En Plein Air: Wilderness by the Canal (Oil 12 x 20)

I went to Wheeler Road this morning. It was a great day. Even though there are quite a few professionals living on both sides of the road, mainly it is farm land. Therefore, people have to have to let some loose cows graze on their properties as tax breakers. On the east side behind these farms there is a big canal. If I am not wrong, it is Hendry County beyond the canal. Between the canal and the farms there is a tenth-mile-wide area which runs like a belt along the canal. The government sends workers to cut weeds if they are too high. I have no idea how the land is to be used, possibly for high-voltage power cable or other developments. For now, people simply help themselves to it. Some ride dirt bikes; others went fishing in the canal. Trucks run on the land and cut their tracks along the canal. It was nice to be in the wide-open space and enjoy the sun.

En Plein Air: Red Tractor (Oil, 13 x 13)

I went to the Farmer's Market this afternoon. Tommy told me that he had already moved the red tractor to the field for me. Even though I didn't plan to paint the tractor today, since he was so nice, I painted it anyway.

Alla Prima Portrait: Artist Larry (Oil, 20 x 16)

It was Portrait Studio Day at VAC, Punta Gorda today. We had a new member and he volunteered to pose for us. His name is Larry. He is great at depicting birds. As usual, it was a three-hour session. Deducting the six 10-minute break, the actual painting time was two hours. In fact, the picture below does not do my painting justice. I don't know why it looks so bluish. As a matter of fact, it is not blue at all. Maybe it is because in physics, blue light is the most sensitive color in the spectrum and the camera was first and foremost affected by the blue light.

The next morning when it was light, I retook the picture. Even though it was still bluish, it was much better. See the following.

Plein air Oil Sketch: Fisherman Henry (11 x 11)

I went to Harns Marsh this morning and met Fisherman Henry. He was using artificial baits to fish bass or trout. I was never successful in using artificial baits, so I asked Henry a lot of questions about fresh-water fishing. Then I realized that I was asking too many questions. I would find it rude if someone asked me so many questions about painting when I was painting outside. However, Henry was very patient and explained to me in detail. Therefore, I offered to paint him while he was fishing. He liked the idea. The painting took a little more than an hour. He was standing on the rocks by the wire fence.

Oil Sketch: Horseshoer Ray (15 x 20)

I think I should have focused on the horse and the man instead of trying to depict the environment. Ray worked with three horses this morning at Lane's farm. He spent around 15 minutes on each horse. On the average, he stayed in the pose for about four minutes since he had to work on the other three feet, too. Therefore, I had altogether only twelve minutes for the pose, considering the three horses.

he is coming back Tuesday week, again. I hope I'll d a better job then.

Plein air Oil Sketches: Cowgirl Debbie and Lane's Tool Shack

We agreed that I went to Lane's farm to paint Debbie, Truitt's mother this afternoon. When I got there, Truitt said they were not home yet. I didn't want to wait there doing nothing, so I decided to paint Lane's tool shack with a small tractor in front of it. It seemed the tractor was used to pull a mower. I set the timer for one hour and started right away. Shortly after I began, it got windy and rain began to fall. I got an umbrella from the trunk to cover my easel. When it got heavier, I had to stop and went inside. Lane and Debbie was just in time to be home before it began to pour. In about 10 minutes, the rain stopped as abruptly as it started. I went out to continue the oil sketch. I stopped painting when the timer went off. Therefore, the sketch took not even an hour.

When I finished the tool shack, Debbie asked where I was going to paint her. I asked her to take a chair and sit  near the tool shack. Her portrait took about two hours.

Plein Air Oil Sketch: Cowboy Truitt and His Dog Cane (Oil, 24 x 19)

I went to Lane and Debbie's farm this afternoon. They were not home. I knew they were busy. As I was deciding what views to paint, I saw Truitt come out of the house. The sun-shiny day reminded me of Kim English's paintings and I really wanted to paint figures in the sun, so I asked Truitt if he would like to sit in the sun to let me paint. He liked the idea but asked whether he could have Cane with him. "Of course," was my reply. Except for a few breaks, the whole sketch took less than two hours.