Waiting in the Meadow

A different cropping of the same barn on 18 x 24 stretched linen.
I was trying consciously to vary the cool and warm tones in large
expanses of space, careful to keep transitions close and not get hung
up on all the straight lines. It felt easier to overshoot boundaries with
this one maybe because I laid in the drawing more loosely so the edges
weren't yet defined in my mind. It felt good to paint them in and cover
them up, leaving traces of the previous layer to show through. Painting
in layers feels natural to me, possibly because I don't know the next
right value or color to use, but more, I think, because I like not knowing.
It adds to a feeling of exploration and nice accidental possibilities.

Betsy's Barn

When looking at a scene my immediate response is to try to replicate
it so I've been conscious the past few months of using mark-making
to explore and let a scene build up sort of on its own. The panoramic
scenes are easier now but once there's a dominant subject, I tend to
do a "portrait" of it and forget the marks so with this, I tried to obliterate
boundaries and edges. It still feels awkward but as always . . . it's
about getting "there" even if you don't quite make it.

Nice Little Spread

Another from the Montana album. Getting psyched about an upcoming
workshop taught by Michael Workman at the Fredericksburg Artist school,
Feb 3 - 7. You can see his work here.