Deb and I spent most of the week dealing with individual aches and pains... but managed to team up on a long overdue painting project. It too... was a "BIG" brush project and the surface a large one - an unpainted deck. We had bitten the bullet last week and purchased two gallons of dark stain... and with the long range forecast predicting three days of rain beginning Saturday... we jumped into the project with a combined verve and energy together yesterday afternoon.
Mission accomplished... by The Paint Box Gang!... and none too soon. The weatherman was right on the money. It is raining... as I write. Both "We"...and the earth sigh with relief and welcome the cool and much-needed wetness. Never put off... what should have been done last year! HA HA!!
The mural project is still stalemated. My neck and shoulder balk at the thought of those many low and big strokes that are necessary to bring closure to the project. Project is not merely a virtue - it is absolutely necessary. Own the project on your own terms. Don't let the project or the "others" own you! I've learned that and keep that in mind daily.
I haven't been treading water... except when swimming with Allie. I have two new smaller pieces that are keeping my palette up. I truly am enjoying being able to shift gears at will... and to day dream. Sketching... whether with oils... or any other medium is refreshing to the spirit. It is childlike in its goals... and its outcome. It is deliberately loose... and painterly.
Let's call it a prelude to autumn... a time a few days just ahead that can be glorious and at the same time... an overwhelming time when colour overrides common sense... or one's capabilities!
I hope that you enjoy today's offerings... both completed on my upright table easel and from recent digital reference... well away from the source. One site is located at the water's edge at Ivy Lea. Recognize the white cottage and island from the sisters' class outing? The other is an interesting jumble of buildings and garden on a back street Lyndhurst village. The jumble intrigued me at the time... but Frank and I... "had other fish to fry" on that particular day.
Recent remarks on other painter's blogs question the true pedigree of a plein air painter and work. I have no problem with the source or the place business. That's all merely opinion. What matters more to me personally is the passion one has for their subject... their work and the time done in the trenches to really deserve a title. And there again... just one guy's opinion... and should it matter??? I wonder...
"Listen to your heart... it knows where it's going." Just paint on!
Good Painting!... and Happy Fall... to ALL!!!
"Summer... in Repose, Ivy Lea"
oil on canvas board 11x14 inches
"Summer Quietude... Lyndhurst"
oil birch cradle board 8x10 inches
Good Morning Bruce, I like both of these: the first one for its distant view, which suggests the vast landscape of trees and waterways, and the second one for its unusual viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteWe are having similar weather here, with some warm days but cool foggy mornings. We are currently in the process of installing a wood-burning stove and stocking-up on firewood, so we have now joined you in this (satisfying) annual chore.
All the best,
Keith
Good morning Keith!... Thanks for the visit and for the uplifting comments on these paintings. Good eye!
ReplyDeleteYou will never regret the addition of the woodburning stove. It provides the best heat... even when power is unavailable.
With wood heat you get three heats. The first heat when you split it. The second heat when you stack it. And that third and wonderful "shin heat" that drives out the dampness and chill of any winter night!
Good Painting!
And "warmest " regards! HA HA!
Bruce