Go with your gut

 Choose the star of the painting.  Glance back and forth at it while you are setting up.  Get a feeling for composition and colors.  Notice the big things and sometimes the rest of the painting will work itself out.  An autumn afternoon with one of those wonderful October skies provided inspiration for a quick study.

Why you choose to paint something

Never, ever forget what attracted you to paint something.  You will spend hours exploring the subject and it is easy to fall into a pit of diversions.  Staying faithful to the initial idea will produce a nice finished piece and convey the beauty that you saw.

From small to BIG

People make trips on the Tennessee River and stop for the night in Chattanooga.  This particular morning was so still and golden ----   and what an unusual view it is from the Walnut Street bridge.  I really like the composition on this painting and am thinking of taking it much larger.  It could almost be an abstract.  I will post results if I go BIG.

Snow revisited

It is surprising how differently you can paint the same scene.

A Day in Walland, Tennessee

 These two paintings were done within hours of each other, one morning, one afternoon.  I am posting them together to show why one shouldn't paint for more than two hours at a time outside.  Light happens whether you are ready for it or not!  You have to paint what is in front of you,  the sun and clouds are constantly moving and before you know it, your scene has changed so much you will be running after it with your paintbrush.   Grab the light, the color and don't worry about details.  You will capture the feeling of being outside in that spot in that moment, and isn't that why you are out there in the first place?

The End of the Walk

After nearly two miles of meandering road, this is the downhill view before rounding to the barn.  It is always beautiful no matter what time of day, but I like afternoon the best.  I painted this in early fall when there wasn't too much green in the foliage.

The Wedding Bouquet

I took the opportunity to paint my daughter's wedding bouquet.  Once again, here are flowers in the sunlight in the autumn light.  Another one of my "driveway" paintings, capturing the beauty of color and textures in the sun.