Our Daughter is Born

 Hello,

We welcomed our Daughter into the world on June first, and Corbin and I named her after our favorite spring flower, Violet. As I write these words, we just walked back into the house from a walk down the path that I mow along the river. She is snuggled close to me, as she is still in her front carrier, sleeping on my chest. I couldn't bear to wake her after we got home from our afternoon walk.

Violet is a healthy girl, and she has brought so much joy to Corbin and I, and our entire family. She is very alert and with it when she is awake, and often smiles when she hears her parent's voices, and tracks us with her eyes as we move around. My favorite time of the day is putting her in the stroller and walking her up and down the road for 3-4 miles every morning. This time is so special as we look forward to seeing the neighbor's dog, Rider, running towards us as soon as we get down the driveway. On our walks, we often visit with our neighbors, Rich, Paula,  Nancy, Peter, The Harm's, and the Crary's. We also see sheep, cows, chickens, and plenty of birds on our walks.

At the end of our early morning walks, I normally set up and paint. These are some new paintings that I have made since Violet has come. They are joyful summer scenes that echo my own happiness.

Thank you for allowing me to share my work and my words with you,

Kyle Martin

Still Life with Geraniums and Enamel Pitcher 

My Mother turned 70 in June, and she had a party that was filled with family and friends to celebrate. At the party, I enjoyed the geraniums that she had on her backyard patio table. On the week after her party, I brought my daughter, Violet, to her house, and she watched her as I painted the geraniums with some other items that look great in the summer sun.

24x20" oil on canvas. $1200

Dusty Tractor Plowing the Field 

This is another scene that captured my attention on Terrytown Rd. As the tractor made loops around the field, tilling up the land, his tractor and plow sent clouds of dust, smoke, and dirt up into the air. The little clouds that came from the tires and plow were prismatic in the afternoon sun and I was happy to paint them.

16" x 24" oil on panel $1200

Skeleton Barn

I took my chance to create one last painting of this old barn while it was being taken down. I have painted this barn a few times through the years, and now it is gone. There are countless barns and old sheds that have been taken down in my area of Wisconsin. As my painting teacher once said, we are painting a passing landscape.

30x40" oil on canvas $1200

Lodi Farm Smokey Atmosphere 11x12"

There have been many days where the sun has been obscured by the smokey atmosphere from the Canadian wildfires. This was painted on one of those days. The thick atmosphere obscures the fields and bluffs behind this old granary.

11x12" oil on panel $390

Mile Road 
Mile Rd is a mile from our Farm, as the crow flies. The building that is closest to the foreground, in the painting, is the milking parlor at Brian Bender's farm. Brian is a good friend of mine, and he plants crops here on our farm. He is a good farmer and does a lot of custom fieldwork for other farmers in the area. I see Brian a lot when I am out painting and I always enjoy it. Once, I was standing in his field, when an aerial photograph of his farm was taken, and you can see me set up in the field with my easel in the photo.
12x16" oil on canvas $400

Terrytown Bales - Late Afternoon

When they make the haybales, they usually take them away on the same day. I have to be quick if I want to paint them. But when they made the first crop of hay, this year, they left them out for 3 days, and I was able to make 3 paintings. I have two that were created late in the afternoon and one that was created early in the morning. Both of those times are good for me to paint as the sun is dramatic and it transforms the colors that are present in the landscape.

12x16" oil on canvas $480

Lilac Still Life 

I have always enjoyed the month of May. When I was a teenager, I can remember skateboarding around town in May, and smelling the wonderful scent of the lilacs in bloom as I rode by. The smell is fleeting, they only last so long. And that is why they are so special to me, we have to enjoy them while they are present.

18x14" oil on panel $600

Loganville Farm 

I found this farm one morning and was attracted to the way that the red buildings were positioned next to the road, with the atmospheric bluffs in the background. I don't normally knock on doors to ask permission to paint, because I stand in the easement, by the road, when I paint, and I don't want to bother anyone.

On this day I did knock on the door and was happy to see a friend of mine from school, who now lived there. They are going to build a new house in one of the fields and it was nice to catch up and paint in a place that felt like home because of the familiar face.

18x24" oil on canvas $700

Grandma's Peonies 12x16"

I live on the Family Farm, where my Grandparents lived and farmed from the 1950's until they passed away. My Grandma had a great garden and flower bed during her life. Her duty to her flowers was clear because there was never a stray weed growing in the garden.

These peonies bloom every spring, and they are a great reminder of my Grandma.

12x16" sold

Terrytown Barn and Bluff 12x16"

I drive on the backroads, instead of the highway, whenever I can. This is the Belter farm on the corner of Terrytown Rd and Rick Rd outside of Baraboo. It is a farm that I pass by almost daily and one that I study and admire each time that I pass by. I have painted it a few times each year for the past 15 years, and it seems that I can find something new each time that I do. 

In this painting, it was the smokey atmosphere, from the Canadian wildfires, that obscured the background bluffs that drew my attention. It was sunny, but with so much atmosphere, it almost seemed overcast.

12x16" oil on canvas $390

Terrytown Bales Morning Light 14x18"

There is a bluff on Terrytown Rd that has to be one of the highest points in Sauk County. On the bluff is a field that is terraced with rows of hay and other crops. The field overlooks several miles of fields before you can make out some of the buildings in Baraboo, way off in the distance.

When they make the bales, they usually take them away on the same day. I have to be quick if I want to paint them. But for the first crop of hay, this year, they left them out for 3 days, and I was able to make 3 paintings. I have this one, that was painted early in the morning, and two others that were created late in the afternoon.

14x18" oil on canvas $600