am not happy with the grass. I need more practice with grass. Must do more daffodils while they are around.

New Web Site coming

I have a new website called http://www.risnerart.com/ and its under construction. It will have a gallery of my work and other items for attracting art buyers to my art. I recently sold a commission work, as yet untitled, and its turned out well. I did it on December 1st. A studio but

alla prima. I like the earth tones in the foreground and the violet browns and grays of the tree in the background. I like doing knife work and give the sky some texture and energy that is really there but hard to describe with a brush.

10-11: Plein air artists

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910119990 This is a story from the Toledo Blade Sunday Oct. 11, 2009 about local plein air artists and the joy of plein air painting. The Ohio Plein Air Society is mentioned and I am interviewed. It is all part of spreading the word to the world. I am but a voice that cries out from the wilderness!

Columbus Museum of Art Exhibition

The CMA is hosting a plein air exhibition and art auction for the Ohio Plein Air Society beginning Sept 10 - 18th. Members of OPAS, myself included, have made plein air painting of the Russell Page garden which will be destroyed to make way for a new museum expansion. We have submitted our painting to a judge who will decide who will be in the exhibition in the museum. I submitted one which took about 3 hours last Thursday. First real painting since I became ill.

It looks it too :). I call it Garden as Teacher for there is a lot to be learned in plein air by painting this garden with its shape angles, solid geometry, sculptures, and foliage. Not at all like the gentle feminine landscape features of Italy or Ohio