Tuscany images

"Good things come in small packages"

o.k this site isn't working quite right. I don't know what happened to my previous posts. So I'm going to add another post to see if it links ok. yep, I love changes.

At my art fairs I like to have a good range of sizes and prices. These are little framed 10" x 10" images from my trip to Italy last fall.

"Dogwood Creek Morning"

"When morning glides the sky, my heart awakening cries" hymn

It's been awhile since my last blog partly because something has changed with eblogger from Google and I had trouble finding it and signing in. Love changes.

So I'm off to Summerfair in Cincinnati at Coney Island off I-275 and Kellogg Ave. Booth 29K. The breeze will be blowing cool off the river and I have 2 great little fans that run on 18 volt rechargeable batteries from Home Depot.

This creek runs through our park which I run/walk through in the early morning and on this morning it was so beautiful that I had to walk back home, sweating all the way, and grab my camera and sketch book. Later in the week at my studio in Artists Attic using these two references I created "Dogwood Creek Morning." 

I'm still in a quandary about the best approach - pure plein air-creating the piece entirely on site or using reference photos and black and white sketches to help me capture the essence of the scene. I'll continue to battle with plein air to get that interpretation of the scene instead of just reporting what I'm viewing. On this piece I used an oil wash for the initial underpainting which is another goal - to be able to create an underpainting that is satisfying in it's own right, so I don't end up covering up all the underpainting with pastel.

"Dogwood Creek Morning" oil wash and pastel, framed 24" x 30"  $850

Red River Gorge Rocks

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams
My daughter climbs rock, very tall rocks, just for the fun and challenge of it. I don't get it but this quote reminds me of her recreation and there are no mistakes in rock climbing.
These 2 drawings are for a friend who is developing a product and needs drawings of Red River Gorge rocks. 

"Red River Gorge Rocks" 10" x 6"

So what do you think, Baesha and Kathy? Like either one???

"Climbing the Gorge" 10" x 6"

Color-Barns

"Color thinks by itself, independently of the objects it clothes." Charles Baudelaire
I started using pastels in 1983 because my watercolors were whimpy in the color department. I took those vibrant pastels and colorized the watercolors which improved them a great deal.
I've always been in love with color - who isn't, vibrant, rich and highly contrasting colors. I can still appreciate a piece of art executed in monotones (if drawn well) and tonal coloration but I'm always pulled towards brightly colored pieces.
When you think about your own "visual voice" as an artist, think about how you feel about color and put that thought into your artist statement.
Here's two images of the same barn in different colors. Which one are you drawn to?

"Purple Barn - Barren County" 8" x 12" on textured sanded paper

"Red Barn - Barren County" 8"x12" pastel on textured sanded paper

Not only is the purple barn smaller on the picture plane but the purple color seems to recede and the red barn comes forward. Hans Hoffman was an artists and wonderful teacher in the early to mid 20th century. He taught how colors move forward and recede and how objects have a push and pull against each other and within the picture plane. One of my favorite artists Wolf Kahn studied with Hans Hoffman.

Raven Run May

"With winter's blast can spring be far behind?" anonymous
Do you remember last February? Well, spring is finally here but we've had so much rain that I haven't been out working en plein aire and consequently I missed the Blue-eyed Marys which blanket the forest floor at Raven Run Park in southern Fayette County.
But the glorious sun was shining today and the sky a bright blue. This hiking trail is covered with flowers in April.

Raven Run with "Raven Run May" in lower left corner

Bath House at Shaker Village

I like producing work in "twos" Sometimes a customer will want something to go along with the piece they're attracted to. These 2 examples have different coloring even though it's the same building but in morning light and afternoon light.
This bath house at Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill has always interested me and I've drawn it 3-4 other times, each with a different take. These 2 are on the textured paper created with Art Spectrum's pastel primer.

"Shaker Village Bath House 1" 6" x 6" on textured sanded paper

"Shaker Village Bath House 2" 6" x 6" on textured sanded paper

Spring Rain

"Rain, rain, go away" nursery rhyme
If you live in Kentucky, you know what I'm taking about. We've had the wettest April in history; with today's rain it'll top out around 12" for the month. No plein air painting this month.
So here's a pastel created this winter from a rainy evening in Florence, Italy.
This weekend I'm headed to Cherokee Triangle Art Fair, at Bardstown Road and Cherokee Parkway, in Louisville, booth #206. Come see me if you're in the area.

"Rainy Florence Evening" 12" x 8" on Wallis sanded paper