Number 59: En Plein Air - The Chicken Coop!

I had so much fun yesterday painting outside that I decided to do it again today!

There's an old chicken coop on the farm that was used by the previous owner to raise calves. I spent the last weekend clearing out all the tall grass and weeds from the fenced-in area as well as around it, not to mention fighting with snakes and a well that stopped working for a while! Anyway, I thought to myself that the results of my labor would be a good subject for a quick little painting.

My chosen subject. Pretty, huh?

Composition and layout...

In the Country - Chicken Coop, 6x8, Oil on Gessoed Hardboard

Yes, there are HUGE FOOTBALLS growing in my background tree! And I could have softened the hill top a little! But my main objective with this one was just getting the shadows and lights as well as the warm and cool foreground and background right. I don't think I did too terribly bad with either, so next time I'll work on edges too!

Number 60: En Plein Air, Round 2!

I got a wild hare, actually Jen (Thank you, Honey!), and went outside yesterday. It was absolutely GORGEOUS out!

I was a little hesitant, given my last bout with painting en plein air. But out in the country there are no people to watch, oggle, ridicule, laugh at you, talk to you, so I wasn't distracted at all - and I think it shows!

I picked out an old, short, unused grain silo with a farm gas tank next to it. I think that the bluishness of the silo and the bright orange of the gas tank caught my eye.

This one was SO MUCH FUN!!

My Subjects...

Set up and composition.

Yes, another new Open Box M!! I love them both!! They are so enjoyable to work with. I've put a piece of glass in the bottom and I can't believe how EASY it is to clean them now! Just a glass cleaning razor blade is all it takes!

In the Country - Silo and Tank, 6x8, Oil on Gessoed Hardboard

I really like how this one turned out. Yes, I could have opened up the trees a bit and worked a cloud or two in the sky, but I was so happy to be outside again that I just didn't want to muddle this one up!

BONUS!! Jen got some new photos of me painting outside, so I'll be updating my profile picture with something that makes me look a little more approachable, instead of Mr. Grumpy, hehe!

Number 61: Still Life - Mango

So, I haven't been keeping up with my painting like I should. Life has a tendency to zig when you want to zag. But things are settling down again, and I'm back to painting!

My Set Up - The Mango

And here is the first painting I've done since January - my 39th!!

Still Life - Mango, 6x8 Oil on Gessoed Hardboard