The Month of May

May 4 - spring in the woods. The browns of last year's fallen leaves broken up by the greens of Dutchman's Breeches and wild ramps.

May 4, 2018, 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 6 - spring paint-day at the farm. A great group of artists came out to the farm to paint. It was so fun for me to see some old painting friends and meet some new ones, and to see this place I love portrayed through the eyes and art of others.

This is the painting that I did towards the end of the day. The fields were getting so green, and the trees of the woods were leafing out.

May 6, 2018, 10 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 9 - an attempt. Apple twigs, leaves, and blossoms in one of my favorite pieces of pottery. This was so much more difficult than I anticipated. I hope to try again next year.

May 9-10, 2018, apple blossoms. 16 x 20" oil on linen/birch.

May 11 - another attempt. These cuttings off the apple trees were still in bud stage, and I painted them in an old "Atlas" canning jar. A very fun challenge.

May 11, apple buds in an Atlas mason jar. 12 x 10" oil on linen/birch.

May 14 - A rainy Monday. The woods were turning all sorts of green, and the wet weather brought out the deeper colors of the bark of the trees.

May 14, 2018, 10 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 15th - I always like to see how the hickory leaves unfurl from their flower-like buds in the spring.

HIckory Twigs. May 15, 2018, 8 x 8" alla prima oil on linen/birch.

In the evening I went out in the fields. The trees and the fields were becoming greener, but hadn't yet put on their summer colors. The shadows on the bluffs looked blue as the light faded. 

May 15, 2018, 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 17th - I started this one late, after spending time working in the orchard clearing brush from between the rows of trees. The light was so pretty that time of day, but so fleeting! I didn't have enough time to finish and I ended up going out again a few days later, May 22, to put the finishing details in. The blooms were a bit sporadic this spring, the result of a very heavy bloom last year which was the result of a late frost that took out much of the crop the year before! By this time the grass was growing tall and green, and the air was filled with the scent of the blossoms and the buzzing of the bees hard at work.

May 17 & 22, 2018, 7 x 10" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 19 - The weather turned unusually cool this evening as I went out to try to capture a little of the dandelion-filled fields. A north wind blew and the sky clouded over.

May 19, 2018, 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 24 - Cloud study. This was one of those days when I just didn't have enough time to do what I wanted on location. But I had a start, painted in the bones so to speak, and finished it up at home that night.

May 24, 2018, 8 x 10" alla prima oil on linen/birch.

May 26 - Hot, humid weather. In the evening I went down towards the woods and set up in the shadows of the trees. The light from the sinking sun shone on the tops of the trees on the edge of the woods and lit one of the little trees that grow along the fence that separates pastures.

May 26, 2018, 6 x 8" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May 29 - Some beautiful blooms off of the bridal wreath bushes that grow by the house. I love the expressive shapes of the draping branches.

May 29, 2018, 11 x 14"  alla prima oil on linen/birch.

May 31 - One more chance to paint the dandelions. A quick little study before the darkness fell.

May 31, 2018, 5 x 7" plein air oil on linen/birch.

May Flowers

These two little paintings were done "alla prima" - all in one go, similar to how I do a plein air painting, but these were done indoors instead.

The first was a sweet, fragrant little bouquet of flowers picked in the yard the day before on Mothers Day: Lily of the Valley, Jacob's Ladder, Creeping Charlie, violets, and a little sprig of a Bridal Wreath bush that I caught in the door on my way in - oops!

May Flowers, 8 x 6" alla prima oil on linen/hardboard. May 15, 2017. sold

The second was done later in the month when the bridal wreath bushes were in full bloom. (This time I cut some intentionally!)

Bridal Wreath, 7 x 10" alla prima oil on linen/birch. May 30, 2017. sold

 These both went to new homes yesterday at the Stockholm Art Fair in pretty little Stockholm, Wisconsin. I hope they bring as much joy in their new homes as they did to me.

Portrait of a Barn

This is "my" barn, the poor old beauty. I can't fix it, so I keep on painting it.

The initial sketch-in:

Then, blocking in the colors, especially the highlights and shadows:

 More detail, and blocking in the sky (and catching a few gnats in the wet paint!)

 The finished painting:

9 x 12 inch, plein air, oil on linen/hardboard. May 26, 2017

I started this one pretty late, and used up every minute of daylight. Studying and painting the weathered wood and knots that still hold red paint on the faded north face, the milkhouse, the feed room, the lean-to. The long grass that surrounds it in the spring time, the beautiful old cupolas, with their touches of rust, that always catch the last of the light in the evening.

Here's looking at you, Barn.

Suppertime

"Suppertime", 6 x 8" plein air, oil on linen/hardboard.

This afternoon, after so many gloomy days, the clouds at last broke and the sun peaked through, casting long shadows and illuminating the seeding dandelions and the fields, lush from all the rain. The cows grazed in the long grass.

I had a fine time, but the dogs were bored to sleep.

The chickens, after some suspicion, decided I wasn't a threat.

A Windy Rainy Day in May

It's been so rainy and wet lately. There isn't much field work being done around the area, with the fields being muddy at best, and washed out or under water at worst. And the last few days have also been cold. It felt more like March today, instead of May, as I went out to paint.

The dandelions are going to seed, which I always find beautiful, and I wanted to paint some of them, and there's this old favorite oak tree at the corner of a field that's not quite fully leafed out yet.

Getting things started - blocking in the shapes, and painting clouds.

It was windy, and occasionally misting, and I was damp and shivering by the time I was through painting. But there were some amazing clouds out there today, the sound of the wind blowing through the grass, dandelion seeds in the air, a blackbird's nest in the hay field, and a deer passing by as I was cleaning up.

A red-winged blackbird's nest.

I call it a pretty good day to be out.

A Windy, Rainy Day in May. 12 x 9 inch, plein air, oil on linen/hardboard.

(But I hope we get some sunshine soon.)

Rain over the Ridge

It was a wet, but lovely afternoon. 

Rain over the Ridge, 8 x 16" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

The fields are growing lush, so many flowers and blossoms perfume the air, and the leaves on the trees unfurl and grow fuller every day. Today I painted the clouds which blew in from the southwest, bringing rain.

I stayed mostly dry in the doorway of a shed, kept company by a couple of damp dogs, occasionally startling a barn cat passing through on an errand.

Spring Greens and Sawdust

I went out to paint today, and after wandering around for awhile, and hunting morel mushrooms with my brother, I set up where the woods has been recently logged. The breeze was fragrant with the scents of wildflowers, all the spicy woodsy smells of spring, and cut wood.

Spring Greens and Sawdust, 12 x 9 inch plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

Painting En Plein Air Because...

 ...I want to be out-standing in my field. ;) Ha ha.

Sometimes seemingly simple things are the most difficult to paint, like a field of grass or dirt. I keep trying though. One of the best smells of spring is the soil turned over before planting.

Sunshine, the smell of newly plowed good soil, a couple of lazy dogs.

Lined up.

Plowed, plein air, 9 x 12" oil on linen/hardboard.

Old Red Barn

Old Red Barn, 12 x 9" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

I didn't go far afield to paint today. I stood in a cow pasture just south of the farm buildings, the sun shining in the west, and a surprisingly cold wind coming from the east. Old red-painted wood, green grasses blowing in the wind, and yellow dandelions beneath a blue sky.

Local Landmark

Today's painting:

The Creamery, 9 x 12" plein air oil on linen/hardboard.

This building, the old creamery, always draws my attention. Once an important center of this rural community, it has a lot of history and character. It's such a crazy combination of angles, openings, and cupolas. Definitely a challenge to draw accurately! 

Dandelion Field

Dandelion Field, plein air, 10 x 8 inches, oil on stretched linen.

A field full of dandelions, mostly gone to seed.

When I started this painting, the rain was just reaching the other side of the county. I stopped as the thunder started rumbling in the distance.

Even though I wasn't far from home, having a car close by is a good idea when the weather looks iffy.

 The sunlight, which had vibrantly lit the treetops and grasses when I began, had given way to a moody and more subdued light before the coming rain. I was glad I'd put the most vibrant greens and yellows on before they changed!

Lining the finished painting up with the path- just for fun.

:)

Planting Leeks

Planting Leeks, plein air, 8 x 10 inch oil on stretched linen.

A few days ago I helped plant hundreds of tiny leeks into a long row in one of my mom's gardens. Today, with many more to add to the row, I was a slacker, and painted instead. ;) It was a beautiful sunny morning and early afternoon, but I could see the clouds moving in from the west. I had to hurry to block in the shadows before they disappeared, and also sketch in the figures before they moved elsewhere!

This was my funny little quick sketch of my mom, with her signature red garden boots.

I was just cleaning up my brushes and palette when the first rain drops started to fall.

Pear Blossoms

Midday painting in the orchard.

It's that time of year again. The pear trees are in full bloom, humming with bees, and the rain and sunshine have produced all shades of vibrant and interesting greens, as the trees leaf out and fields grow lush.

10 x 8" oil on linen. Pear trees in bloom, May 16, 2013.

I think it's safe to finally pack away my snow pants and winter boots, but just two weeks ago we had this:

5 x 7" oil on linen. Plein air, May 3, 2013

:)