Green Lake

Arts of Daycholah hosts a fun painting day during Memorial Day weekend. Last year, I still had my black painting car, which if you have seen it - you know it, and I got pulled over by a state trouper which caused me to be very late. He just didn't understand what was going on with my car! This year, I headed to Green Lake a day early, and had a chance to live it up with some other painters for the night before a full day of painting. The piece shown above, is available at Arts of Daycholah. I enjoy much of the work that is shown there and feel that Margaret does a nice job when selecting her artists. 

Sunsoaked Summer Post 2

This kid hangs out at the skatepark. He is going into 7th grade. I like that the skateboard is almost up to his waist. I like going after the major divisions of light and shade, and saying to heck with everything else. 

Here is another of the Hess sketches.

Sunsoaked Summer Post 1

Summer. It's now. I've had plenty of sketching over the past couple of months. These months are always a high key blur when I think about them in hindsight. Too many smiles to remember.

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This is my friend Hess. I usually am up and out painting by 7 or 8 in the morning, and then we meet up and go skateing about noon. He usually sits for me after we skate. Sometimes I can get two out of him. Hess is a good skater, he was really good a couple years ago, but ended up taking too many slams, and now he just likes to cruise around and not try anything too death defying. He moves around like crazy when I'm painting him, swatting bugs, answering his cell phone, and generally acting like the 20 year old that he is. I like it.

Transitions Post 8

Flowering

Reedsburg Neighborhood

Transitions Post 7

Forsythia

Field Study Reedsburg

Transitions Post 6

Backyard wood pile

Tulip Trees

School is out for summer. The top piece was painted one morning, before I had to be in class. The second piece was painted between classes, during the last week of school where all that is left to do is hand in the last papers and jump through a couple more hoops before they send you on your way.
I am studying art education, and got a 4.0 both semesters this year. Painting has made studying for school much easier. Painting in one shot combines an athletic performance with intense concentration. I have found that it is not anywhere as difficult to complete homework by approaching it in the same way, just get it done in one shot.

Transitions Post 5

Morning Light Magnolia

 The light was so intense that I couldn't see much when painting this piece. There are times when a wipe might be the right move, I don't know that this was the place, but I felt like trying.

Interior

Transitions Post 4

Debt

I painted this tractor after arriving home from Minneapolis about a month ago. As soon as I got home, I made an oil sketch of my wife, and then rushed out and painted this during the last hour of light. I felt good about the simplification of shapes.

Georgia Magnolia

Transitions Post 3

The Dead of Winter

Drying Time

A few more, showing the change of season. The Dead of Winter piece,  is a favorite plum tree that I revisited while walking around with my pochade box. I enjoyed the conversation that I had with this piece, and felt that I said a little less than usual, which I like.

Transitions Post 2

Storms coming over the bluffs

Signs of Spring - Flowering Trees

A couple paintings showing the change of season that happened withing just a few weeks this year. 

Transitions post 1

Mud Season

Dreaming of Spring Green

I upgraded my camera and am going through work that I created during the transition from winter to spring. I have a few posts loaded up and ready to go, spread out over the next couple of weeks.

The two paintings shown above were done during the mud season on Hwy 23, in the Spring Green Hills.

Winter

We have had a winter this year. It has been snowing and grey for much of it. I have been painting indoors more this winter than in the past, mainly focusing on some still life setups to play with compositions. It's mainly a time thing. I'm a full time student, and for the past 8 weeks have been spending my time pre student teaching in the public schools, in addition to my 18 credits.

Hunting for subjects will always be my favorite thing to do, and I'm sure that many outdoor painters feel the same way. We are all chasing for that new feeling, the uniqueness of that situation.  I'm lucky that next week is the final week of my pre student teaching. That, combined with the latter sunset means I can get back outdoors 6 days a week. I hope I am not coming off as complaining, but nothing feels better than painting to me. I have bad FOMO syndrome (fear of missing out) and driving 75 miles to school and back makes me a little anxious when the light is good.

That said, here are some paintings that I've done outdoors in the past couple weeks. Every color is out there in the blue landscape, and depending on the time of day they can be very warm.

Fuel Truck 14x18"

The Cat 16x20"

Hidden Valley Light 11x14"

Big Red 12x16"

You've Got Mail 9x12"

Throwing Shadows 8x8"