Saturday at Forest Park

 

 

 Along Theatre Dr.

 

 

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Forest Park

8x10 oil

 

 

A lovely morning to paint.  Mostly sunny with a nice breeze.  The park was crowded with people.  There was a charity walk and a lot of runners, bikers and other activities going on.  I enjoyed a visit from my great nephew's cub scouts who watched us paint and learned about how some artists work.  It was a very enjoyable morning.

 

 

 

 





The Botanical Garden

 

In the Bird Garden

 

 

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Zinnia's in the Sunlight

6x8 oil

 

 

It was a beautiful morning to go to the Botanical Gardens and picking a subject to paint took some time.  There is so much color and texture everywhere.  I knew it was going to get hot and crowded so I sought out those areas that are less traveled.  A small garden planted to attract birds had these zinnias that were lit up by the morning sun and knew I had my subject.  



By the Barn

 

Log Pile

 

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8x10 oil

 

I was pulled by the interesting shapes of this pile of logs.  The light was rather flat from a mostly overcast sky.  As the morning wore on the sun was coming in and out and making really nice shadows but I tried to keep to the original scene and not chase the light as they say.  It was hot and humid but a nice breeze to keep it somewhat comfortable.  The biggest challenge I had was sharing this scene with several photographers who were using it as a backdrop for family photos.  I had to just stop and have an early lunch until they finally finished and I could continue.  An unusual subject and one I wouldn't have expected to be so popular. 

 



Thornhill

 

 

Ice and Smoke houses

 

 

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6x8 plein air oil

 

Yesterday was one of those perfect days for painting en plein air.  Beautiful weather and light.  Faust Park and the Bates historic site was the destination and I have always liked these little structures that have been restored.  An Ice house and a smoke house.  Their appeal is the small size that makes them almost look like play houses for our era.  I set up a bit downhill to give them some stature and to point out their importance in their era. 



Faust Park

 

 

 

Thornhill

 

 

Painting in front of Thornhill,  the home of  Governor Bates, the 1st Governor of Missouri.  He and his family are buried in a small cemetery up the hill behind the house.  I was actually painting the barn that was off to the side from the house and the picture was taken by the park ranger who likes to photograph people enjoying the park.  



1900 Park Ave.

 

 

Creative Space Gallery

1900 Park Ave.

 

 

 

 

 

I have hung my paintings at the gallery and all is ready for the reception this Friday at 7pm. Located at 1900 Park Ave. Easy to get to and a wonderful show with lots of great art. Hope to see you there

 



Faust Park

 

 

Bates Historic Site

 

 

 

The Red Wheelbarrow

6x8 plein air oil

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It was a beautiful day at Faust Park to paint.  I love this area around the Bates historic home.  It's so peaceful and quiet.  There are many subjects to choose from but this morning this red wheelbarrow caught my eye.  The barn is an interesting structure with it's rock footing. 

 



 



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.