Life Around The Farm.....Days 124 - 129

 There is nothing like our flat Delta land. From the endless skies, to the geometric shapes of the fields seen from the top of our bluff, there is no other place like it. Day 124 was a grey day, but around four in the afternoon, the clouds separated just enough allow some crystal blue sky to peek through.

That combined with the bits of green showing between the dormant fields made for a fantastic color study.

 Day 125 was another grey and drizzly day and I knew my painting window would be small, so I hiked up to the top of our bluff to do a quick distance study. The sky was expressive, so I concentrated on keeping the ground simple with the masses of the trees and fields broken down into simple shapes of color.

Day 126 was bright and Sunday. Loved the way the light was hitting my garden shed and greenhouse. It also makes a great color study. Getting the oranges to stay bright in the light as well as in the shadow was quite a challenge.

Day 127 was a busy day with only a little painting time in the morning. I knew I would have to paint somewhere close to the house. I was getting frustrated with a lack of inspiration, when I noticed my rooster Louie with a couple of his hens and I knew exactly what I wanted to paint. They are clearly as happy about the return of spring as I am.

Day 128 was a late afternoon study of the cedar tree and the brighter green mass of the vines that have sprouted leaves over the past few days. Trying to keep masses simple is a constant struggle.

We have a pasture just up the road full of Charolais cows. I have been wanting to paint them for weeks, but I never seem to have the time at the same time that they decided to graze close to the road. Today it all worked out and I was able to do a few studies of them. I really want to do a larger version including the whole pasture. These will be great in helping get the true light and color of the these lovely ladies.

It's been a crazy busy week and finding time to paint has been a challenge. It would be easy to just say "I don't have time today", but you never get where you want to be by taking the easy way out.

Spring is coming!..... Days 118 - 123

So last week was spent studying nothing but values and shapes and I will say it was a like a breath of fresh air that I really needed. Not only did the week give me a new perspective and awareness of values, it also allowed for some little peaks of spring. 

I started Day 118 beside the small pond at my friend Jean's. We have had a lot of rain lately and so the water was muddy. The combination of the light reflecting on the tree trucks as well as the shadows on the pond made for a great study.

Day 119 was another beautiful sunny day. The morning light was perfect and the trees have that rosy tint that happens just before the new leaves form. I love this old barn at my neighbor's and the way the shadows played across the grass. There is even a tinge of green starting to appear on some of the oaks. I'm excited... to say the least.

Days 120 and 121 for lack of a better explanation, depicted the same scene. That's okay if one is in the sun and one is a complete grey day isn't it? These Bradford pears are really putting on a show this year and I know with the stormy weather we are having, it could be short lived so I had to study them while I could. Day 120 was a grey day, a nice little downpour even made an appearance while I was painting, clarifying the saying "oil and water don't mix"! 

Day 121 brought a sunny day (or at least partly) and I was able to study the cast light on the same pear trees. White blossoms are definitely a challenge, because like I tell my students, white is never white. 

 Day 122 took me to my friend Jill's yard. Jill has been inviting me to her place to paint and I finally got the chance to stop by. Her house sits on a lovely pond with cypress trees and woods all around and there are a multitude of painting opportunities. I walked around and thought about several sites, but I couldn't get the first thing I noticed when I pulled up to Jill's house. I have a thing about trees and this live oak was amazing. The shape of the trunk, the color of the moss, the light here and there, I couldn't wait to paint it. I can promise I will be painting it again too!

Day 123 brought yet another study of trees. These were on the backside of the farm as the sun was coming up behind them. The sun was warm and the birds were as excited see these signs of spring as I was. Even though we didn't have a lot of snow, it has still been a hard winter and I am glad to be on the other side of it!

The Importance of Good Values .... Days 111 - 117

The days have been a little warmer and the trees are so close to budding out, but they are not there yet.  The thought of painting another grey dormant landscape is taking its toll.  Another week of rain is predicted and I am feeling a little uninspired.

A wonderful artist/teacher/friend suggested I take a break from  "recording the natural history descriptions" and instead concentrate on black and white - using 3-4 values only, painting more graphic statements and finding a way to harmonize these shapes.

To say this was a stretch was an understatement. I love doing value studies and I think it is such an important exercise, but I have never simplified them to this level. Fighting details and the problem of overstating them is a battle I fight every time I go out. I really struggled the first few days but then I realized how much more in tune I was with the compositional elements and the way strong values affect them.

I stayed with this exercise for 7 days, definitely no "pretty little paintings" here. I feel like I can now go back out with a fresh set of eyes.

Clouds and Moods - Days 108 - 110

As the grey days of winter continue, I decided to focus a little more on sky and mood in Days 108-110. There is SO much to study in a sky full of clouds. Color and value are not only everywhere, but they are also ever changing. Day 108 was a dark grey day with the constant threat of rain and Day 108 brought a clearing sky (that sadly wouldn't last long) with puffy cumulus clouds and peaks of different shades of blue in-between.

Day 110 brought the return of grey sky and rain. I was finally able to get out at the end of the day and study the interesting muted pink and lemon yellow tone to the ever present grey sky. We are having temperatures that are starting to be a bit warmer and so the Delta fields are popping out some bits of green here and there. It's not spring yet, but it's coming!!

Shapes and Structures.....Days 103 - 107

 I love painting structures, but I also feel that they are a weak spot. We had a bit of sunshine on Days 103 and 104 and I found some nearby structures to practice with. Day 103 was an old grain bin just down the highway and Day 104 is an old shed next door. Practice makes perfect and I need more!

Rain returned on Day 105.  Rain and more rain, so I gave in an opted for an indoor still life study. Having chickens that lay a variety of colored eggs made my subject matter a little more interesting.

Rain continued into Day 106 and so back to painting from to the front seat of my car.  The shape of the turn row and the little bit of color in the dormant cotton field diffused all the drab greys. 

Back to structures on Day 107. I spend all day on Tuesdays at the Charleston Art Center teaching classes and working with CARE, so I only get about a 30 minute window for painting.  When you only get 30 minutes, then that is what you use.  City Hall from the Art Center window was my subject of choice. More structure practice is a good thing.

Winter in the Delta.......Days 99 to 102

Back painting at my mom's. This pond seemed so big when I was a little girl fishing with her friends. It is somewhat more shallow  now and covered with duck weed, but it's still a peaceful place. The Mississippi hills have a much different feel than the Mississippi Delta with each being beautiful in their own right.  It was gray and threatening rain, but on Day 99, I couldn't resist the moodiness of this scene.

Day 100!!! I love the old grain bins just up the road from our farm. The sun had returned and there is a nice place to pull off of the highway, so I set up around 4:30 in the afternoon. The light was so golden, but was changing extremely fast. Captured what I could before it was all gone.

Day 101 found me back in the hills of Lafayette County. This little dirt road leads to Sardis lake. I would have loved to have walked a little further, but I was short on time. I did like the way the fence trailed down the hill, so set up and settled this scene.  The cedar trees and the oak holding on to its last bit of leaves gave some nice colors to study.         

Day 102 brought back the rain ..... and the wind.... and the cold, luckily I was able to paint this scene from the front seat of my car.  Really yearning for spring!

From Moon Risings to Sunsets, Days 95 - 98

 This week brought on the Blue Moon, Blood Moon and Lunar Eclipse, which brought not only great chances to paint the moon, but also incredible bright moonlight. We were also fortunate enough to have warmer weather, so I was able to take advantage of all of the above.

On Tuesday, Day 95, the moon came up while the sun was still shining. I rushed home after teaching class and was able to study it just as it came over the tops of the trees. The appearance of it was so big and even though it was still daylight, the glow was beautiful.

Wednesday, Day 96, brought the bright moonlit night.  The temperatures were in the 50s so if was actually a nice night to be out. I purchased a small clip on book light that I can attach to my easel. It allows me to see my paint and to mix the colors on my palette. On nights like tonight the light was so bright that I could turn the light off and actually paint by the moonlight.

We had a brief bit of sun before rain moved in on Day 97, so I struck out early to take advantage of it. I didn't have time to go far, so I went to backside of our farm where I was drawn to the shadows on the path leading to our neighbors. It was nice to see a little color from not only the pine trees, but also the few oak trees still hanging on to their leaves.

Friday Day 98, brought the most spectacular sunset I have ever seen on our hill (and we have seen some great ones!). I couldn't help but face the challenge of painting it. The vibrancy of the colors that make the sky look like it's on fire just seem impossible for me to capture.  The ever changing shift in the colors is also overwhelming, but the attempt was SO much fun.