Standing Firm

"Standing Firm"

Day 22 of 30/30

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

I went plein air painting this past Tuesday as I do most weeks.  I attempted four other starts and kept wiping them off.  Maybe this fifth one will work!  I think that is a record for me.  There were all these massive trees on the church property and I wanted to feature them and their immense presence.    In the end I went for a very simple rendering of my surroundings.  As I named this painting, I thought it was very appropriate as I was going to "stand firm" and have something to show for my efforts!  Tomorrow is another day!

Soft and Dreamy

"Soft and Dreamy"

Day 15 of 30/30

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

This started out as a plein air piece.  When I brought it home and looked at it again, as often happens, I did not like it one bit!  I decided to greatly simplify it and make the background very simple .  I added more highlights on the grass and pointed those highlights to the tree (which is my focal point) which sat forlornly off to the side.

This challenge is all about learning and trying things out to see how they work.  These few changes make it work a little better and gave it a softer look.  

Hope you return tomorrow for Day 16.

Up Against the Fence

"Up Against the Fence"

Day 13 of 30/30

$8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

Day 13 finds us over in Leiper's Fork TN, just outside of Nashville.  I was fortunate to attend a three-day Anne Blair Brown workshop back in March of this year and on the last day we were able to get outside and paint plein air.  I snapped lots of photos that day and thought this one would work well in this tree challenge I have given myself.  I really liked how the empty but stark tree branches formed such a strong statement against the beautiful blue sky.  

Anne told us that the property on the right side of this fence belongs to Justin Timberlake!  Evidently he owns quite a spread of land in this area.  Unfortunately, he didn't amble over to chat with us!  Maybe next time!

Come back tomorrow for Day 14 to see what I share.