Peggy's Cove

Oil     6"x 8"     Canvas Board

I painted this from a photo taken last summer in Nova Scotia. Besides the attraction of the famous lighthouse, the rocks around Peggy's Cove are amazing and just beg to be explored.

Plein Air Light and Shadow

Oil     10”x 8”     Canvas Board    

Oil     8”x 10”     Canvas Board

After I got home from the workshop, I was determined to put into practice what I’d learned about light and shadow so I tried a couple views of this little garage at different times of day. I still have so much to learn, but I feel like, at the very least, I have a better idea of what I need to work on. Now I notice buildings as subject matter much more than I used to. It’ll be interesting to see if I go back to painting pure landscapes any time soon.

Plein Air Workshop Paintings

About a month ago, I took part in a plein air painting workshop taught by one of my favorite artists, Tim Horn. I’ve admired his work for a long time and finally got the opportunity to sign up for one of his workshops. It was held in Door County, Wisconsin amid beautiful scenery. Tim’s demos focused on how to clearly show light and shadow with warm and cool colors and strong value patterns, so we pretty much gravitated toward painting buildings and structures instead of ordinary landscapes. I learned so much and had a great time with fellow artists. I’ve been trying to apply what I learned and I’ll post my efforts in the days to come. Meanwhile, these are paintings from the workshop. The top one was done on the last day…starting to get the idea. Below is a quick one done toward the end of Day 2, and the bottom one was our first “warm-up” exercise painted outdoors in the bright sun.

Who Are You Calling Chicken?

Acrylic     24”x36”     Gallery Wrapped Canvas

The idea for this painting came to me as I looked at the array of whimsical objects I have sitting around my house and I could almost imagine a conversation between two of them. The cast of characters witnessing the confrontation grew (mostly dog toys found at the pet shop) and it became a “dramatic” little narrative on name-calling. Who among us, when we were kids on the playground, hasn’t nervously stood by waiting to see how this was all going to unfold?

New Plein Air Paintings

Yesterday, I took part in a plein air painting event in Breckenridge, MN where three rivers meet…the Red River of the North, the Otter Tail, and the Bois de Sioux. It was a chilly, WINDY spring day, but it was great to spend time with other artists doing what we love.

I have no idea which river I was painting at any given time. In the morning, I set up to try to capture shadows across a path to the river. The Canada geese were everywhere with their honking and splashing and the wind was another constant companion. In the afternoon, I did the two quicker studies of bends in the river. I actually like those better than my morning painting. I didn’t spend nearly as long on them, and they’re fresher and more spontaneous.

I want to thank Amy and everybody involved with the Three Rivers Arts Council for planning an carrying out this fun event!

“They’re Here”

Acrylic     30”x 15”     Gallery Wrapped Canvas

This painting was done in two distinct stages. At first, I only planned to include these wonderful, whimsical, colorful toy robots, slowly advancing toward the viewer. But, when I looked at the painting for awhile with nothing going on in the foreground, I realized it needed something…both for the sake of composition and to create some drama. There was no sense of scale. The robots could have been any size. So, I added the little guy and his dog and now I love the results. This feels like it could be a page out of a children’s book. And, despite the fact that I’m the artist who created the painting, even I don’t know “the rest of the story.” 

“Windswept”

Acrylic     40”x30”     Gallery Wrapped Canvas

I wanted to go large with this painting of sand and shadows, done from a photo I took on Prince Edward Island. The dunes bordering Cavendish Beach were towering and wild and I wanted to capture some of that. I tried to keep it simple, with just a few main shapes, and I kept the brushstrokes loose to depict the windswept sand and grass. This is one of those paintings that looks so much better from a distance than it does close-up. But I like that quality about it.