Daily Painting Practice - Plein air Flower Garden

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Plein Air Flower Garden
6"x6"
oil on canvas board

Today our little Plein Air group met at John's house near Plattsmouth, NE. John's wife has a gift for growing flowers and has lots of these small flower gardens all around their house. This corner on the back of John's workshop was fun to paint even though the temperature was near 90 in the sun. I was happily planted under the shade of a mulberry tree though. For a snack all I had to do was turn around, reach up and pick.

Daily Painting Practice - West on Cuming Street

My son loves compositions with lots of interconnecting lines and and geometric action.(I think it comes from too much exposure to LEGOS when he was little). This composition is full of squares and intersections and shapes within shapes. Just up his alley.(no pun intended)
I tried to stay very gray and soft to create the atmosphere of a hazy morning in downtown Omaha.

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West on Cuming Street
6"x6"
oil on canvas board

sold

If I look to my left I am opposite (the church I painted last week). And in the distance are the spires of St. Cecilia's church where I painted (the convent). I like how a lot of my paintings have links to others. If I do this long enough you could map my neighborhood.

Daily Painting Plein Air Practice - Day 28 - Burning Bush

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Burning Bush
8"x10"
oil on canvas board

The title is not a political comment or a biblical reference. My neighborhood has a lot of these flaming red bushes scattered around. I have no idea what they are but the color is unbelievable. Especially on a gorgeous sunny autumn day. The long shadows and the cool green helped set the red off , I just had to paint it.

Daily Painting Practice - Three Red Chairs

Thanks to all that responded to my question about the email subscription images. The problem must be with my computer.

I have a habit of using very few brushes when I paint and usually brushes that are too small. Lately I have started using larger brushes. Yesterday's painting was done entirely with a No. 8 round. For this one I used the No.8 round and two flats about the same size.

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Three Red Chairs
9"x12"
oil on canvas board

I heard a great expression the other day and I think it applies to how I approach my painting. "Celebrate the Common". I love to walk through my neighborhood and search for those common scenes and subjects that we all glance at everyday but never have a reason to stop and observe. Here is a scene that made me stop and turn around. The three garbage cans with the three red chairs lined up facing the door. They look to me like they want to go inside, and are just waiting for someone to open the door.

Daily Painting Plein Air Practice - Day 27 - Raking Leaves in Benson

For those of you that subscribe to my blog via email or rss feed please let me know if the images are working. They don't seem to be working on my computer
I went out on my morning walk the other day getting exercise and snapping photos (a real multitasker)and saw this great pile of leaves being built by an industrious neighbor. I asked if she would mind if I took her photograph. She was very kind and interested as to why.
I often have to explain why I am walking and photographing people's backyards or old cars or even their garbage cans. Most people assume I am working for the local newspaper. When I say I am a local artist, a strange look appears on their faces. It's the same look you would get if you asked them ..."Have you seen my uncle Fred. He escaped this morning without wearing any clothes and we can't find him...".
This really is a studio painting of a plein air experience. I don't think I would have been able to ask her to stand there and pose while I set up to paint.

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Raking Leaves in Benson
8"x10"
oil on canvas board

I had to take some artistic license here. I believe she actually was raking the leaves with a broom. I should have named it "Sweeping Leaves". It is a very cheerful painting that captures the feeling of the day very well I think.

Daily Painting Plein Air Practice - Day 26 - Church on Cuming Street

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Church on Cuming
6"x6"
oil on canvas board

This little church is located just north of downtown Omaha near Creighton University. It is only a few blocks away from (the building I painted the other day). You can see a downtown high rise building in the background. This charming building sits in an area of prime interest to developers and real estate speculators because Omaha is thinking of building a new sports stadium to keep the NCAA College Baseball World Series in Omaha for the next 20 years.

I hope this is one piece of the past they keep.

Daily Painting Plein Air Practice - Day 25 - Our House

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Our House
6"x6"
oil on canvas board

Some family portraits include the kids, the dog and the cat. For my wife and I this is our portrait. The morning sun hitting the front of our house. A small cape cod style house, flowers and fruit trees in the in the front yard. The title reminds me of that Crosby, Stills , Nash & Young song. "...our house is a very very very fine house..." Now I'll have that tune is stuck in my head and I'll being singing it all day.

Daily Painting Plein Air Practice - Day 24 - The Sunny Side of the Street

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The Sunny Side of the Street
9"x12"
oil on canvas

There is a lot of new construction and re-building in Omaha's downtown and mid-town areas. Parts of old Omaha will be gone in a few years replaced with new condos and apartment buildings. This is not a bad thing, some of the locations need a face lift. However, there is a quality to the old or rundown that should be celebrated for lasting so long.

I was freezing in the morning looking for someplace to paint. I am not properly outfitted for cold mornings yet. I waited for the afternoon sun to warm up the day and traveled downtown to find this gem of a building. It might be a more interesting subject if I were there at night. Something to come back to maybe.

Daily Painting Plein Air Practice - Day 23 - Train Outside Omaha

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Train Outside Omaha
8"x10"
oil on canvas board

You can't live in the Midwest and not paint trains. I think it is a right of passage (no pun intended) for any Midwest artist. So here is my first attempt. A line of rail cars on the track always has a sense of mystery for me. Where are they going? What are they waiting for? Are they forgotten? Who picks them up? And who writes all that crazy graffiti on the cars?

This group is sitting just outside the old market area of Omaha just past the (Qwest Center) our sports, entertainment and convention center.

Daily Painting Plein Air Practice - Day 22 - Lake Study at Sunset

My inspiration coach/wife got me to run out to the Benson park before supper the other night. She was rrrrr again. The light was beautiful. The only problem I discovered was how fast the light changes at this time of the evening.
I only had about 15 minutes to try and paint.
Before it got this dark. The idea is there for a large painting but my color sketch was just starting before I had to quit.

Lake Study
8"x10"
oil on canvas board

I think painting plein air at sunset may require several return trips. Either that or, I need a better plan to paint faster. The benefit which I see to this quick draw practice is that each brush stroke must be the correct value and color.( I missed that) You only have time for one shot so each brush stroke is a final brush stoke(missed that too), I'll need to practice this more.

Daily Painting Practice - The New Rider

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The New Rider
9"x12"
oil on masonite
SOLD

I have never painted a horse before. The best place to start I figure would be the back end. (Not much going on back there) I caught this group last year when I was taking photos for a different painting. It looked to me as though there were two experienced riders and one new rider. He sat up very stiff in the saddle and did not look very comfortable. The other two looked as though they were having a good time keeping an eye on him.

I feel like my plein air practice has really helped me with this type of studio work. The loose brush strokes and the color are definitely a result of starting to paint outdoors. I can't wait to see the difference in my work after doing this for a year.

Daily Painting Plein Air Practice - Day 21 - Old Garage

This old garage caught my eye the other day. Simple I thought...then I tried to paint it. Look at the shape of the shadow. (This is actually later in the painting process)
Look at the shadow in this photo taken earlier. The shape is changing before my eyes. One of the most difficult things I find about composition in Plein air painting is the changing light conditions. Everything about the light changes minute by minute. Intensity, position, reflections, shadow shapes, even the hue changes. With all of that going on however, it also offers an opportunity.

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Yellow Garage
8"x10"
oil on canvas board

The opportunity is for the artist to add something personal. Since it is impossible to copy the changing scene directly, I find myself improvising. That is the very thing I like to look at in other artists work. Their improvising or personal touch.

Daily Painting Practice - Plein air Day 20 - Steps to the Joslyn

Last week I received an email from Martha. Her blog (Your Daily Art) is a great way to start your day and learn a little art history in the process. Martha used to live in Omaha and asked if I would paint the Joslyn Museum of Art on one of my plein air outings.
Great idea I thought. But the building itself did not inspire me at first. It is made of a strange pink/orange quartz like stone and it took me a while to warm up to it. Then the sun started to help me out casting some cool shadows.
The banner hanging from the wall is a painting by William Adolphe Bouguereau called Whispering of Love. It is part of an exhibit of paintings rescued from the New Orleans Museum of Art. This is the only way I would ever try to copy that guy's work ... from 100 yards away. He is one of the best figure painters of all time.

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Steps to the Joslyn
8"x10"
oil on canvas board
SOLD

Here you go Martha. I hope it brings back pleasant memories of Omaha.

Daily Painting Practice - - 72nd street in the rain

My new studio buddy is busy studying color and texture. I now have the honor of watching this little guy several days a week. I guess my plein air work schedule is going to need changing. That's not the only thing that needs changing...back in a minute.

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72nd Street in the Rain
9"x12"
oil on canvas board

This is actually a studio painting not plein air. I was out looking for interesting subjects to paint in the rain as I drove up to a stop sign on 72nd street. I sat there at the stop sign, in my truck, studying and absorbing the color and the light for about 15 minutes. People must have thought my truck broke down. Soon after I noticed a car had driven up behind me so I had to move. I quickly snapped a few photos out the car window and drove on.

I thought I could catch the feel of that rainy day if I kept everything low keyed and grey. My favorite part is the truck's lights reflecting on the wet pavement. Ever since I was a young kid, I have always enjoyed looking at art books with prints of rainy day street scenes like the ones (Charles Burchfield) painted. I now one of my own.

Daily Painting Practice - Plein air Day 19 - Joe's Cafe

Every town in America must have a Joe's Cafe. This one is only a few blocks from my home. It is everything you think it would be. I think these small cafe/family restaurants help make a community a neighborhood. I like them much better than the fast food chain stores. This little group of stores add so much more character to the area. Next door to this restaurant is a small modern art gallery and a record store. Yes a record store It sells only used albums. For people under the age of 30 those are like 12" CD's that need a needle and a phonograph to listen with.

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Joe's Cafe
5"x7"
oil on canvas board

I brought this home and added the detail in the studio. I could not figure out how to do such tiny lettering. I finally sharpened a pencil and dipped it into the paint.

Daily Painting Practice - Plein air Day 18 - Neighbors

My wife/still life flower provider, planted these white marigolds as an experiment this year. I used them in yesterday's painting. She does a great job providing me with an endless supply of material for still life flower arrangements. Our goal is to eliminate as much grass as possible in our lawn and replace it all with flower beds. The purple Russian Sage on the left is a favorite of my wife and of the honey bees.

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Neighbors
9'x12"
oil on canvas board

I stood directly in front of my house and looked up the street to paint this. It is not a pureblood plein air. More of a hybrid. I needed to sharpen the lines of the houses and the pole. I did this in the studio. (I can't do straight lines outside yet) I also added more color to the Russian sage and the grass in the studio. I tried very hard not to blend the paint on the canvas as much as I usually do. I think this helped give it a cleaner look.

This scene is proof, I think, that you don't need to travel far to find the beauty of the common places we all see everyday.

Daily Painting Practice - Plein air Day 17 - Still Runs Good

It is amazing what you can find to paint just walking around the block. I have passed this car many times and knew one day I would paint it. I immediately liked the rusty roof. I think an artist like (William Wray) would have done a much better job with the subject. His gritty urban landscapes are a great example of capturing beauty in the common places and back alleys we often overlook. Still, I had a lot of fun with it .

Still Runs Good
9"x12"
oil on canvas

The guy who owns and still drives this old car came out to talk with me. He said he has had this car since he was in high school. (about 30 years ago is my guess) The newer red van in the front....it doesn't run right now, needs work.

Daily Painting Practice - Plein Air -day 16 capturing ideas

Sometimes while walking or driving through my neighborhood, I see things that spark an idea for a painting. They don't need to be well composed or have terrific lighting. They just sit there quietly waiting for me to paint them.

These glimpses of real life hold a spark of mystery, a hint of a story. They turn my thought away from what I am doing at the time.(this can be dangerous if I am driving) and feed my imagination.

Most of the time, however, I don't act on these opportunities. I keep driving or walking by and the the image and idea fades from my mind.
This time, however, I stopped and got out of my truck. I was going to try and paint the idea. I am learning that not every plein air attempt has to be a "finished painting" (one that is able to be sold.) Sometimes it is just as important to act on impulse and approach painting as a sketch of the attraction. Painting on impulse - what a concept!

The Mystery of Hanging Laundry
5"x7"
oil on masonite

The idea still holds my interest. That is a good sign. There may be a studio painting that develops out of this sketch. How many interesting or mysterious attractions do we miss each day? Something to think about.

Daily Painting Practice Plein Air - Day 15 - The Convent

There is a church with wonderful architectural features in Omaha called St. Cecilia's Cathedral. Looking from the east, the morning sun can light up these spires or bell towers.
I wasn't pleased with this as a composition. Though the local color is there.
This is directly across the street. Actually I am painting in the same spot only turned to my left. While I painted this wonderful old building a priest noticed me and came over to see what I was doing. He told me a little history of the building. It was now empty and had been, I think he said for the last 10 years. He was very glad to tell me they had plans to knock it down and replace it with a new building. Something about that is very sad. It is a lovely building with a lot of character.

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The Convent
9"x12"
oil on masonite

This might make an interesting larger painting. I should look at it again and see what autumn colors do for it.

Daily Painting Practice Plein Air- Day 14- Omaha Flowers

This is Memorial Park in Omaha again. Every year they plant this group of flowers along Dodge St. I don't know what they are called but they are very tall and bloom for a long time.
Blocking in the main areas of color. I find that sometimes if I just concentrate on blocking in the values and color the painting is 90 percent complete before any details are added.
My wonderful wife /photographer/painting companion snapped this photo of me and my home made pocade box in action.
The thing I like about these gardens is their simplicity and the space they left for you to walk or in my case paint around them.

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Omaha Flowers
8"x10"
oil on canvas board
SOLD

I can't think of anything better than spending time with my wife and painting beautiful flowers. What a wonderful life.