Going Green

 I decided to spend some time at the easel rather than the drawing board this week and paint up a new nature landscape painting. 

"Late Spring Meadow"
Acrylic, 11" X 14"
Click on image to purchase

I enjoy going for walks in the Jordan River Parkway, a parkway that spans the entire length of the Salt Lake Valley, I live within walking distance of a popular section of the parkway.  There are a million worthy compositions here and it's a source of endless inspiration like this grassy meadow backed by trees in the late spring when the grass is tall, still green and dotted with wildflowers.

Five Day Green Painting Challenge

 This past week I took part in a themed five day art challenge, meaning all participants needed to make a new piece of art every day for five days straight that fit within a theme, in this case the theme was "green".

While I've made green paintings in the past my inclination is really toward autumn colors, so I decided this would be a good motivation to experiment more with greens.

"Small Summer Tree Study" Acrylic "7 X 5"

All of these paintings were based on charcoal sketches I'd completed previously, in fact many of them had been posted in a previous blog.  This is one of those, just a simple study based on a single tree in a field during summer.

"Summer Shed in the Hills" Acrylic 5" X 7"

I actually simplified this one a little bit.  The charcoal sketch had two trees, I reduced that to just one.  I used somewhat different techniques for making these paintings, more or less the same as the two paintings in my previous blog post.  The palette knife was only used to mix paint so the paintings are made entirely with brush work.  I used three layers, a thin layer just to block in the composition, a thicker layer to refine the composition and color and the final layer using very thick paint with modeling paste mixed in to finalize the color/composition and add texture.

"Irrigation Canal Study" Acrylic "5" X 7"

I found this scene in Box Elder County in northern Utah a few years ago and only now got around to painting it.  I think there's potential for a larger painting of this subject.

"Path Through Spring Meadow" Acrylic, 8" X 10"

I especially like the results of this painting.  Not that it's perfect but I think it does set the mood and create an inviting scene, someone even commented that the painting made them want to be there which I think is the ultimate compliment for a landscape painter. I added a few dots of color to represent wildflowers.

"Spring on Beaver Creek" Acrylic, 9" X 12"

The reference for this painting was also collected years ago but in Cache County showing a little known creek in spring though my original reference was in autumn, however since I worked from my charcoal sketch the colors of a reference photo did not influence the colors I chose for the painting.

This was a good challenge for me. I think the paintings turned out pretty well, though I think I could have used a little more variety in the color, especially on the warmer side of the color wheel.

A New Painting Series Begins?

A few weeks ago I painted a small autumn scene using palette knives.  I decided I liked the composition enough to paint a spring version of the same scene;

"Edge of Spring"

16" X 12", acrylic on panel

This is a simple scene but it says so much.  A fence marks the border of a farm or ranch field out in the open county.  The freshness of spring fills the air and the senses. Before too long this beautiful verdant green field will turn yellow and the green leaves of the tree will have turned darker and less vibrant. Spring is a relatively short, transient state in the landscape, the time between the frigid desolation of winter and the stifling heat of summer, a time of renewal and change.  I can't say I had all this in mind while painting this piece but it was probably there subconsciously.  I often wonder why I am so attracted to painting the landscape, maybe it is because of the many emotions and moods it can evoke.

So, now I have two paintings in the "Edge of" series, I guess I'll have to do summer and winter versions as well, stay tuned...



Still Thinking of Spring

I decided to paint a companion piece to last week's "Evergreen Spring" painting,

"One Fine Spring Day"

16" X 12", Acrylic on panel

Original - $200

This painting is partly based on a photo I took last year on the Jordan River Parkway in Murray, Utah and partly from my head. The photo was taken on a very gray, overcast day but I wanted a bright, sunny spring feeling. Most of the background in the photo wasn't visible due to the limited visibility caused by the weather so I invented it, the actual background is ugly city stuff anyway.  The same day I took the photo I painted a small pastel painting on location, here is the blog post about it so you can see the difference.



Spring Tree

Here I am playing with the oils again.  Actually I painted this three or four weeks ago but didn't decide to share it on the blog until now.  I've already got another itch to play with oils again so you may see more soon.

"Spring is Coming"

Oil on panel, 8" X 10"

Original - $100

This unusual tree resides in a nearby park and I just had to paint it though it took me a while to get to it.  I took the reference photo a year ago!  I chose to portray it in early spring so I could paint that interesting structure yet have some of the leaves coming in to add some color.  That's the famous Wasatch Mountains in the background.