Athens Paint Out

The big paintout happened. The weather looked like it was going to be bad but it stopped raining, the wind dropped and 33 artists from all over Ohio, Indiana, and West Virgina came and painted. It was the best paintout OPAS has held since the September Competition last year. I painted a grove of Cherry Trees and others did the same or other landmarks around Athens, Ohio.

Two in one day and other things

Well i did two 9 x12's today of the same subject from the same vantage point. It a crabapple tree that is leafing out with small red flowers. I did the first one at 10 am and the second at 4:40 pm and what a difference the light made on the leaves. I will post a picture later. Experiments in brush strokes and colors.

The big one Red Sun: Blue Snow is will hang in the gift shop at Acenet in Athens, Ohio till June. It is also for sale on the Art of Ohio web site http://www.artofohio.com/home.php?cat=310 along with two others: Jeff's World (shown here) and New Philli Sunrise.

Prepairing for the Italian adventure. Packing and stuffing and reducing weight.

First plein air this year

St Patrick's Day. Its a beautiful day and I went out this morning to paint a view near by. The sun was very bright and I did not bring my umbrella. Big mistake. No matter how I turned the easel I was always in the sun and my values went to hell in a hand basket. A real scrapper. Too bad. A lesson learned. Hopefully tomorrow I will remember my lesson and produce something better.

Red Sun Blue Snow

The big painting is finished as far as I am concerned. The ultramarine shadows and cad red spot of a Sun plus a little cad yellow pale mixed with white on the left hand hill set it off. I added a glaze of pale yellow/white with liquin to make a fog mist effect half way up the trees. Had to wait for the paining to dry first.

Trip to Italy

I am planning to attend a couple of workshops in Italy run by Maddine Insalaco and Joe Vinson of Etruscan Places. Its in Tuscany near Siena: Buonconvento and Montalcino. They are a week each but I will be there a month. I want to visit Florence and paint around and bring back some good work. I will be there from May 7 to June 8, 2009. I may Internet and blog from an Internet cafe or coffee house. My computer is staying home. Traveling light and I will disposes of whatever is unnecessary to bring home to save space and weight for paintings clothing included. More info at www.landscapepaintings.com

Rapids on the Hocking

I did this painting 11 x 14 on canvas panel late summer 2008 while holding a conversation with a gentleman who was waiting for the American Legion bar to open across the street. It is a good example of the left brain not knowing what the right brain is doing. The bar opened just as I finished.

big work

I have been working on a 30 x 40 inch canvas of a sun rise in fog. Its winter, ice, snow, haze, fog. More difficult than I thought it would be. The picture is the first layout with out detail. More to come.