Snow Bound Slate  oil   10x8
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In honor of winter coming I'm going to post some winter paintings.  Painted this one in Crested Butte standing on the bridge across the Slate River, looking up into the mountains. Reflections, shadows and snow, it was gorgeous. Particularly attracted to the complementary colors of the weeds and the blues of the snow and ice.

The Window Box  oil  8x6
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The nasturtiums were in full bloom. Maybe I need a few nasturtium recipes for the cookbook.

Side by Side  6x6  oil

Summer light at midday with all things two by two-flowers, windows and chairs.

Patty's Gate  oil 6x6
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In the green thumb neighbor's backyard.  I wanted this little painting to not be about flowers but shapes of color.

Farmer's Market Saturday Morning   oil   6x6
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Saturday morning with the Oak Park Art League. The gladiolus were beautiful and the cast shadows caught my eye.

Cheney Mansion  oil  8x10
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Painted this with my plein air students in June.  A gorgeous day, we spent the previous day indoors  working from photos because of rain.  What I noticed was- when the students got outside the next day, because of the emphasis on abstracting the photo the day before they were less intimidated, felt more in charge and were less overwhelmed.  One of my students called it "blobism"- not painting individual things but seeing the scene as areas of value and color.

Perfectly Simple  oil  10x8
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Another house from Crested Butte. I'm interested in entrances, front steps and windows, what the front of the house has to say for itself. I hope to do a show next year called Front Steps and Stories.

House at the Corner  oil  10x8
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This house is in Crested Butte.  An old mining town in the mountains of Colorado. Every year this house catches my eye. It's deserted and the red trim has faded to pink. The windows are dark but reflect the sky and trees around it. I  particularly enjoy playing with the colors. I'm attracted to the trim in the light and shadow, the way the roof and trees cast shadows on the white wood, the yellow dandelions in the bright yard and in the shadow of the trees. I've been working on my evergreens, I find them challenging to paint. As always, less seems to be a bit more-less contrast and fewer strokes.

Goldfinch Heaven  oil  12x9
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Here's the rest of Bob's garden from a plein air perspective.  The goldfinches love the sunflowers and everything was glinting with gold, the flowers and the birds. I went twice to catch it all.  Apparently all the sunflowers are volunteers.

Into the Clear Air  oil  7x5
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A friend's yard.  I was trying to capture the effect of the flowers against the dark foliage in the light, with the foreground in shadow. And there were light flowers in the foreground too, adding to the challenge.  It's the idea that the dark t-shirt in the light areas will be darker than the light colored newspaper in the dark.  Clear as mud?

Next spring and summer I'd like to do a series of "Other People's Gardens".  Did a few this summer and found it very satisfying. It's kind of a collaboration- their garden artistry and your painting.

Simple Morning Light  oil  8x6
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This is a northern Wisconsin painting. Went out with my backpack and paints to the end of our dirt road and was met with a confusion of trees (is that like a gaggle of geese?) and undergrowth.  I feel good about this one- I wiped the first one. It was quite the task of abstraction and simplification. And green.

Gathering  oil 10x8
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In the backyard with my easel, with the lawn mower going in the background.

Straining Towards the Light oil  6x6
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The cone flowers or echinacea are simply gorgeous this year.  The petals remind me of floppy rabbit ears. I tried to paint them as though the ones closest were leaning in towards me, the ones further away leaning away. I'm going out daily this week to try and capture them.  They're pretty elusive.

Red Trim  6x6 oil
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A sunny morning at 9000 feet. I've admired this little deserted house for several years, especially the way the red has faded to pink on the east face. The morning started sunny and within an hour a storm blew in and I had to run for it.  I guess I've been looking at this house long enough that an hour was enough-good thing I started with the sky.

River Reflections oil 6x6
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Painted on one of our hazy days here in Chicagoland. A rare opportunity for atmospheric perpective here in the flatlands.

Welcome Home oil 10x8
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I painted this one with a student. The light on the steps and the house in the late afternoon sun caught my eye and the flowers on the steps gave me a chance to play with some spots of color.  I talk to my students about painting shapes of color and value rather than "things".  It  particularly holds true when painting vegetation. I thought about calling this blog "It's Not About the Thing". I may still do that.

Some Scrap of Shadow  6x6 oil
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Another plein air from this week.  I've passed this house/bungalow many times in past 2 or 3 years.  It hit me as I drove by today that it was the perfect time to come and paint. Did you know that you can eat nasturtiums? Delicious in salads.

Green Energy  oil  6x6

Same garden different view from yesterday's post.  My friend and neighbor has a very green thumb. I've wandered over in the afternoon to paint for several days. The garden gate depending on the light is a wonderful graphic element.

Looking In  oil 8x6
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A little plein air in my neighbor's back yard. I love the mysterious window.