Sketch Group Visits the Petting Farm

Yesterday was a great day...not just because it finally stopped raining. Friday morning Tai Chi class always puts me in a happy mood, then in the afternoon our sketch group drew farm animals....but not all of them. I completely did not have time to draw any bovines. I'm going back soon for the Scottish Highland calves, cow and huge ox and for the  young steers, assorted sheep, goats, llama and chickens. I tried to get a good drawing of 4 miniature donkeys, but I think I was smitten by CUTE and was unable to function. Next time I will stay all day. (Next time I will not sit on a hay bale in stretch pants to draw the donkeys...hard to concentrate.)

These are quick charcoal sketches made at Brattleboro, Vermont  Retreat Petting Farm. What a great place....and not just for kids. The animals have it pretty good and were chosen, not just for their good looks, but are friendly. Visitors are encouraged to feed hay to certain animals. They like this and are quite obliging.

Yes, animals move a lot. Get over it. Do your best to observe and remember...this is a skill that can be developed through practice. Look for actions that will be repeated over and over. If the rabbit is chased out of his box by the gang of four year olds, the rabbit will return asap. If mama pig has just been given a huge pile of grain, she will stand right there until it is gone, lest her piglets should steal a kernel from her. Not every page of your sketchbook needs to be pretty...many will have fragments of feet, tails, ears and noses...unpaid models who fled.

I wanted to bring that little black and white piggy home....at least I have my sketch. Squeeeeeeeeaaaal! snort.

My years of sketching at The Harford, PA County Fair paid off yesterday.

Our sketch group welcomes fellow drawers.

Rose and Pansy Bouquet

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A small watercolor done yesterday; I set up a tiny vase on my drawing table containing what I consider to be a wonderful bouquet of a single blossom of Winter Sunset Rose and some almost black, huge pansies.
It will be for sale during my upcoming Annual Summer Art Exhibit July2 through 11 here at the studio. The exhibit is open daily 10am-6pm with the following exceptions: July 2nd is an opening reception only from 6-8pm and July 11th the show closes at 4pm.

Hawley Farm

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Unusually restrained color for me in this typical Susquehanna County Farm scene. The image is 18 x 18 and will be for sale this summer at the Butternut Gallery. I am working on some new Susquehanna County pieces for an August showing by Bob Smith, Betty Bryden & me; part of a year-long celebration of the 200th birthday of our county. My focus for these new paintings will be places and small scenes that interest me; not the county icons. I'm on the look out for little buildings and quirky twists to a typical scene.

My Barn Flower Box

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This display of Gleam nasturtiums and Midnight Sun pansies has greeted me daily as I go about my garden chores and it is the last of the August paintings...a small four inch square watercolor.

I set out to paint every day in August and I almost did that (missed 2 days). Some paintings took more than a day or two to complete. I ended up with about 14 new framed paintings, manyof them gardens or flowers.

I like working on projects. I enjoy waking up every day and thinking about what I am going to paint that day. Projects lend a certain focus to my work. I appreciate the continuity; not allowing interruptions to derail my painting. I also got some ideas for larger studio paintings to work on in the coming months.

During September I will be adding to the Fifty State Plein Air Painting Project, visiting New England. And I'll be preparing my new work and messy studio for visitors during the Artists' Open House Weekend October 10, 11 & 12. On October 12th I'll be demonstrating watercolor here at the the studio at 11 am and pastel at 2pm. Please join me. I will be happy to answer technique & materials questions as well as those on "art."

My Day at Gibbs

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These are two of the last August Painting marathon pieces; both done as the guest at Gibbs Garden Center, LeRaysville, PA last Saturday. The morning especially threatened rain which allowed me to have a really active sky in each painting. They are each about 2-hour paintings with minimal adjustments back in the studio. They will be for sale here at my studio during The Artists' Open House Weekend October 10,11,12.

Williams Pond

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August 9th I wrote:
This morning the haze & mist hung heavy over Williams Pond. It is a location that I have been painting and drawing for 30 years. It is, so far, quite unchanged. This is the initial lay-in; defining shapes, values and suggesting colors. It was too wet outside today for pastel painters so I worked on this inside. I like the way mist & haze transforms space and distance and makes my familiar surroundings look alien.

Today I have almost finished the painting of Wiliams Pond 10 x 15 inch image size.

From Various Bridges

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This is Secret Place, one in a series of paintings done from bridges. This is actually inspired by some photographs I took and a plein air painting done from a local bridge last October. It is in the current exhibit of my paintings at the Butternut Gallery, mentioned below.

When I am driving over a bridge, my head spins right and left to check out the view and then simultaneously look to see if there is a place to set up the easel or at least to park and take photos. In my very rural county I can often slow to a dead stop in the middle of the bridge to check out these conditions. Finding a favorable bridge is a real goldmine to me. Here in Pennsylvania, trees obscure everything, but they don't grow on bridges and for that I am thankful.

Spending a few hours painting on a two lane bridge where there may be four other vehicles passing me all afternoon is why I tolerate living in this remote (and somewhat backward) corner of Penns' Woods. Being on a bridge often means being above or near the tree tops and really gives a unique view of surroundings.

I am really chomping at the bit for some spring-like weather to drag the easel outside. In 2006 Susquehanna county suffered devastating floods; people lost everything including their land in some cases. It was declared a National Disaster Area and FEMA was here for months, but finally we have many new improved, wider and taller bridges over our myriad small creeks and streams. I plan to put them to good use starting with the first day above 45 degrees! So nice of the government to provide space at the edges for me and my easel!