Cedar Creek Spring

Did this one early this afternoon in Cedar Creek, Cumberland County, Kentucky. The sun was high overhead, and I didn't bring my umbrella, so I had problems trying to keep the sun off my palette. I think it worked out okay though. Including the beginning, part of the block-in, the finish, and one of my paint box modified to carry canvas and panels with parts from a french easel.

"Cedar Creek Spring"
16" x 20", oil on oil primed linen board, plein air

Daughter sketch

Here's a quick 12" x 9" charcoal sketch I did this morning before going to work. It's on a toned linen panel, in the hopes of adding paint to it later today.

The Bistro, Bowling Green, Kentucky

I know it's been a couple of weeks since I posted anything, please forgive me. Lots of things going on these days.

This small one is the start of a Bowling Green, Kentucky series I'm planning that will encompass my palette knife work along with the bright underpainting, using Google Street View as reference. If you haven't seen or read anything about my use of Street View HERE is a link to my website, specifically the Press section. You can also peruse the website to see all the Street View paintings I done so far. I really do love painting these small ones with the knife.

I don't plan on doing any certain types of businesses or houses in Bowling Green. Just whatever catches my eye. These will be available for purchase at the time of posting here on this blog. They will eventually make it to the website, but that may take a few days as the series progresses. If you are interested in purchasing just let me know. They are 5" x 7", oil on canvas panel, palette knife, unframed, and are $200 each.

If you'd like a similar style of painting of a view you've found on Street View, perhaps your home, or a past home or business location, just let me know. I'm sure we can do business together. It usually takes about a week for the painting to dry enough to be safely shipped.

"The Bistro"
Bowling Green, Kentucky
5" x 7", oil on canvas panel, palette knife, GSV

Dale Hollow Overlook

Painted this one at Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park today. Stood on the deck of the restaurant. Even though it was a gorgeous day today, it was still too cool to seat people outside, so I had the deck to myself.

"Dale Hollow Overlook"
16" x 20", oil on linen panel, plein air

Grodemveien near Byfjorden

How's that for a title? A little knife painting of Norway for the Virtual Paintout this month.

"Grodemveien near Byfjorden"
5" x 7", oil on canvas panel, palette knife

Countryside

Here's a larger one I finished up tonight. I think it's finished. Probably not though. There's a couple of areas I think I'll look at later. But pretty satisfied overall at this point.

I'm adding a few detail shots as it's hard to get a good pic of the whole thing in it's wide format.

"Countryside"
24" x 48", oil on linen

 

  

  

  

 

House and Field

Here's a small, quick one painted with the palette knife.

"House and Field"
5" x 7", oil on panel, palette knife

Connections

Here's a small plein air piece I did today. How 'bout that sunshine! Huh? It's about time. I walked in a creek forever, got muddy, got into thorns at different times, ended up frustrated, set up and painting a horrible mess, wiped it off, turned around and painted this. Still not great by any means, but better than the first one.

"Connections"
9" x 12", oil on panel

Outcropping

I worked on this one on location for about about 3 hours earlier today. I found the scene and composition difficult to handle, and finished it up tonight in the studio with about 2 more hours work. The top of these limestone outcroppings were covered in moss, as was a lot of the tree trunks where they emerged from the ground, and most of the rocks.

"Outcropping"
20" x 30", oil on linen

(Here's a re-do on this one. I didn't like where it was and decided to attack it. It's only paint and canvas. The original is below the adjusted painting.)

Dusting

Here's another snow painting from the southeastern part of Cumberland County, Kentucky, very close to Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park. The road that travels through this small valley is Davidson Road. Did this one from a photograph I took recently.

"Dusting"
20" x 24", oil on linen

Meltdown

Went back to a little stream in the woods today. Didn't think it was that cold when I first went out, but before long was warming my hands in gloves.

"Meltdown"
16" x 20", oil on linen panel, plein air

Turbulence

Finished this one up tonight. This was done from the small plein air piece I painted yesterday, and from reference photos I took while down in the creek. And when I say, "in the creek", that exactly what I mean. Mud-dee.

"Turbulence"
24" x 30", oil on linen

Creek Study 2

Different day...different creek. Trying to catch some movement in the water.

"Creek Study 2"
9" x 12", oil on linen panel

Creek Study

I went out today into a mixture of snow flurries, sleet and rain to paint. I found this subject just waiting for me in a section of woods behind and above my sister's house. I also found quite a bit of mud at the same location. ;)

Will probably paint this one larger at some point. I took some good ref pics while there, and the simple act of being there and painting has stuck the scene and atmosphere into my mind. So larger might work with this one.

I used an umbrella today, which I don't normally do, but I needed to protect the canvas and palette. Including a pic of the set-up and subject.

"Creek Study"
16" x 20", oil on linen panel

Winter Morning

Here's a small one of a scene behind our house. Adding a close-up. Thanks for looking.

"Winter Morning"
9" x 12", oil on panel

Snow Bales

A snow storm blew through last night and dumped about 5 to 6 inches here in town. I took the opportunity to try another plein air snowscape, even though the temperature was pretty cold and the wind was blowing a bit. I took shelter next to a building which kept a lot of the wind off me as I painted. This one is close to being finished, but I'll probably tweak the values of the building a little.

I'm including a detail shot and a shot of me and my layers. ;)

"Snow Bales"
16" x 20", oil on linen panel

 

  

 

Virtual Paintout in School

Hello everyone. As some of you know I started a project a while back that I call the Virtual Paintout. The purpose is for artists to gather, virtually, in a designated area in the world each month through the use of Google Street View (accessed through Google Maps), and paint or draw a subject of their choosing. The artist then sends me a pic of their work and I post it on the blog.

This project has grown quickly over the past couple of months and looks like we might get close to 100 submissions for January. One of the folks that has started to participate is Melinda Campbell. Melinda is an art teacher of sixth grade students in a public school system here in the States. She has integrated the VP idea into her class, and said she was surprised at how many students chose Washington, D.C. and New York City. She said that many chose their on homes as a subject also. And that their behavior was excellent, they were involved, and so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Melinda also says that she was able to "cross discipline and integrate geography, social studies, math, language arts, history and science in with the art lesson."

She sent 10 pics of some of the work, which I'm adding here. I hope you enjoy them. I certainly did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

  

 

Escape

Here's something I've been playing with for a couple of days.

"Escape"
22" x 28", oil on linen

Gray Day Stream

Here's one I painted outside today. Sun came out for a minute, but that was about it, so I decided to forge ahead and see what I could do.

"Gray Day Stream"
20" x 24", oil on linen

 

 

Haggard Branch

I've worked on this one for a while now. Finally got over being shy and threw the paint to it the last two days in between laundry, work, and kids.

This is a small stream that runs next to Leslie Road and crosses Jackson Hollow Road in Cumberland County, Kentucky. Adding a detail shot of the grasses on the right side.

"Haggard Branch"
22" x 28", oil on linen