Portrait and Plein Air Studies

Chicago winters tend to be quite gray so the few days I've ventured outside to paint the landscapes have been sunny days. I am really struggling with understanding edges. These are 14"x11" plein air oil studies.
I am still enjoying escaping the cold for the Palette and Chisel where there is always a model to paint. I'm showing two 20"x16" which are more successful than others.

"Forgotten Homestead" 40"x30" oil

"Forgotten Homestead" is a painting about a place that could probably tell a thousand stories if only it could speak. Hopefully my painting is strong enough to fill in some of the gaps. This old farm looked so beautiful half buried in the prairie grass and wild flowers.
Painted with my favorite tools, a palette knife and a #20 round.

For those of you who made the Marion Street Gallery opening, Thank You!!! so much for braving the horrid weather. I hope you enjoyed the live music and variety of art as much as I did. And if you didn't get to the gallery yet, please stop by soon. I will be hanging new paintings to replace the gaps from the opening week sales!

"Brave Heart" 40"x30" oil

My daughter's passion is her love of horses and writing (visit her blog, www.aspiredauthor.blogspot.com). So this painting is for her. She loves this horse called Brave Heart. I think he's quite awful as he has thrown her quite fiercely a few time, once destroying her helmet. But she loves him so what's a mother to do, ...besides move her to a different riding school which yes, I confess I did.

Transmitted Light 12"x12" oil on linen

Now that Thanksgiving is over and thanks to my sweet mother-in-law, I've an extra 5 lbs to shed due to her amazing six homemade pies,... it is time to get back into the studio. I'm painting for a three person show which opens 2010 so my postings will be limited until I can finish a few large-scale paintings. But here is what I originally set up as a fabric study but once again realized that it's really all about value. This piece was extra tricky for me as the light flowed through the fabric in many areas as well as picked up various subtle tones from the back and foreground. I used a palette knife for most of the time but grabbed a sable brush in the end to calm down some strokes in the shadow. I think I could have used several more hours to answer more questions but I decided to stop with this one and be happy with what I learned.

plein air musings plus

The following are some pieces I did outside of my studio. I'm still working on the theme of painting- that -which -normally -doesn't -get -a- second -thought but, I find particularly beautiful.

"Blu Where There Shouldn't Be"
6"x8" Oil










On this morning the weather went from sunny and warm to dark and rainy to sunny and, well you get the picture. It really wasn't the best idea to pick reflections on those conditions. Again I struggle with getting too expressive and loosing the bit of form which gives the viewer a clue as to the fact that it is reflections in water and not purely an abstraction painting.







"River North" (Unfinished)
The sun was out, it was warm for the first time in weeks and weeks so instead of finishing the piece I was distracted by the day.

okay so this isn't a plein air piece but she is "musing" about something.

12"x9" head study in oil w/ a limited palette

head study-"DaLawn"

I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Palette and Chisel Art Academy and Gallery. They have over 60 hours of open studio/live models. This young man can sit hours, literally, without a break. Finally we artists were just too hungry and needed a rest.
9"x12" Oil on Linen