Woodpile II

Woodpile II

12" x 12" oil on board

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I painted this en plein air (outdoors) over a two day span between the hours of 9:30am and 11am.  I got most of it down the first day and then focussed on details the second day.  One subtlety that drew me to the scene was the crisscrossing hills in the background.  

On another note...I've been on instagram for a little over a year, and I'm thinking of getting off of it. Throughout the past year, I've felt more distracted, less focussed and present as well as more anxious and down on my abilities as a painter and even as a person.  I am now completely addicted to my phone, and I hate it. I enjoyed my trip to Highland County less because of my obsession with posting and seeing how many likes my paintings were getting.  I'm thinking about posts and how the paintings will look online instead of just enjoying painting and being in nature. It is fantastic to be able to see the best painters in the world in one place and then scroll down for some rare footage of the Grateful Dead but for all the reasons mentioned, it's just not worth it.  I'm looking for ways to simplify my life and this seems like a no-brainer.  Just have to hit those buttons...

Little Switzerland

 

Little Switzerland

8" x 8" oil on board

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This might sound like excuses, but I think a lot of painters would agree that the most difficult thing to do, especially when painting outdoors, is to keep things simple.  There is a universe of things going on in front of you and you have to figure out how to represent it within a two hour window before everything changes.  And two hours is generous because, really, everything changes from minute to minute.  The impulse when painting a scene is to start right in on that one thing that draws you to the scene and paint it in great detail. But, when you get too fine too soon, everything else suffers and you wind up with mud.  I think this is true no matter what the artistic medium - paint, pencil, music, poetry.  The best seems simple, when in reality, the most difficult thing to do is just the right amount.  

Cattle Gate

Cattle Gate

12" x 16" oil on board

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Conditions went from bright sunshine to long periods of thick cumulus clouds and back to bright sunshine during the two or so hours I worked on this painting.  I think I started around 2pm...The blended lighting conditions might be noticeable if you look closely, which I'm pretty sure is some kind of plein air no-no.  But ya know what?  Don't care...

More and more, I prefer paintings that are not strait forward.  I want a little poetry, mystery and abstraction, and I actually get more of a response when I create that type of painting than I do for more realistic paintings. So I like this one - it's got a lot going on.  

Peonies

Peonies

12" x 12" oil on board

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Once peonies start to go bad, they go bad quickly.  So of course, I decided to paint these on the last day of shelf life after cutting them from my back yard.  Maybe they could have used another sitting, but at least it's not overdone!