WHITE HOUSE?

Amish Bakery Study

I have been studying with a great instructor who is helping me to loosen up my painting style and also paint quicker.  The last few classes I have taken have been difficult, trying to get something down on my canvas in the allotted class time and having it look like a finished piece. Alla Prima (Italian), or the first attempt, is what we have been striving for in these classes.

Here is my attempt (Alla Prima) at an Amish Bakery.  I took this photo reference a couple of years ago when painting at this spot with the plein air group I belong to. It was a white house with a bakery built on to the front.  While doing this study, I realized that the house, though seemingly white in the photo, was really not at all white, but bluish lavender.  The only spots of white were those where the sun just highlighted a few areas. The best memory I have of this spot is visiting the bakery just before we left and getting a sweet treat for the drive back home.

ENJOY!!

Study study study!!

 Tree Study

Tree Study Gold Leaf #1

I am very fond of trees.  Throughout my life I have had favorite trees in every place that I have lived. They became my friend when lonely, served as a hideout for sneaking away to read a book, sheltered me during storms, served as a great treehouse, given me a great collection of colorful autumn leaves, served as a soft bed beneath my tent, and stood majestically defiant while being a protected species.

I believe I could not live in a world without them.

I have painted many tress, but never really made them a subject of a painting.

These studies are a homage to the tree.  The first is a simple study done on a toned background. It is inspired by a photo of a tree that I admired at Glacier Ridge Metropark last summer near the boardwalk.  I decided to try two studies, one using the toned background, and one using gold leaf as the background.   I have admired the work of Gustav Klimt for many years and his use of gold leaf in his paintings.  I like the subtle sheen in the background.  And because I love them so much, I think these trees deserve to be dressed up with a little bling.

ENJOY!!