The Bridge

 

 

Lafayette Park

 

 

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The Bridge

plein air oil 8x10

 

Once again a beautiful day at Lafayette Park.  I tried not to fuss too much with the details of the posts even though they have some interesting ornamentation.  This bridge is a favorite spot for photographers and as I was leaving a wedding party arrived.  They had a lovely day for a wedding.

 



Spring is here!

 

Bee Tree Park

 

 

Finally spring is showing up.  The first blooms of the Forsythia bushes are brightening the bare branches with their sunny yellow color.  The day was mild and it felt so good to not be cold as I painted this small piece with the MOPAPA group.

 

 

 

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Forsythia's at Bee Tree Park

6x8 oil

Spring is Emerging

Castlewood State Park
 

 

It seems as though it's a real battle between winter weather trying to hang on and spring trying to emerge in spite of it.  This scene originally caught my eye because of the cast shadows from the trees.  However it ended up being another cloudy overcast day with a chilly breeze.  In spite of that the grass is greening up and overtaking the dried stalks from last year.  The woods are coming alive again with new color and form.

 

 

 

 

First Signs of Spring

8x10 oil

 

I started this painting by experimenting with a monochromatic underpainting and adding the color over it.  It turned out a bit more low key than I intended.    

 

 

 

 

 

Cliff Cave Park



Winter Grasses

 

 

 

It was hard to find grasses that weren't laying down flat from the last deep snow we had.  I found this area looking up a hill next to a path that led down towards the river.  The sky was overcast and it was cold but being down hill helped shelter me from the wind.

 

 

 

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Prairie Grasses

6x8 oil

 

A Cold Winter Day

Audubon Center at Riverlands

 

 

It was cold and windy so I sheltered myself with a few others behind a building to paint.  The sky was overcast but seemed to brighten up after awhile.   I had a tough time as usual with the leafless winter trees.  I tried a palette knife, then a brush, wiping out and going back and forth.  After I got home and looked at it for awhile I wiped it off and tried again using brush, palette knife and fingers.  Finally I decided to go with this version as my memory of the scene is no longer in my mind. 

 

 

 

Lingering Snow

 

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Keifer Creek

Bare Trees

For more practice with the palette knife and brush, I chose this scene of the creek at Castlewood with a nice stand of Sycamore trees with those beautiful white branches.  It was very cold and this was a good spot out of the wind.  The sky was cloudy so I used artistic license to push the color up to give the scene a more warm and inviting mood.

Along the Creek

6x8

sold 

It was a quiet peaceful morning with the stillness of winter.  This is becoming one of my favorite places to paint.  Every season is inspiring.

Snow

 

 

First Time Plein Air in the Snow

 

It was cold, only in the 20's, but I wanted to get out and try painting the snow.  I had a struggle with almost everything in this scene and had a lot of help from my friends.  I got pretty chilled after a couple of hours and I'm not sure working small helps me to paint faster.  The winter trees and grasses that require thin lines are so frustrating.  I came home and wiped out and practiced on this piece using a palette knife and brush until I felt I was getting better at it. 

 

Castlewood State Park

Along the Trail

5x7

The snow is melting fast and hopefully when we 

get another snowfall I will get out and try again.

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Weather Watch

Changing Weather

 

I have always been a weather watcher.  Coming from a farm family, it has always been important to know what the weather was going to do.  As a former runner,  knowing the predicted temperature was important to know how to dress.  Now as a plein air painter, wind and rain are the things to be on the alert for.  So this morning the prediction was a cold front coming with tornado warnings and wind advisory.  In spite of that I joined a group of others who wanted to take their chances.  We set up around the World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park and I was immediately drawn to the ever changing sky.  I decided to work small (5x7) and just as I finished this piece the front moved in with high wind and rain sending everyone for cover.  Tree limbs were breaking and leaves swirled everywhere.  Within about 15min. it was over and the sun was out.   I'm glad I went and I think I captured the prelude to the weather event in this sky scape.

 

 

Prelude to a Storm



Fall color

Paw Paw and Cedars
 

 

I managed to find some time to paint a small 5x7 of another area of our yard that always has a bright spot in the fall.  Fall is my favorite season of the year.  It also seems to be a very busy time and I yearn to be out painting more than I have had time to.  I know that these colors won't last and I'm impatient to capture them while I can. 

Paw Paw and Cedars
5x7

The Paw Paw tree is an understory tree native to Missouri and has an edible fruit like a small banana. The leaves turn bright yellow and are one of the last to drop in the fall.

Colors of Fall

 

 

Bee Hives and Viburnum

 

 

It's a very busy weekend and being determined to paint the colors of fall while they last,  I ended up painting my side yard where we have bee hives and some lovely colorful viburnum shown against the deep green of cedar trees.  It was chilly out with a brisk wind and cloudy skies, but the colors were absolutely glowing. 

 

 

 

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Glowing Fall Colors

6x8