Some new ones

  Sorry I have not posted in a while but real busy with shows and the rush of summer! Here are a couple of new ones. Both are 1/8 sheet size so they are about 7x10 inches in size and painted on 300lb Fabriano paper. The rooster will develop into a larger painting soon and the cat might too not sure yet. Both are residents here at the farm. We have some new chickens this year and I have been getting some shots of them to start working from. They just move to much for me to do much of them painting from life. Hope you enjoy these!

Webbs

   This is a watercolor from two weeks ago I did for the Hoosier Salon art show in Indianapolis Indiana. It is some of my favorite subject matter which is small town life in the rural parts of the country. This one is of a street scene from Akron Indiana at the main intersection in town. One of the few small town pharmacies left in the area it is a bit of a landmark. I did this in the studio from some shots I took last winter as I always like the winter skies and the contrast of the blinking sop light. It is painted on a half sheet of Fabriano cold press 300lb paper and will be available once I know if it is in the show or not, at least one of the two paintings I entered got in and I have not yet been notified which one. Thanks for looking!

   A little footnote to this painting, it is the one that got in the Hoosier Salon. This is the first piece of art I have ever gotten into this show.

A couple from this week.

   I am in the middle of the art show season now so I am working whenever I can trying to keep new items ready for the shows. These two were done in the studio this week as I try and build up my small painting inventory. The first is of a small farm now sitting empty and the other other of a wonderful brick house that has painted white as long as I can remember and just glows in the morning light. A perfect setting with the hayfield leading up the hill to it. Both are about 7x10 inches in size and water color.

Dairy Cows

   This Water Color is of some dairy cows from a farm over by Crystal Lake. I like cows but trying to find a herd that is pastured on grass anymore. This is a pretty good sized dairy farm for our area and grazes their cows on several different pastures and raises a lot of hay. I liked all of the dandelions in this one and the look of the cow staring right at me when I took the photo I worked from in the studio.
    Painting is about 7x11 and painted on 300lb Fabriano CP paper with artist grade water colors. It is going to a show this weekend and might show up on Etsy later. Thanks for looking!

Summers Coming!

   Another one in the quest to loosen things up a bit! Boats and water are always good to loosen up the water colors and I think I got out of this subject what I was looking for. Water Color is always a struggle between to much and not enough! I read somewhere what makes a good painting is often what you do not put in it. I had gotten a couple of new brushes this week and I love them both. This painting and some others were the tryouts for them. I have been hunting a good brush that could do an entire painting and think I have found what I was looking.
   This painting is based on a photo I took last summer on Lake Wawasee in northern Indiana. It is the states largest natural lake. It is about 7x11 inches and painted on 300lb Fabriano CP paper. Thanks for looking.

Two Hens Watching

   This is a small water color I did today in the studio of some of my chickens that free range around the farm. These hens were hanging out down by the barn and I was out taking photos of them after putting out a little feed for them so they would hang around while I got the pictures I wanted. Chickens lend themselves so well to water color and it is the perfect medium for them. I had laid out a much larger painting today but with the wild weather that appeared to be coming in I was afraid I would get interrupted with fire Department duties so I did not start the paint on it. Success with Water Color is often dependent on how well you control the moisture on the paper and that requires an uninterrupted painting session until you reach the point where a complete dry out will not effect what you trying to make happen. With oils you paint the entire painting but with Water Color you paint some of it and some of it you make happen or let happen depending on how you look at it. the best water colors almost paint themselves. I always tell people to approach the medium as a coach not a king.
   Painting is about 7x9 inches in size and painted on 300lb Fabriano CP paper with artists grade paints. Painting is sold. Thanks for looking!

Quick little study

   This is just a quick little study for a larger painting. The subject is a small stream in southern Indiana deep in limestone country. Painting is 5x7 and done quickly to try and keep loose and be more about the color than the detail.