I wanted to paint a dark barn against a sunset and so far it is coming out ok. The sky is very rich in color, just what I was looking for. Here in the midwest deep moving sunsets are quite common yet I try to appreciate them and take a minute to stop and pay attention to it.
The farther south we go in Iowa the more we see rolling hills and beef cattle. Between the towns of Lacona and Chariton it is very hilly and you see those dark cows grazing along the pastures.
Paintings are a strange thing. The unfinished version of this sat for almost a week. Just the sky was painted in but I didn't like it and the more I looked at it the more I wanted to redo it. Finally I said to myself "Self, you can't wreck it more than it is so just see what happens!" The more I painted the more I liked it and the sky was the perfect backdrop for this rural scene.
I pass this house and buildings each Sunday morning on the way to church and have been waiting for just the right time when the sun was illuminating it's left side. My goal is for that side of the house to be the only part of the painting lit by the sun.