I started my painting adventures when I stumbled across a photo that was taken of the farm up the road from my house. This painting was the result. It a first attempt for me at painting an actual landscape instead of something I made up. It took but a half hour with acrylic paint.A day or two later, I created another from the same photograph. I remember the trouble I had with the background trees, but I also remember how intently I was focused on the fine details. Soon after it was posted, a friend loved it and bought it.
With these two paintings, you can begin to see how I work . I start with a study, usually painted, and move on to final piece.The same principle applied when I transitioned from acrylic to oil. I started with a study and then some final pieces. Following is my first oil painting, ever. Until I got a set of Winsor and Newton Winton oils, I had never touched the stuff in my life. I again used the same photo for this painting.
It was truly an experience to work with paint that stays wet to the touch for days. I was definitely not used to it. It mixed like crazy on the canvas where as the acrylic was dried in minutes, which allowed me to layer on different colors sans the mixing.The next painting was my first plein air experience. It was a sunny mid-spring day in the northeast, so I set myself up in the field next to the same farm that provided me with a similar view and this was the result.
Finally, a year later, and around the same time of year, I went to the same spot in the same field to paint this farm yet again. You can see some differences in style and content, most notably being that the silo is no longer there.
The fact that the silo is no longer there leads me to the reason for painting what I do. I want to paint farm-scapes so I can capture the heritage of southern Vermont. It is my way of remembering the self sufficiency that made this place great. And its a little nostalgia, as well.
