Afternoons at the Barn

"From the Barn" 8x10 oil on panel

      The summer is rolling by and there is so much I had planned on painting that I fear I will run out of time.  Time management is always a challenge for me.  There never seem to be enough hours in the day to do all I need to do.  Most mornings are spent with my horse on the beautiful property you see painted here.  You may recognize the scene in the background from my "Farmhouse" series.  I have learned to keep my painting gear packed so that when the occasion arises I am ready.  This week the weather and skies were wonderful so after my time with Gypsy I set to work painting.

      Rather than spend valuable time traveling to different sites I have decided to focus here for awhile.  There is no lack of subject matter and I get to feel good about spending the time out painting and at the same time keep a handle on my time.  The more I paint here the more ideas for future paintings I have.  I think it has something to do with my connection to this place.  I have had horses here for over 30 years. I know and love the place well and I hope that will come across in the paintings.

     The painting below is the most recent one and was painted the day before yesterday on a fairly breezy afternoon.  I had set up my easel under a walnut tree which kept me cool and gave me shade.  It also gave me a knock in the head:) It is early for the tree to be dropping it's fruit but the breeze was strong enough to knock a couple of walnuts free.  I took one to the head and one to the shoulder.  My only concern was taking one to the palette!  That could have been a mess but happily my palette remained walnut free.

"The Barn at the Top of the Hill", 8x10 oil on panel

On Exhibit

"Different Paths", 18x24 oil on panel

         Here we are at the end of August and I realized I never mentioned that the painting above was juried into the annual "Scapes" (International Landscape Show) at the Art League Gallery. The show continues until September 2nd and has been on exhibit since August 6th.  I am always very happy to be juried into this show so please don't read my failure to mention it as being nonchalance.  There are a lot of entries for this very popular show so being included is always a very good thing,
        Also still on exhibit is the Summer Potpourri Show online at the Salmagundi Show. I will give links at the end of this blog entry and if you should visit this exhibit online I am on page 17 (I think, anyway it is alphabetical). I have one of my "Farmhouse" minis on exhibit as well as "Storm Clouds Over Morven Park".  The Salmagundi Club is undergoing a massive renovation so in house exhibits are temporarily on hold.  You might enjoy seeing the photos that have been posted of the work in progress on this wonderful, historic mansion.
       Another show that continues into September is the "Art of DC" at American Paintings Gallery on MacArthur Boulevard in DC.  I still have four paintings left in that show which is a Washington Society of Landscape Painters exhibit.
        Lastly there is River District Arts in Sperryville Virginia where "Blue Ridge" is on exhibit until September 29th.  If you want to take a Sunday drive into some gorgeous country this is only about an hour outside of DC.  This show is also a Washington Society of Landscape Painters exhibit and it is a beauty! 
       I should also mention that the Oil Painters of America Summer Salon Show continues until August 31st but I don't think you can view it on the OPA site any longer.  My painting from that show did sell and I look forward to hearing where it is off to.
      
       I have had to take a brief hiatis from work to take care of some medical issues but I plan to be back to the studio tomorrow.  I have so much that just has to get on paper or canvas.  I have no lack of inspiration at the moment and I love that feeling!  So, here are the promised links.  Happy surfing:)

www.theartleague.org    www.salmagundi.org   www.classicamericanpainting.com (that's the American Painting Gallery)  http://wslp.org (Washington Society of Landscape Painters where you can see all the centennial exhibits including the one at River District mentioned above)  www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com

Ditto on the Title of My Last Post:)

"August on Pennsylvania Avenue", 6x12 oil on line panel

     We have been having one of the best summers on record here in the Metropolitan DC area.  In any case that is my opinion.  I spend as much time as possible outdoors which means I am getting behind in paperwork and things such as this blog.  I am painting and drawing, usually well into the evening.  Good thing too because there are a lot of shows this fall and I need to be ready.  There are three "small works" shows that I am creating paintings for.  The little one above is a companion to the "Pennsylvania Avenue" painting I showed you a couple of posts back.  In this one I am facing the opposite direction.  This came out of a day long sketching excursion to Pennsylvania Avenue last Monday.  It was cool and breezy and a wonderful place to be.  Washington DC empties out in the summer, big time!  It took me 10 minutes to drive from my house and park immediately.  In a couple of weeks that won't happen. 

     My friend Susan and I started at 13th Street near the Old Post Office Pavilion and worked our way down to 7th.  That is the cross street you see in this painting.  On the left the old 19th century building is where the photographer Matthew Brady had his studio. I am sure you are familiar with his photos from the Civil War.  I had three sketch books with me of different sizes and weights of paper.  I worked in pencil, Prismacolor markers and ball point pen.  This painting came from a quickie pencil sketch in my 4x6 inch sketchbook.  Traffic was so light that you could stand in the crossing for awhile.  Actually, at 13th there was construction in the middle of the road and traffic was diverted around it.  Had I known, and if the construction company agreed, I could have set my easel up right in the middle of the avenue!
       Whoops! Text froze and I almost got bounced off.  Better hurry.  I will try to post the latest in the "Farmhouse" mini series.  It was painted just before one of the many summer rains we have been having.  I'll be back with more .......

"Going to Rain", 6x8 oil on panel

Busy Artist = Bad Blogger

     Since I follow several blogs I confess I am disappointed when I visit and there aren't any current entries. For that reason I feel I need to apologize to my regular readers for not posting since July 25th. The reason for this is that I have been overextended lately and by the time evening rolls around I just want to crash!  Add to that the fact that technical problems continue with Blogger.  For instance, you will have to read this typos and all because I cannot back up and make corrections, nor can I add a caption to my photo and then add text.  So... the above painting is a plein air piece I did yesterday above the Potomac River in McLean, VA where I live.  It is a 16x20 oil on linen panel which I have titled "Mather Gorge".  Let's see if I can add more before I get shot off the site:)

Ha! I won't even try to delete the little x in the box above as that was my first attempt to upload this photo.  If I go back I wil be gone. What a pain in the arse!  Anyway, this is my vantage point from yesterday and it was a spectacular day!  The most ideal summer weather!  I was able to finish the painting in one session and I am always happier with the paintings that I can do in one gulp.  They are fresher that way.

I dont' think I will push my luck and upload the painting I did of the Great Falls last week.  I do have to finish a small part of that one as it started to rain after two hours of work. I am finishing it outdoors on my deck working from reference photos and I will show you that progress tomorrow. I will stop while I am ahead:)