Bedford Vista

8 x 10 Oil on Archival Board

On my many trips to Bedford, I pass such beautiful countryside.  This is one of the farms I drove by recently and decided to stop and take some pictures, taking my life in my hands as traffic whizzed by.   I wish there was a place to park and do some plein air painting.  I could probably drive up and ask permission, but I'm not that brave....yet :-)

Bedford Farmland

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

 

SOLD

I've been busily doing Holiday commissions and haven't been able to post any of them until after Christmas gift giving, so meanwhile here's an older painting that I have always loved.  Our Fall has been less than spectacular this year, but is still always my favorite season. 

This has been a wonderful commission season so far this year, and I am so thankful!  I've got 9 paintings drying and one on the easel.  If you'd like me to paint a commission of your animals, landscapes, etc., please get them to me by Thanksgiving.

Have a great weekend, Everyone!!

Goose Creek Studio

8 x 6 Oil on Archival Board

SOLD

This is a quick rendering of one of my favorite places.  The angle is a little quirky because I took the reference photo as we were driving by.  It became a challenge (all those angles), but I gave up stressing over them and just painted them by eye.  That probably contributes to the quirky-ness.  If you are passing through Bedford, VA, stop in.  Great framing, Great art, Super Great Owners :-)

Before the Storm. Bedford

6 x 9 Oil on Archival Board

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Summer storms come out of nowhere.  This was one of them.  We were lucky to pass through the impending deluge and not be affected by it.  But that sky!!  The sun had a green cast to it creating strange lighting and emphasizing the dark clouds.  I tried to capture it here.  Moody...Yes?

Storm Front On Its Way

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

SOLD

Another rural scene of Bedford, VA.  This one at Poplar Forest.  The day started out with lots of bright sun but deteriorated really fast with the sky changing from a light blue to a deep color over the mountains in the distance.  Before the light totally changed, I was able to capture some of that sunny Fall green and a few light rays here and there.

Bedford Farmland

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

SOLD

This is a quick study for a larger painting.  It was fast and furious and my brush never stopped moving.  I tried to convey the scene with a minimal amount of strokes.  Again, I worked from a very limited palette. I feel like I'm in the middle of a growth spurt, and I wonder where it will lead me.... 

Bedford Fall

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

SOLD

Can you smell those leaves?  How can anyone resist the Fall season?!  This is a road less traveled on the way to Bedford, VA.  The photo colors came out a little vivid and purple for some reason.  I still don't have the process for taking pictures of my artwork down.  Some days the colors match the painting perfectly, other days they don't...as here, and it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the sun or shade.  It appears to happen with landscapes most of the time.  My painting is a lot more subtle.  But it is Fall..and vivid colors are a good thing.  Just picture this a little more hazy and not as pink :-)

Bedford Centerfest

9 x 8 3/4" Oil on Gessobord

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This was Bedford Centerfest at lunch time.  The streets were full of people out to have a good time, and what attracted me to paint the scene was how colorful everything was.  I was sitting at our artists' co-op booth watching people parade back and forth.  It really reminded me of NYC during my daily lunch break.  I would sit in Bryant Park and be fascinated by the people.  I still am, and I suppose that's why I paint what I do...People going about their daily lives.

Katherine's View

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

My Daughter-In-Law was here visiting.  She and my son live in Singapore, but we got to spend a great week with Katherine.  She's a terrific photographer with her own blog, KK's Photo Friday.  Each Friday she posts photos she's usually taken the previous week.  Today, she posted from Munich, Germany, where they are vacationing.  Their next stop is Copenhagen.  This painting is Katherine zooming in on the farmhouse in the distance in Bedford, VA.  We took her to get some new lens filters for the camera while she was here.  The photos she posted today were wonderful, so I guess the filters really work well :-)

Nonconformity

20 x 8" Oil on Board

SOLD

This is one of my favorite paintings!  It's a group of men sitting on the curb killing time.  The body language says it all, and that is what attracted me to this subject.  What absolutely makes this painting is the framing that was done by GOOSE CREEK STUDIO in Bedford, VA.  Patrick and Mitchell are a wonderful and creative team, and they come up with framing ideas that really showcase the art (or photography, or anything else people bring in).  You can see their link when you scroll down on the right column of the blog.  I'm probably going to put this in an upcoming art show.