"Blue Sky, Orange Tree"

I've been working on my painting, "Blue Sky, Orange Tree", since late spring.  I started this while painting in our pasture one evening, as the sun raked sideways across the field.  The 'orange' of the tree is the sun light, not the tree itself.

Currently, I'm trying to bring out the sense of evening light catching the woods, coming in from the right.  But first I had to tame down too much color in the woods.  Initially I used translucent paint to allow the canvas to come through - like on the orange tree - but the rest of the woods was a translucent red which was over powering.  It needed to be toned down to set off the orange tree.  So then I did the hard step of using an opaque paint to cover over the red, making the background trees a neutral gray, quieting the other areas.  This morning I'm coming back with more of the accents of the light in those trees, using burnt sienna and purples.

I like the effect in the woods, but now I'm trying to resolve the foreground, and I keep feeling that the left hand side of the woods drops down too much. I want to raise it up and then get the 'catch' of light coming along that flat plane.

Evolution of a Work - "Valley in Bright Light"

Here's a recently finished painting that will be in the show.  I still remember the feeling of sketching in the field on a nearby farm.  The sun was bright but the air was cool, and I loved the shapes and colors of the fields stretching down toward the valley.  The light was clear and bright, accentuating the shapes of the hills.

"Valley in Bright Light" 2010  Pastel 11" X 15"

This painting began with a sketch I made on location in early spring, using hard pastels.  I hiked into this location, after talking with a local farmer to get permission to work on his land.  I loved the sense of exploration and feeling free, and in-the-moment as I walked the land with a handful of art supplies, mostly grateful for the warmth of sun on my back, and connection to the land.  It is in this that physical and spiritual worlds unite, and I feel uplifted with connection and gratitude.

The strong value contrasts between  the woods and fields were a major appeal to me on location, and I played them up in the final work by making the darks strong, yet a mysterious blend of purples and blues.

Initial sketch

Show is coming! November, 2010, Faustina Gallery, Lewisburg

I've been immersed in a flurry of completing paintings, bringing a series of oil and pastel landscapes to completion.  It has been fun, stressful, challenging, and rewarding to see these works "ripening".  With about two weeks to go, there is a bunch of framing ahead for me.  And then fun at the opening reception (Faustina Gallery, Lewisburg, PA, November 5, 6 to 10 pm). 

The theme of the show is 'Valleys and Ridges," and I'll show about 20 landscapes of central Pennsylvania in both oil and pastel.  I'm really pleased with the quality of the individual paintings, and how they fit together as a series.  I can't wait to see them hanging in a beautiful gallery setting.