“October River”

6”x8”     Oil     Canvas Board

This was painted on the banks of the Buffalo River on one of those gorgeous October afternoons we were blessed with this year. I can still hear the rippling water and the breeze through the trees. The air was a little hazy from all the harvesting going on that day. I know the farmers in their fields were enjoying the day every bit as much as the painters at their easels.

Old Willow

6”x8”     Oil     Canvas Board

This is a very quick study of an old weeping willow down by the river. I only managed to work on it for about an hour and a half last evening before the light was gone and I was chilled to the bone. It’s amazing how cold you can get standing in one spot for that length of time. I also quit because I didn’t want to ruin the painting. I thought I would fix it up when it dried a little, but I think I’ll leave it just like it is. I like the wildness and freshness…kind of like the bent old tree itself, blowing in the wind.

Recent Plein Air Paintings

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. I have been painting with friends every Monday afternoon…just not finishing what I’ve started. I decided to add a few final touches to each and post them anyway, even if they’re not masterpieces.

“Spruce Shadows” - SOLD


6”x8”   Oil    Canvas Board

This one was painted in my friends’ driveway, looking through the hedge toward the street. I loved the strong light on the spruce trees, the purplish shadows, and the glimpse of houses and lawns through the hedge. I’m not sure someone unfamiliar with the spot would get all that from the painting. It’s hard not to try to include everything. But it’s so much fun to start with a blank canvas and end up with a little slice of nature and the memory of the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of a couple of hours spent painting.

“Garden Gate and Grapevines” - SOLD


6”x8”    Oil    Canvas Board

I painted this in another friend’s backyard, late one October afternoon. I tried to get the feel of the sun slanting through the gate and a sense of space in the suggestion of houses and rooflines beyond the fence. Even though I tried to simplify it all, it got pretty complicated. Each one of these little paintings is a step toward my goal of being able to capture what I see in a “painterly” way and, hopefully, let the viewer catch a glimpse of the time and place as I saw it. All this in one to two hours before the daylight gives way to dusk.

“Into the Sun” - SOLD


6”x8”    Oil    Canvas Board

I was captivated by the intense glare of the sun on the river this particular afternoon, and, having admired many other artists who successfully captured this effect, I decided to try it myself. But it was a whole lot harder than I thought it would be, trying to get that feel of blinding light. Mine almost looks more like moonlight. I’m going to try that, too, one day soon. “Try”…that’s the key word in all this.