Work in progress 2-12-12

This is the barn stage , I am getting the red down and the snow on top of the roof, it is looking really good and coming together just fine.

work in progress 2-9-12

The next stage of the painting requires some planning and elbow grease. I determine where to place the building, draw it in with pencil, and begin to scrub off the paint that is in the sky area. This leaves a shadow of the building in the paint that is already laid down but greatly helps when painting in the red tones of the barn. I don't need extra blue pigment trying to change the color of the new next layer of red paint that will go down. I let this stage dry for a day or so then this weekend I'll begin the barns.

work in progress 2-4-12

This is the pallette I'm using for laying down the sky washes on my painting. The pool at the upper left is ultramarine blue, top right is paynes gray, and bottom left is raw umber. Applying them at the right time and amount is where some skill and experience are your best friend.

The trip we took to see family in Nebraska was cut short when we left early to avoid the huge snow storm coming our way. We traveled just ahead of the storm and avoided the 6-10" of snow and now we are sitting in our warm house playing with Charlie our grandson as the snow finally caught up with us.

This photo shows me pointing at the area of the sky where I applied some Prussian Blue into the Paynes Gray. I had two brushes going at once, one in each hand.

The commission painting

The first wash of the commission painting. I am laying down lots of heavy paint to make the sky dark. I will be out of town until Monday, February 5th visiting family.

Work in progress 1-28-12

This work in progress is actually 22x30 inches and is the start of a very large watercolor painting that I have been commissioned to paint. It will be a winter scene with a moody sky at dusk with snow falling and grasses and stubble punching up through the blown drifts of snow.

12-17-11 "The Red Barn"

This lone shed and silo are all that remain of what was probably an active farm, crops, cows, house, and children running around. It is the middle of winter and I decided to paint a summer scene. Around 6:30 last night I started with a blank sheet of 140 lb. water color paper and by 8:30 it was finished and I placed it behind a matte board to view it for a while. In the morning I adjusted the shading of the tractor lane by darkening the left side to give it some depth. If you would like to purchase it please use the Etsy sight on the right of the blog page.

10-25-11 "Another Snowfall in New England"

This beautiful water color painting has a few nice eliments to it. All three barns point to the focal point, the house, which also is haloed by the pine trees. The white snow bank that begins at the left barn grows larger as it draws your eye to the house. The house and the snow in front of it are the focal point being the brightest section of the painting. The color of the sky just after dusk and the foreground snow-covered field turned out better than the original painting. I was going to add a fence post or two by the large barn but they seemed to brake up the natural paths that take your eye to the house so I left them out.

This painting is not for sale as it is a commission.

work in progress

As you can see the major componants are drawn in and the first layers of paint are applied. From this stage it is a matter of adding to and refining the buildings then step back for a day or two to look at it to see what needs to be brightened, darkened, and adjusted.

work in progress

These three pictures show the process of laying down the sky in one fast wash. I used three main colors painted on in several wide bands then began to mix and mingle them unto I achieved the desired effect. The last photo is not the finished sky, you will see that in later posts.

Work in Progress 10-16-11

This drawing is a rework of a large painting I did a year ago that won a place in the Iowa Watercolor Society's Annual Exhibit.

You Can Barely See The Barn 6-24-11

Without a doubt every farmer has looked out the kitchen window during a really heavy snow storm and said to his wife "I can barely see the barn". When painting this landscape I used no more than four colors and tried to mute them to achieve the winters dark sky effect. This painting is water color and acrylic and ready to fit into a 8x10 or bigger frame and can be purchased by using the etsy link to the left of the web page.

"Gardners Long Barn" 5-9-11

This painting is 6 1/4 x 9 1/2 inches and comes matted ready for you to install into a 11x14 frame the day you receive it in the mail. I really enjoyed making this painting as I watched each step get closer to the finished product. The warm sky at the horizon lets you know the sun is gone for the day and the clouds are dropping snow that is going to continue all night long. In the foreground is a tractor lane that leads the viewer into the scene and the red tones of the long barn keeps your eye in the painting. To purchase this painting just click on the etsy link on the right side of this page.

The Vern Caryl Farm 4-29-11

I painted the buildings in this scene exactly as they stand in the original homestead. Most of the time I never move the buildings around to creat a scene, I try to paint a piece of history just as the farmer built the place . Ther subtle colors of a late afternoons winter sky are awe inspiring and to capture that is really exciting. The painting measure 6 1/4 x 9 1/4 and fits into a 11x14 frame. To purchase this painting click the ETSY link on this page to go to my etsy sight.

Here is a little example of this work in progress. I love this stage of the painting becasue I can see the end is in sight but the best is yet to come.

"It's Suppose to Quit Snowing" 2-5-11

It's February and we all hope the snow is going to give up soon but only the Lord knows what is in store for tomorrow and that is a nationwide blizzard!

This little painting took one evening to finish and was a lot of fun.

4.5x6.5, matted, ready to fit into a 8x10 frame

$35.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling