Red Buds in Spring

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9 x 6 Oil on Archival Board

I used to pass by this scene while doing my morning walk. That red bud tree is now gone, and after painting it years ago in pastel, I thought I'd paint it again in oils. It still is a beautiful view, but I do miss looking past the buds at the lake. (Sorry about the photo. It's very washed out for some reason).

Country House in Spring

8 x 10 Oil on Archival Board

This house has attracted my attention every time I pass by it.  It sits alone on a large piece of property which I think must have been a working farm at one time.  I've thought many times, in different seasons, about painting it.  This day the light, atmosphere, and white flowers on the large bush on the side were too much to pass up.  Also, I loved the tilted antenna...or clothes line.  I thought about leaving it out, but it does work to pull your eye back into the painting.  This is one of my favorites :-)  If interested, just email me at shelleykoop@gmail.com.

Green Canoe on Smith Mountain Lake

9 x 12 Oil on Archival Board

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Smith Mountain Lake is so diverse due to its huge size.  We live on the Gills Creek portion of the lake which doesn't have the distant mountains.  Actually it does, but one has to stand on the roof of the house to see it :-)  This is the Blackwater part which has a totally different feel.  I love the ins and outs of the land.  The lake has 500 miles of shoreline, so there's plenty of places to paint without repeating too often.  The trick here is to sketch your painting in quickly, because the colors and shadows change if you look away for a minute.  If interested in purchasing, please email me at shelleykoop@gmail.com. 

Have a great weekend!

Whitecaps on Smith Mountain Lake

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

 

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A windy day plein air from my studio window.  There was only one sailboat at the time, so I took the liberty of adding two more.  Wouldn't it be great if life was like that? ... If something doesn't appeal to you, just conjure up what does.  

Bent Tree at Smith Mountain Lake

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

 

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This is one of my favorite views when I'm doing my morning walk.  When we first moved here to the Lake, this tree was tall and straight.  Over the years it has become a little bent and has lost some of its branches...sort of like me, I suppose.  Thankfully, I still have my branches :-)

Quiet Smith Mountain Lake (Plein Air - Commission)

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

 

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The weather has been so perfect this week, and here is another plein air piece (number 2 of the four commissions).  The light and the reflections of the sky on the water were pretty exceptional when I painted this.  It changed quickly, so I was glad I could get it down.

Spring Greens on Smith Mountain Lake (plein air)

 

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

 

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It's always good to move away from something you are doing (as in my series of museum patrons) for a change of pace.  Not only is it freeing to move the paint around in a less controlled way, but it brings that much more enjoyment when I move back to the series.  Looking out at the landscape before me, I had a wonderful time mixing those greens.  The weather was perfect and it was a great way to spend the day.  I will be doing three more commissions based on the beautiful Smith Mountain Lake and the surrounding mountains.  Let's hope there is no more snow!

Tallulah and the Lilacs

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

 

This is Tallulah (our Sproodle) checking out my first lilacs of the season.  I'm not sure if she was just enjoying the smell or planning on eating them...Either way, she was really interested in them.  This painting isn't as blue as it appears here.  Not sure why this color thing happened, but the background is much more subtle.  I will try to take another photo of it and re-post at some point.

Old Gardening Shed

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board
 

A weathered gardening shed that would not have been very interesting to me if not for the beautiful flowers in the foreground.  A departure from the commissions that I have been doing and really enjoyable to paint!  Now, back to the commissions for a bit.

First Blooms

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6 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

Isn't it funny how each Spring we get so excited about the first blooms we see?!  It's like we haven't seen Spring before.  That's why I like the change of seasons so much.  We forget how wonderful each season is until the following one is upon us.  This painting was done with left over paints on my palette, so very limited and lots of mixing.  Happy Spring! 

About a Boy

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

An exercise in movement...Nothing too specific, just limited color and a large brush.  I'm used to using relatively small brushes which tends to make my work more detailed than I would always like.  On this one, I stood back and just placed color as I saw fit.  Very little detail, but it all seemed to come together.  I've been watching a lot of painting DVD's and would recommend that others who are basically self-taught do the same.  It's not always easy or convenient to travel to take classes, and the DVD's are an excellent second best.  They have certainly helped me and continue to help me define my personal style.  I don't try to "copy" what I see, but use it to define my own sense of painting "reality."  By the way, this is Rocky.  One of my favorite people to paint :-)

Spring!

6 x 6 Oil on Gessobord

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Playing with color!  This was just plain fun :-)  It started out as pansies but, technically, I'm not sure it wound up that way.  Just pretty complimentary colors.  The actual painting is more vibrant than what is displayed here, and it does really pop.  Flowers are always a departure for me; however, I'm beginning to love painting them.  I should call this "Yellow Sort Of Pansies."

Finally, Spring!

12 x 12 Oil on Gessobord

Well, Spring has arrived for a day or two.  We seemed to go from a snowstorm to 90 degrees in a matter of days.  Totally confusing for plants and humans alike.  A little color always makes me happy, so I did enjoy  painting these flowers before the weeds take over.  Summer in Virginia is not a favorite for me, so now, even before summer has officially arrived, I'm looking forward to Fall.  As everyone tells me, I'm never satisfied :-)