Fitzpatrick Barns (pastel, 2008)

This was done Tuesday afternoon. It was cloudy and looked like it was going to rain when I started, but then the sun came out and I had to modify the picture accordingly. I had an audience for a while, as Mr. Fitzpatrick and several kids, all of whom had just been swimming, came out to watch me work. I have had artists and students tell me that they find the prospect of having people watch them work disturbing, but I have always found that people are usually very positive (even when the picture is going badly!) and I usually get some interesting information or hear interesting stories about the subject of the picture.

Barn and Lombardy Trees (oil on canvas, 2008)

(Private Collection)
This was mostly painted directly from life on Thursday 7/17. I had a student coming at 6pm so I had to stop working on it, but I finished it up in the studio later that evening.

Hayfield and Lombardy Trees (oil on canvas, 2008)

(Private Collection)
This was painted from direct observation on Wednesday (7/16) in the late morning into the early afternoon. This and the one above were done as a commission for someone who wanted to give a small painting of mine, of which I didn't have any on hand, as a gift to her sister. The subject matter was open to me, but she suggested that I might check out the views from the field behind the house where she and her sister grew up. I fell in love with the site and will probably be going back there many more times to work.

Hay Field, Barn and Lombardy Trees (pastel, 2008)

This was done on Tuesday from almost the same location as the painting above, but much later in the day. The painting above was done in the late morning and early afternoon, whereas this drawing was done at about 7:30 in the evening.

Henderson Farm, summer (pastel, 2008)

I did a painting of this view during the winter. It is amazing how the landscape h where I live went from buried under 3 feet of snow to being such a vivid green in what seems like a very short time. I may work this idea up into a painting.

Overcast (pastel, 2008)

Fitzpatrick Barns on the Foxcroft Road. It was about to rain and the grass had taken on an eerie green glow. This was done very quickly and I managed to get the drawing board and pastel box into the car just seconds before the sky opened up. Of course, I still had to break my easel down, and got soaked in the process...