November Farmland

November Farmland, Oil on Panel, 11x14

I don't think I've ever composed a painting where the road leaves the scene completely off to one side of the canvas. Possibly a design faux pas, but it doesn't bother me. After finishing this one and thinking about the composition, I decided to do a small piece (below) that is basically a crop of the larger one above.

November Farmhouse, Oil on Panel, 4x6

Ranch Barn, Evening

Ranch Barn, Evening, Oil on Board, 6x8

Main Street Shops

Main Street Shops, Oil on Panel, 9x12

(Lynchburg, Virginia)

My tendency is to avoid difficult subjects for fear that several hours of work will just turn into a frustrating exercise in failure. But of course it is important to challenge yourself and work outside your comfort zone, and I'm glad I did so with this scene. I feel the result is one of my best cityscapes. Even when a challenge doesn't go well, it's still a good learning experience, so I hope to take on difficult scenes more often.

Autumn Light

Autumn Light, Oil on Panel, 9x12

Foggy Hills

Foggy Hills, Oil on Panel, 9x12

I decided to try taking occasional snapshots of my progress through this painting, which took me about two hours. These were taken without a tripod or flash, so the quality is not great, but you get the idea. I start with a quick sketch on a toned canvas, then adding the darkest areas, then blocking in the rest of the areas and refining the color and edges. 

Ivy Lake Houses

Ivy Lake Houses, Oil on Panel, 8x6

Forest, Virginia

Poplar Forest Barn

Poplar Forest Barn, Oil on Board, 11x14

Barn at Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest

Forest, Virginia

Quiet Summer Spot

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my space at the Lynchburg Art Festival last month. There has been little time to paint in the past few weeks, and we just welcomed home our new addition to the family via adoption: baby Erik, born on Sept. 30. We shall see if I can still paint a few small pieces between diaper changes and feedings.

In the meantime, here's one I never got around to posting last month. The first one was done on location in a nearby park:

Quiet Summer Spot Study, Oil on Panel, 8x10

Looking at it the next day, I wished I had achieved a looser brushstroke and decided to paint another version, this time on a slightly smaller panel and working as quickly as possible. With the simpler shapes and the addition of a bluer haze in the distance, I'm liking this quick exercise much better than the first version. Perhaps I should try this more often.

Quiet Summer Spot, Oil on Panel, 6x8

Ivy Lake, Summer

Ivy Lake, Summer, Oil on Board, 8x10

Finally got another chance to paint en plein air last Sunday at Ivy Lake in Forest, Virginia. An enjoyable outing. 

Charm Salon

Charm Salon, Oil on Board, 8x10

In my hometown - Jamestown, New York.