A Split Second of Divinity

A Split Second of Divinity

6X8, Oil on Panel

SOLD

This a plein air from near Waco, Texas done just before the end of 2016.  If you've ever tried to do a sunrise or sunset in plein air, you know how hard they are, how quickly the sky changes it's character and intensity.  The entire palette can shift on you in a minute or so, going from vibrant yellows to reds and pinks.  So it is a tall order to think that I might have finished this one as is on-site.  It had some pretty extensive studio work done and is therefore my first completed piece in 2017!

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Bigelow Barn

Bigelow Barn

16X20, Oil on Panel

Available

I have been doing the "7 Day Artist Challenge" on Facebook and I decided that I would refresh people's memories of some older work.  This one was completed several years ago and somehow escaped being posted anywhere except a small, fairly low res image on my main website.  I had no other good photos of this painting so I reshot it and now have it properly cataloged.  It was intended to be a commission for a friend of my late wife whose husband built this barn outside the small Perry County town of Bigelow.  When it came time to deliver, they just never replied.  I think it was their loss as this has been one of my favorite pieces since the time I finished it.

Sevier County Barn, Sevier County

Sevier County Barn

9X12, Oil on Panel

Available

A little yellow house off in the distance beckoned me down this dirt road south of the town of DeQueen.  As I approached the house, I came to the conclusion is was deserted but I also noted that there was no convenient place to set up to paint it.  The road made a 90° turn just past the house and there was a gate into a field right at the apex of the corner.  This gave me a great place to pull off the road and set up but I felt I was too close to the house to paint it.  There were numerous little barns in the field but this pair of red barns caught my eye.  I had to fight the changing light and odor from a nearby hog farm that was cleaning out a barn but I wound up with a result I liked straight out of the field with no studio work.

I am gearing up for a major show that starts at the end of the month.  I have mostly completed my Painting Arkansas project but need some clean up work.  Stay tuned for the remaining counties!

Fences to Mend, Polk County

Fences to Mend

11X14, Oil on Panel

SOLD

This old barn is at the foot of Fourche Mountain in Polk County at the western edge of the state.  Beautiful country over there.

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Sultry Searcy Day

Sultry Searcy County Day

18X24, Oil on Panel

SOLD

 

Here is a larger version of a study I did a few weeks ago.  I have not painted this large in a while.  It was nice to see this one come together as quickly as it did since the last relatively large piece I did took several months to work out.

Being the lazy blogger I am, I have a rather substantial backlog of pieces to post, including some new counties.  You'd think I'd be in a hurry to post new counties.  I'll get around to it soon.

I have also recently learned that the Buffalo National River has canceled all artist residencies going forward due to budget cuts.  I believe that mine is the first one being cut.  It may be a blessing in disguise though as about half of my residency was going to taken up with teaching a workshop.   While I would have enjoyed the new challenge of teaching, I think I need to be spending most of my time in the act of painting.  I still plan on going to the river this fall and camping and painting just as I would have during my residency.

Searcy County Barn, Study

Searcy County Barn Study

9X12, Oil on Oak Panel

SOLD

I painted most of this one during last month's Argenta Art Walk.  It is based on a barn between Snowball and Witts Springs in Searcy County.  The actual barn is considerably more dilapidated than I'm showing it.  I'm seriously considering doing this on an 18X24.   There are at least 2 errors here that need to be corrected...anyone?