Michigan Light

I spent a week in Michigan in June painting the turn of the century cottages and landscapes.  Initially it was so difficult to work.  I spent several days very frustrated having realized that just about every light reference I was acclimated to had changed, and rather than take the time to adjust, I was forcing myself to paint new color and light.   The town was surrounded by water and the light bounced off of every surface.  Add to that extremely low humidity so the blue sky was very intense.  I hardly ever use thalo blue, but it gained popularity with  me that week.

It is good to change painting venues every now and then.  When you paint in the same area, even with weather changes, you can become complacent and it is hard to develop if things are too easy.

I loved painting the highlights on the hydrangeas against the background of the lake and the deep shadows that the bush was casting.  

Painting at Aldridge Gardens

Aldridge Gardens had a paint-out earlier this month and I was lucky to participate in it.  The hydrangeas were unlike anything I have ever imagined.  It is the kind of place where you could spend a week happily painting.

Looking Up the Valley

Still early spring when the mountain looks more purple than anything in the morning light.

The Greens Patch

Morning looking eastward towards the mountain in early spring.  I loved how the light came through the trees before they leafed out.  I couldn't resist painting the greens patch in bloom.

Roosevelt and His Herd

This really was the color of the grass in the valley this spring.  Or so it seemed to me.  It will be interesting to compare later this season.

Peonies in the Sunlight

There is nothing more fun than painting peonies in the sunlight.  This was painted quickly as the clouds were moving overhead.  I kept another canvas at my feet for the cloudy light.  A really good exercise is to have to switch back and forth between sun and clouds and keep responding to color changes.

See Seven States

I couldn't really put my finger on the why, but Rock City is about the most fun place I have ever painted!

Red and Green

It was a breezy afternoon in north Georgia.  I stood under an old pine tree and painted the gateway that I have been wanting to paint for quite a while.  I love the bluebird house and the juxtaposition of red and green metals in the sun.

My New Friend

I met a lot of folks in the neighborhood, even a very friendly donkey who appreciated a good ear scratching.

Springtime in Wildwood

I went to Wildwood to paint one of the prettiest spots around.  The valley is so green in early spring.  The Bradford pears turned from white to green while I painted.  I love the color of the mountain before the leaves emerge.

           

                                                     Afternoon Light on Sterchi Barn


                                        It is hard to paint up close on a larger structure, but I couldn't
                                        back away from it.  I chose to see if instead I could paint all
                                         variations in color in the shadows.  It was really fun to do.

                                                                Sterchi Farm Barn


                       I went with my paint group yesterday to paint this old dairy barn on Chattanooga's newest leg of the Riverwalk.  It was a good thing we chose this venue because it is slated for demolition and was already in the process of being fenced.  It has a huge stone silo, not typical of southern barn architecture.

I

  

                                                              Backwater Seaweed

                                    Another view, leaves are gone and the colors more subtle.

     

                                                           In the Tennessee River Gorge


                     I painted this study  in early November, on one of those crisp blue-skied afternoons, right before the balmy weather and beautiful leaves left  for the winter months.  It was such a still afternoon; the reflections were so saturated in color across the little backwater. The Tennessee River is in the distance.  At this point it is surrounded by mountains and few manmade structures.  It feels almost like it did hundreds of years ago, except for the occasional bass fisherman....