Spring Greens

Everything is "springy" here right now. Lots of spring greens and storms about every 15 minutes. Violent storms. I happened to be at my daughter's school recently when the tornado siren went off and got to spend an extraordinary evening with 70 students in the basement of the Webb School gym. When the evening was over I had developed a deep appreciation for the patience and tolerance of teachers and faculty.

The paintings posted were all done last week. I had the chance to paint with Jason Saunders and Anne Blair Brown on Thursday and Friday had the opportunity to do a demo for the art classes at Christ Presbyterian Academy. They came to Leiper's Creek Gallery and due to severe weather and torrential rains yet again, I got to do the demo through the back window of the gallery. Not ideal, but I was just glad I didn't have to do it in a storm shelter.

Recent Work

One from last week and one from mid-March, right before spring blooming.

Both are at Leiper's Creek Gallery.

PAP-SE Paint Out

I got in last Saturday night from a week long paint out with Plein Air Painters of the Southeast. We met in Charleston, SC the Saturday before and conducted a bit of business and painted for a week in the Charleston area. I have to say its a great group to be affiliated with. I watched some beautiful work done over a weeks time. I just wish the weather had been as accommodating. It rained EVERY DAY. Not just one day or two. EVERY DAY. And cold. We painted off porches and docks and pavilions. My Open Box M got so wet it warped. But I have to say, it slowed most of them down not one bit. Still they painted on. I painted one morning on a fishing pier that extended out in the marsh. Terribly cold and the wind was howling. There was a group of trees about 60 yds off to my right and when I would hear a gust of wind hit the trees I knew to grab my gear and hang on. After the gust would pass I would paint until I heard the next one hit the trees.

As far as my painting, I felt a struggle all week. Don't know if it was the weather, the landscape, or what. Painting Charleston for me was about as comfortable as wool underwear. I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to find paintings. Looking, cropping, guessing. Painting Charleston was kinda' like a bad prom date. Just tried to make uncomfortable small talk until the evening was over. I know as an artist I am supposed to jump out and be able to paint anything. I can and do. But you can definitely tell the ones where I felt the connection to and passion for.

Interiors

When I paint in the woods I refer to it as "painting in the interior" as opposed to the fields and open spaces. It is the hardest painting I do because of all the stuff. It is a hodge podge of shapes and values and pieces and light and confusion. It takes filtering. And time. And patience. Three very distinct deficiencies in my personality and life. So... I have decided to make an effort to include it in my routine because when it is done it is gorgeous. I have seen some Aspevig interiors that are so spot on that you can smell the woods and see that wonderful diffused light that permeates everything under the canopy that is created by the tree tops. And for filtering and putting the EXACT number of strokes necessary to say what needs to be said, nobody does it better than Marc Hanson. He can filter and put the perfect stroke right where it needs to be to say everything that needs to be said. Nails it.

I have been painting in the Cheatham Wildlife Management area between hunting seasons there. They have 20,000 acres of interiors. Lots of hardwood timber on ridges and in hollows. If you go make sure its during the periods where there is no hunting or the wildlife officers there will make sure it's the most expensive painting trip you have ever been on.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow....

I have been taking a little heat lately because with all the snow we have had here in Middle Tennessee I have implied that I could stand a little more. Didn't go over so well. I understand that when your kids will be going to school on July the 4th and the tow truck drivers around here are starting to shop for property in Belle Meade you may be kind of tired of it. I understand that. But there is still something illogical about me that would like another snow storm tonight. I love walking in it, hunting in it, painting in it, and especially driving in it. Yeah, driving in it. I know. I think I may enjoy the cold and snow because I have never had to deal with real snow and cold. The kind that covers the windows on your house and lands in October and stays until May. I went to Door County Wisconsin once and as I stood gazing at the Green Bay one of the locals told me, "yeah, you can drive across it in your truck in January."

It's a Bay. A big one. Sheesh.

If you really want to get a chill, read The Endurance. It's the story of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition in 1914. After arriving in the Antarctic area, their ship, the Endurance, was trapped in the pack ice and eventually crushed, crushed, by the ice. They walked for miles dragging and carrying their lifeboats and equipment until reaching open water where they endured some of the most brutally cold conditions I have ever heard of humans enduring. All before the advent of Gore-tex and Thinsulate. The descriptions of the cold and ice they suffered is unbelievable. Did this for months and months over thousands of mile. A testament to the resilience of the human species.

The piece above was done on the last day we had snow and as I painted it the snow in it was completely gone by the time I had finished and I haven't seen any since. Sigh.

"Well My Mama's Not Here Now, Is She?"

And it's a good thing because she never would have allowed me to scale a 30ft. limestone bluff into a raging river gorge. And Kay Keyes Farrar's mom wasn't there either so she went with me.

Was it worth it? After the edge of the initial adrenaline surge subsided, yeah, well worth it.

We were painting with the Chestnut Group Saturday in an area right outside Cookeville Tennessee called Cummins Falls. It was bought by a private land owner who gave the Tennessee Parks and Greenway Foundation a year to generate enough money to purchase it and save it for posterity.

Enter, the Chestnuts.

They will be having a show on the 24th of February at the Belle Meade Mansion to raise funds for the purchase so we are making an effort to get out there and paint it.

If there is anyone out there who is going to try and get to the bottom of the falls, be prepared, there is no easy way to do it. We had initially began to hike but ran into some hikers who said maybe up to an hour to get in plus a knee deep river crossing three different times. We bailed. On the way back we noticed an area on the bluff that didn't look so "bluffy". We contemplated the climb about two seconds and then over the edge we go. There were a couple of areas at the top that had a pretty high "pucker" factor and after that it was just a matter of keeping your footing. Someone before us had the foresight to tie ropes at the lower areas so you could climb back out. Had they not been there it would have been a lot of muddy hands and knees climbing at the bottom. Oh, and I wouldn't suggest doing this with your gear on your back. Maybe lower it with ropes, then climb.

Once down there though, it was gorgeous. Boulder strewn river gorge, huge sheer bluffs on both sides, and the roar in your whole body of the falls at the end. The photos I had seen of it didn't even come close to the magnitude and weight and scale of this place. And being there as a light snow fell was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

After climbing back out and a little coffee, provided by the parks folks (Thanks!), we painted along the river at the top and then home that afternoon with nothing more than a little mud on our clothes. With the drive only an hour and a half it's not a bad day trip. Hopefully it will wind up in the hands of the Parks and Greenway Foundation because when you're there you realize how unique this is and what a jewel it is for our state.

Battle of Nashville

I spent the day Sunday painting with Anne Blair Brown. We started on 12th Ave., a trendy urban area with unique restaurants and shops, and ended up painting in the "Gulch", another hip upscale urban oasis. Got a pretty nice street scene out of the 12th area but in the Gulch we tried to paint some trains parked in the train yard down from the Union Station. After getting started they had to move the trains. Not sure why but I'm not a train engineer. Just got my drawing straightened out and here go the trains. They would back them up, pull them forward, move one then two, up, back, etc. Didn't look terribly productive but like I said, I'm not an engineer. Anne actually finished a nice train sketch even with the moving of the subject matter. She said it is the equivalent of painting livestock. Square, metal, graffiti sprayed livestock.

Planned on painting another but Anne had a social engagement that went late and we were afraid to start another so I headed home. On the way I spotted the Battle of Nashville Monument in a small green space along Granny White Pike and had a little time before dark so whipped in and set up. From the parking lot there you get the view above. I have seen a couple of paintings of this thing and Michael Shane Neal did one that was just incredible. So I thought I would throw my name in the hat.

Sheesh. It was a drawing nightmare. That and the fact the sun was in, the sun was out, the sun was in, etc., etc.. I did the profile because I could just set up by the truck and save time but someday when I have the time would love to go down and try it from the front. Composition is another issue that makes it tough because it is thin and tall. The portion I did is just the bronze area.

The battle that this thing memorializes is the battle that raged in the areas of town that are now Forest Hills, Green Hills, Brentwood and down streets like Granny White and Franklin Road. Areas that are now some of the most affluent areas of Davidson County. It is hard to imagine what went on in these areas when you are looking at gated neighborhoods and million dollar homes. Apparently after getting thrashed at the Battle of Franklin, General Hood moved his army up to the outskirts of Nashville. There he ran into the defensive lines of Schofield, who had defeated him at Franklin and then moved to Nashville to join his army with that of Gen. George Thomas who had been defending Nashville. When you drive through the south end of Nashville there are little metal signs everywhere you look commemorating the major areas of battle. I recently went to the area of Shy's Hill, where some of the most horrific action took place. I think it may have been one of the first areas where the confederates began to break and retreat. It sits in a tiny little space with houses and drives ways and swimming pools. It makes it hard to imagine the din and noise of the mayhem of December of 1864.

More Snow!

I complained because I don't get to paint snow enough and voila! I'm getting to paint snow enough.

We have had another snow and this one was a wet snow on a relatively warm day. I had been painting in the studio the past few days due to rain and it was REALLY good to be back outside again. I know there's a lot to be said for studio painting but I ain't saying it. I think that's what caused me to shift from illustration to this to begin with. That isolation of the studio will have you climbing the walls after a couple of days. It might be different if I had a studio with a couple of other artists around but here at home it's just me and the dog and I'm sure he's getting a little tired of me asking for his opinion.

Classes at Leiper's Creek

I will be teaching classes again at Leiper's Creek Gallery starting the 27th of this month. The classes will be every Thursday night from 6:00 to 9:00 for six weeks. The class will be on the fundamentals of landscape painting. If you are interested contact Kay Farrar at kay@leiperscreekgallery.com .

Another Snow Painting

I know the snow paintings have a reputation of not selling well, but to me they are the most fun to paint. I love how the landscape looks with snow on it. I'm sure if I lived up north in, say, Alaska, I might grow to hate it. Too much of a good thing. But since I don't see a lot, I just love it. I will say this though. Since I don't see a lot or paint a lot I have a hard time rendering it. It's tough.

I looked up a painter named T. Allen Lawson when I got home after finishing the painting above. I think he handles snow as well as anybody. His snow paintings are beautiful. What I see in his paintings is what I see when I am out there, especially on a grey day like we have had for the past week. There is not a lot of color to the snow fields, a pretty consistant color of grey that leans toward a plum(?) maybe. It has red as well as the blue. And real tight value shifts and temperature changes. I have a habit of making it too blue and then over correcting and making it too warm creating this wonderful muddy effect. There is a precision to a grey snowfield, that perfect value and temperature that if you miss by a little, it reeks.

The painting above was done about two miles from my home. There is an area near where I live that they have been able to keep some of the old dry stack stone walls, some I assume are from pre-civil war, and when the snow is on top of them they are absolutely gorgeous.

It's Not the Heat, It's the Humidity...

and it's not the cold, it's the wind.

The temperature this morning was not that bad, maybe upper 20's t0 low 30's. But the wind. Geeeez. It would blow gusts so strong it would pick up snow and blow it sideways to almost whiteout conditions. It looked like something in the Dakotas. Fortunately it was just those heavy gusts that caused it and I could get a little done between. But it was still bad. So bad that I bailed out after one. Had enough.

Hopefully the wind will settle down a bit tomorrow and I can get something done.

Tennessee Snow

We have had a snow in Tennessee. And it was a good one. For Tennessee.

I am sure the folks that have relocated here from the north may wonder what all the hoopla is about but for us it is a good one. I guess we here in Nashville may have 3-4 inches and some of the counties south of us have had 7-8. I painted here this morning and got one done and will paint around here again tomorrow but as ours starts to melt I may move down to Bedford County later in the week hoping theirs may last a little longer. I will post paintings when I get photos.

This morning I spent a few hours just riding and looking and I hit all the hills famous for the sledding. Suicide Hill, Steeplechase, Natchez Trace. Saw one kid sledding with a kayak. And it worked.

We have more snow predicted for morning but hopefully I will be able to put in a full day painting. Unless I come up with a good kayak.

R.I.P.

What you are looking at is the finest automobile that has ever been made. I know Justin Bieber thinks his 200,000 dollar Ferrari F430 is "all that" but I don't think it could carry a field dressed deer to the checking station. There.

I bought this truck in 1994 and at that time it was the finest truck on the road. And every day I would get up and it would start so I just kept starting it and driving it. Little did I know I would be driving it 16 years and 365,000 miles later. It has been on more logging roads than paved roads, has been in/through about every river/creek/tributary in middle Tennessee and has pulled every boat I have owned and every trailer I have hooked to it without fail.

A couple of years ago I was having a little trouble passing emissions testing and I found a mechanic that could get me through. He helped me the last few years with leaks and noises I couldn't decipher and kept me going. I told him that I took my daughter to her first day of kindergarten in that truck and I wanted to take her to her high school graduation in May in that truck so we had to keep it running. Unfortunately neither the truck or my mechanic made it.

I had a "miss" in the truck last summer so I decided to change my spark plugs hoping that would do it and I noticed that a couple of my plugs were wet and gummy and oily on the ends which is the automotive equivalent of finding "a lump". And it was terminal. I worked with my mechanic and we determined that I was leaking oil in the number 4 and the number 6 cylinders. A rebuild or a brand new motor was all that would fix it. Dang it.

I called the mechanic's shop the end of September:

"Joe there?"

"Joe is no longer with us."

"What'a ya' mean? He can't quit, he owns the place. Has there been a coup?"

"No, I mean Joe died."

Thunderstruck.

Apparently it was a heart attack. Joe was, maybe, retirement age but to see him work he was a fireball of energy and grease. Could work me under the table. And it was fun to watch him work and get after a problem in a vehicle. Didn't seem like the kind of guy that would ever die.

I sold my truck off last week. For scrap I guess. I picture Joe getting to heaven and saying, "Lord, I'm gonna' need something to work on."

Lord said" I know just the truck. It has oil leaking into the 4 and 6 cylinder."

God's going to LOVE driving my old truck. And as for those damn brand new Michelin tires I put on it right before it broke down, you're welcome.

So here's to Joe Gallagher and Chevrolet Silverado VIN number 2GCEK19K5R1141478. I will sorely miss you both.

White Christmas

We actually had a white Christmas here in middle Tennessee, the first in years and from what I have seen on the news lately we weren't the only ones. It looks like most of the country is buried in snow right now. Unfortunately here in Tennessee it came and went quickly. And due to the schedule of the holidays I didn't get out in it enough. The two I have posted here were done days after Christmas, at the last of the snow, one on a gravel bar in the Harpeth River and the other in Leiper's Fork.

Also, if you get the chance, there is an interesting blog I follow by a guy named Stapleton Kearns. His blog is full of artistic info and his December 14 and 15 entries are about innominate color. He explains as well as anyone, including me, how I use color and the palette I use.

When I use the three color palette I use, especially painting landscapes, I see almost everything as innominate color. They are all mixtures of the three "leaning" toward red, or green or whatever. I don't even see it as a color. I see it as an innominate mix and I compare it to what I see and ask, " is it cooler or warmer or darker or lighter?" then tweak my puddle in that direction. I compare it to tuning a guitar string. You turn it up and down and listen to it until you hit the note then stop. Then do the next one in relation to that one. And then the next one and then the next one, etc..

And I got a new camera from Santa Clause and the images seem to be a bit green/blue. I need a camera that shoots innominate color with a "cooler/warmer, lighter/darker" button.

Snow!

We had a little snow at the first of the week and it gave me a chance to do a little inclement weather painting. Got two snow paintings in and the icy grey painting above. Sleeting sideways on that one. Brrr. The reason you don't see the other snow painting is the fact it didn't do what I had try to make it do. I was trying to paint looking into the sun on a sunny clear day and there was this wonderful glare on the snow and when I set up on it I wasn't quite sure if I could pull it off and the little doubt in the back of my head soon became a hard cold fact. I couldn't figure out what I needed to do to get that eye squinting glare. I tried darkening values around it, changing temperatures, blurring edges, etc., etc. Pulled out all the tricks. To no avail. Got it home and tried some more. I think I have mentioned before that if I try to fix them at home I wreck 'em. This is the one thing that I am artistically very consistent at.

Snow?

Not much to say on this one, just wanted to get one in before I go to bed.

These are more 6x9's and the one with the barn and flag is a 9x12 I did back during my workshop as a demo, on Veteran's Day actually.

I'm sitting here right now getting a little excited over the fact we have snow in the forecast. The forecast has a pretty stiff wind predicted though and that can really make painting tough. Hopefully I'll be able to get at least one good snow day.

Motivation-cation

Heeyy, it's me. I'm alive. For anybody who keeps up with my blog I have had a bit of a motivation issue. Been lettin' it slide a bit.

But I'm back.

These are a few 6x9 paintings I am putting together for Leiper's Creek for the Christmas buying crowd. They're small and inexpensive and we have already sold a few. Hope to have the last two dry and in the gallery by midweek for a total of 8. If they sell well we may be on to something. I have noticed in this industry though as soon as you think you're on to something it changes to something else. Like trying to kill a rattlesnake with a sewing needle.

Everybody's a Critic...

...which in the case of the painting above is a good thing.

The Cumberland Society of Painters had a meeting Thursday night and agreed to have a "critique" after. We all brought paintings for the exercise and I had just finished the painting above that morning. During the critique of the painting there were a few compositional issues brought up so I took the painting home and followed the advice and "voila", a better painting! I think it actually helped the feel and design of the painting.

This was one of the first group critiques I had been a part of so I have to say I was a bit apprehensive trying to tell people who are much more experienced than myself how I think it ought to be. But after watching them I noticed it can be very constructive and I think we all have the same problem of being our own worst critic. I can stare at one of my paintings for only so long before it starts looking like a Jackson Pollock and it's nice to get fresh minds and eyes to see things you just can't pick up on.

Anyway, I may try this piece larger because I do like the feel of it and hopefully I can translate some of the qualities of it as I enlarge it.

The Chestnut Group Radnor Show

The Chestnut Group is having their Radnor Lake Show this weekend. The Patrons party is Thursday night and the show begins in earnest on Friday morning at the Nature center there at Radnor. As we were setting up I saw some fantastic art and it looks like the Chestnut Group has taken it up a notch yet again.

I have posted my effort for the cause and hopefully we can raise a little money for the park. They still have quite a bit of damage from the May flood and every little bit will help.

PAP-SE Weekend

Had a weekend of painting and socializing with some of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast. It was a get together to meet the new artist's in the group which consists of me, Jim Richards and Lori Putnam. We were joined the first day for a paint out in Leiper's Fork by Anne Blair Brown, Diane and Frank May, Brett Weaver and Roger Brown and Beverly Evans. After a full day of painting we spent the evening in Nashville at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. They have a show there now called "The Birth of Impressionism" and it's on loan from the Musee d'Orsay. If you have not been, go. It's wonderful. There is a painting there by Jules Bastien LePage titled "The Haymakers" that did it for me. It is a huge painting and the greens in it are phenomenal. I mix greens. I mix greens all the time. I mix greens for a living and I have never seen a green like this. It's grey and cool and deep and rich. And it's juxtaposed against other colors that make it this vibrant green yet when you look at it closer it's almost grey or blue or something else I can't get my head around. The effect of it was gorgeous. Speaking of greens, the next day we painted at a farm in Fernvale, had a catered lunch, and then dinner at one of the artist's home. In that home happened to be two Clyde Aspevig paintings. These were two of the most fabulous paintings I have stood in front of and in one of these paintings was a green. A perfect green. There is not a word between "aardvark" and "zymurgy" that describes this green so I won't try to with my limited linguistic talents but these are the times when you realize what is meant by "genius" in reference to great landscape painters. My rods and cones feel like they are cooling down after an Ironman triathlon.

We painted as a group one more time on Saturday morning and then all left until next spring when we plan on having the entire group together again right outside Charleston. I am looking forward to meeting the other artists and being part of the group.