September 23 - Sunset Color Lesson Painting

"Sunset Light over the Farm" I'm still in Lexington, because flights all over the place were cancelled due to a second storm front that came through today. I was standing at the airport check-in counter and the attendant tells me my flight to California from Dallas was also cancelled. So I'm enjoying a nice glass of wine at Melissa's farm and planning to leave very early tomorrow morning. Safer, definitely. I'll share a small photo of the black tornado sky that was coming up over the farm when we came back. It's on today's date for September. I've never seen a true "tornado sky" before!
This 9 x 11 oil was the demonstration painting for the Color Boot Camp's Sunset lesson. I asked my students to focus on the orange and alizarin characteristics of sun and shadow, and to remember that skies are a simple formula of three hues.
On other news, I've firmed up the dates for the Georgia Color Bootcamp workshop one year from now--September 11-14. If you're interested, email me.
This sunset painting is available for $150 from the link for September above.

September 22 - Warm Up Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park (Evening light, plein air)

Well, here it is eleven p.m., and I'm to fly out tomorrow from Lexington airport. However, small problem. There are...ulp...TORNADOS coming. Maybe I'm supposed to stay here for a couple days more? We'll see. Sure was sad to see the great group of students pack up and leave for all different parts of the country. I made wonderful friendships and know they learned a great deal about color and times of day. I will miss them all terribly.

Today's painting is the one I did on Wednesday afternoon as a plein air for the students, to demonstrate on location work, after our regular class. It was cold that evening, unlike the nice weather (temperature-wise!) we're having now. I sat looking over one of the warmup rings, where some of the youthful riders were prepping their mounts for the competition for that show of jumpers the Kentucky Horse Park just had. It was fun laying in the clouds in this "sky" painting, even though they eventually brought TORNADOS! This is a 12 x 9 inch oil, and was painted in about 40 minutes, and depicts late afternoon light, before the orange of evening colors everything up. You might be able to buy it if we survive the night of TORNADOS. Egad.
SOLD to the collection of Stephanie Allison of Shelbyville, Kentucky.

September 21 - Back Lighting on a Horse

"Backlit Pasture Moment" A quick study to show my students how to deal with backlit subjects. I like the quick brushmarks and looseness of the edges, and that happened because I was painting as quickly as I could due to time constraints. The students got the message and produced some fantastic backlit artwork! Original oil on canvas, 12 x 9
SOLD to the collection of Joan Bennett of Oxford, Maryland

September 20 - More Pastures at the Kentucky Horse Park

"Underpainting with Cadmium Orange" (Pastures at the KHP #2) One of the demonstration paintings for the last workshop, this 12 x 16 acrylic painting was started over an underpainting of acrylic that continues to peek through in various places in the final composition. A familiar tactic to unify a painting, this bright pigment livens up areas of the work. In the earlier version on September 16, you'll see the quieter version. $100 Available from the Daily Paintings Website for this date.

September 19 - Calling the Stragglers (Hunting)

"Calling the Stragglers" This painting was the demonstration painting for morning light for my eleven students in the workshop at the Kentucky Horse Park today, and is a 12 x 16 oil. I drew all of the dogs "from my head" without reference. There was one hound, the light tan one, in the source material, but he didn't become as important as the one with the brown patches. There are two hounds coming in from the far right, in case you may have missed 'em.
SOLD to Sally Jackson (and Rags), who are attending the workshop.

September 18 - Chincoteague Moonlight (Pony)

"Chincoteague Moonlight" Today's painting is a colorful example of moonlight falling on the back of one of the many feral ponies living on the  outer barrier islands off the coast of Virginia and Maryland. Although some think the ponies are descendents of ponies that came from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon, the most plausible explanation is that they are offspring from horses that were brought to Assateaague Island in the 17th century by landowners trying to avoid fencing issues and taxation of livestock! I grew up in Virginia so this painting is close to my heart. Original 9 x 12 inch oil, $275
SOLD to Louise Mellon of Aiken, North Carolina

September 17 - Valley View Ferry

"Valley View Ferry" Here's the plein air (on location) painting from yesterday afternoon, created with a pleasant hour at the edge of the Kentucky River. The cables hold the ferry from the white A-shaped tower on each side, no matter the river's height. I learned that Kentucky has more fresh water than any state in the United States, including Alaska, according to my hosts. It certainly is a GREEN state, although some of the leaves, like on this large sycamore(?) across from where I was sitting are starting to turn fall colors. It must be beautiful year-round, yet I haven't been here in the winter.  Original 4 x 4 inch oil $100
Available from the Daily Paintings Website for this date.