The Road Home

Poor Mr. Frost... He had to choose.

Lucky me... I'll take both!

If you find yourself in this exact spot, you're almost here!  If I know you're coming, I'll be on the porch waiting for you! When you get to the fork in the road, turn right.  It's hidden by the trees, but my house will be right there.

As it turns out, however, this painting isn't about turning right. 

Come for a stroll with me down the other way. We'll pass the garden... laugh at the chickens... walk around the pond where we'll avoid (or crunch) pinecones... count the deer in the meadow and watch them scatter... snap a photo of the favorite dogwood (no matter what season)... turn onto the next country road and continue ambling along until reaching the bend in the road where we'll turn back. It takes about 500 steps there and 500 back.

Original Oil Painting on 10"x 20" Wrapped Canvas.

[SOLD]

Pumpkin Pie

One time I tallied my paintings by season and discovered that I had done more with an autumn theme than nearly all the other seasons combined. It's hard not to want to put a golden, orange, and red landscape on canvas.

The older I get, the more I appreciate fall.  I think that during my first 50 years, I was just too busy during fall to notice it... back to school and getting the year going, parent conferences to hold, band practice to get kids to, football games to attend, Fall Harvest events... I'd see a senior adult fall foliage trip in the church bulletin and wonder who would drive around for no reason.  Now I think, "Honey, want to go for a drive to see the leaves?"

Our Creative Companions challenge was "It's Fall, Y'all." I've painted so many autumn landscapes... I've painted pumpkins and gourds and colorful leaves and scarecrows and candy corn... What else says "fall" when you see it? Ahhh... or taste it!

So, first I was off to Wal-Mart to buy a pie and Cool Whip. (No, of course, I didn't bake it!  Who does that really?) Then I asked the neighbor down the road if I could borrow her pumpkin for a couple of hours.  She didn't mention that it was a weird request and said that was fine.

Next, I got my grandson to come with me in his little jeep to carry the big pumpkin home. 

I carefully cut a slice, added a perfect dollop (great word) of whipped cream, and set up the still life. I took a ridiculous number of photos (this way, that way, move the plate, move the pumpkin, blur the back, don't blur, add a fork, take away the fork, reshape the dollop, turn the plate, move the lamp for a better reflection of the pan on the table...)

Finally, Ron could enjoy eating the slice of pie (I'm not a fan.) and I could choose the right photo then put paint and brush to canvas.

For my companion piece, I collected leaves from around the yard and did some leaf stamping. That was fun. How had I gone nearly 60 years without knowing how easy and how much fun leaf stamping could be. I did some more of it with my little pumpkin-hauling partner.

Original Oil Painting on 10"x 10" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Gourd Fairy House

Once there was a tiny garden fairy who lived in a gourd nestled in the vines...

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I don't know the rest, but I know there's a good story to go along with this little painting! Somebody just needs to write it!

My Weekly-ish Challenge was "Gourd."  Hmmm... I think the idea was that I should paint a lovely fall still life, but that just wasn't the mood that struck me this time.

It just so happens that I have a cousin who paints gourds... literally paints gourds. She creates all kinds of seasonal characters out of gourds.  And, she makes fairy houses out of them too.  Click HERE and have a look. 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/charbranch

Thanks, Charlotte, for letting me use one of your fairy houses as a guide for painting my gourd... well...not actually painting a gourd... but doing a painting of a gourd.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Canvas Board

[GIFT]

Little White Church in Autumn

Painting with a palette knife is such an experiment every single time... every smear of paint onto the canvas.

This Little White Church also challenged me to experiment in color.  I loved the church in the reference photo, but it was set in a winter scene.  I wanted an autumn setting, so I had to make up colors and scenery throughout the process. 

Because I most often think on the left side of my brain, I'm never too comfortable at making things up.  I think I'm pleased with the final result. I do keep looking back to make sure though.

This painting was my response to my weekly-ish challenge with my art mentor.  The challenge was "Little White Church."

**Thanks to Sara Harley for letting me use her photo as a reference.

Original Oil Painting on 11"x 14" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

 

Beside Still Waters (Mini)

Yes, I know it looks familiar, but who doesn't make time for a rerun of something you enjoy! I do love this scene from one of Robert Woods old how-to-paint books.  I painted it about 10 years ago... again about 5 years ago... again about 1 year ago... and again a few months ago... and now this little mini version.

For one thing, I love it.  It's just got all the things I love about home... Rolling mountains, pastures, woods, fall colors, a creek, a fence that hints that there must be cows or some other farm animals back there behind those trees...

A second reason to paint it is that my painting partner, Julie of JujuBeePaints, and I will be using it as we teach a group of senior citizens in a beginning oil painting landscape class in a few weeks. I needed to practice painting it before doing it in front of students.

Finally, I did this tiny version for my art exchange group.  There are about a dozen artists from 3-4 different countries and 8-9 different states who take part in the group.  Every quarter we're given a theme then paired up to exchange a postcard-sized piece of art and letter. The theme this month was "Home or Showcasing Where You Live." This scene looks very much like Northwest Arkansas to me, so I thought it would be perfect to send to my paired partner, Darlene in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Oil painting on 5"x 7" Canvas Board

[GIFT - ART EXCHANGE]

Autumn Pleasure

The older I get, the more appreciation I have for fall.  Maybe it's because I have more time to appreciate it now.  Before, I only thought of fall as those hectic weeks of getting the school year started. Recently though, I have taken such pleasure in this time of year.

I asked my husband, "What do you look forward to about autumn?"  

He said, "Driving down the driveway when all the trees turn gold. Seeing the big yellow tree behind the house. Feeling the brisk air when you need a jacket but only a light one."

Ahhh... good answers! 

Our view when coming down the driveway.

The big yellow hickory tree behind our house.

We are lucky to live in a part of the country that gets all kinds of beautiful fall colors.  I picked up the leaves for this little painting around our home one day last autumn. 

So many amazing colors... what a pleasure!

 

We look forward to watching our leaves change once again during the next few weeks.

These pretty leaves were painting in response to this month's Inspiration Collaboration Image photograph by Sara.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Wrapped Canvas

[GIFT]

Happy Fall, Y'all !!

Look at that happy little thing! You just have to S.O.L. (Smile Out Loud... Is that a thing?)

First of all, I think that her name should be Cheri, the Cheery Little Scarecrow Girl.  I'll name her after my Cheri, my art teacher, my mentor, my friend.  She's the one who set up this still life and guided me in painting it.

When I began painting lessons in 2007, I went to Cheri's house every Monday night for about four years. After she retired and moved, we painted together maybe once a year if I was lucky.  

Last month I had the opportunity for weekly painting lessons in her new place, Inspire Studio and Art in Shawnee, Oklahoma. For four weeks I'd get to paint one-on-one with the most amazing artist!  I was equal parts thrilled and terrified, filled with excitement and filled with dread.  You see, I knew I'd get better and I'd learn; however, I  also knew that she'd push me beyond what I was sure were my artistic limits.

She did.  

I had to swallow down, "But,I don't think I can do that..." a dozen times... a dozen times each lesson!

As you can imagine, yes, indeed I was able to do whatever she thought I could. 

Now... sigh... if only I can remember and put into practice half of what I learned!

My view while painting this still life.

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Red Barn and Wishing Well

When I look at this painting my eyes wander... and my mind wonders...

Can an image be described as poetic?

When I was a teacher, my students and I would sometimes do an activity using "I wonder..." statements when we looked at a poem. 

I find myself doing it with this image.

• I wonder...
• I wonder if who owned this barn...
• I wonder who dug the well...
• I wonder if any animals still live here...
• I wonder why they painted the barn red...
• I wonder if the water from the well tastes fresh...
• I wonder if the wind is blowing...
• I wonder if there is still hay in the loft...
• I wonder why there are no tools or equipment around the barn...
• I wonder if the woods also belong to the farmer...
• I wonder if there's a musty hay-like smell when the door opens...
• I wonder what forgotten treasures are tucked away inside...
• I wonder if children played in the hay...
• I wonder if they made hay from the grass around the barn...
• I wonder if they had cows... or sheep... or goats... or a donkey...
• I wonder if farming was the only income or a side job...
• I wonder if anyone still uses this barn...
• I wonder if anyone still cares about this barn...
• I wonder...

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas.

[SOLD]

Bippity Boppity Pumpkin

 

Fall is in the air!

We went for a walk down our neighborhood road the other day... 

...and found that one of our neighbors had planted a whole section of his yard with pumpkins.  The whole yard was covered in gorgeous vines with big orange pumpkins tucked here and there.  

Right then and there Ron decided that we'd cover the hillside of our pond...

...with pumpkin vines next year.
Just on the other side of this rise is our little pond...

... where the deer drink each day.  But, the neighbor kid told me that the deer didn't bother their pumpkin patch.  His word is as good as Google, I suppose.  Next year, that hillside will be covered! 
I walked back today to take a picture of their patch.  It was gone, but...

... the kid said, "You can take pictures of our pumpkins if you want to!"  Yes!  I wanted to!
Things look pretty green still, but as I walked home, I really began to notice autumn showing up.
The air is crisp, and the leaves are just beginning to turn.

We have so many trees that turn beautiful golds and yellows.

Some turn red...

 ... like this dogwood.  It may have been this very limb that I painted a while ago... Only it was covered with big white blossoms then.

I love that we have all four seasons here; however, I need autumn to hold off just a little longer...

... so that the rest of my tomatoes can turn red!

In other fall news, those four baby chicks who hatched in August are nearly as big as their mama now.  I'm waiting for each of them to either crow or lay an egg.

And finally... our old faithful autumn friend is beginning to put on his annual golden show.  The hickory tree beside our deck...

... We love him so!

Acrylic Painting on 16"x 20" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Red Cottage in Fall III

Nope. 
It's not a repeat post... 
...just a new version... a rerun of a good one!
The last Red Cottage in Fall was for my school's fall festival silent auction.  My principal said up front that she wanted it and planned to bid to win, but one of my students out bid her. 


It was a pretty stress-free painting, so I did another.   
Surprise!

Usually I get to enjoy my paintings for a time while they wait to be bought. Sadly, I didn't get to hold on to either one of these and I really liked them. Hmmmm... maybe one more?? :)

Original Oil Painting - 8"x 10"
[GIFT]
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